Page 132 of Lethal King

“Try me.”

Now, it’s my turn to smile.

16

Rozalia

Could this be any more demeaning?

The dusty mirror by the club’s entrance only reminds me of my shame—not that I need to see my reflection to feel the bulky shock collar fastened tightly around my throat.

“That fucker better be here,” Rian grumbles next to me.

The bastard.

Of all the subtle contraptions a tech genius like him could have concocted to control me, he chose the most barbaric and obvious solution.

Shit. He wouldn’t even let me leave that disgusting bedroom until his uncle had brought the thing up. And he definitely didn’t let me put it on myself.

I don’t blame him. I would have definitely found a way to disable the fucking thing if I’d had the chance, but that chance has long passed, and the last time I even reached up to scratch my nose, I got a quick shock. An infuriating reminder of who’s in control.

Him.

The man who overpowered me back in that bedroom. The man who pinned me to the wall, who wrestled me to the floor, who promised to kill anyone who dared try to marry me.

It’s the same man I stupidly kissed.

Rian Kilpatrick.

My lion.

Hell, the shock collar hardly changes anything. Without it, I’d still be under his control. And it’s not just because he can make my body squirm with anticipation, or cause my lips to tingle with electricity.

No. The moment he confirmed that he didn’t actually want to marry me, I felt something I’d never felt for any man outside of my little adoptive family before.

Respect.

Hell, maybe even a little admiration.

If only that was where my new feelings ended.

But no. My life can never be so simple. Something else has appeared deep inside of me. Something more controlling than any shock collar or tracking device could ever be.

I’m starting to like the man.

I must be losing my fucking mind.

“If he doesn’t show up soon, I’m not even going to let him talk,” I murmur. “That fucker has kept us waiting for twenty minutes already.”

“If you even go near him before I give you permission, I’m going to shock some sense back into you,” Rian replies, lifting the remote to his face.

Fucking hell. Another remote.

I want to rip it out of his hands and crush it over his head. But not for the same reasons I have before.

This feels different than the tracking device he rubbed onto my clit. It feels kinkier.

Sure, It’s still a cruel display of power, but this time, he’s only doing it to appease one of my own desires.