Page 267 of Coal Hearts

Slipping my hand into my pocket, I fingered the black device that brought such swift discipline. Pulling it out, I let all the jewels see what rested in my palm. As expected, a few whimpers rang out, followed by an entire line-up stiffening into stone.

Ily dared to press closer to Peter, fucking me right off.

Spinning on the spot, I raised the electrocution remote. “Is this what you had in mind for discipline, Vic?”

Victor chuckled and sat in the very same chair I’d vacated.

Very delicately, he pushed aside my half-eaten breakfast and folded his hands in his lap. The way he moved reminded me of a cat about to kill something. The way he watched me said I was his prey.

Which didn’t make a shred of fucking sense.

I frowned as Victor watched two black-suited guards roll out a narrow table with a large flatscreen on it. Once it was in prime position on the deck, he nodded his thanks as a retreating guard placed a remote control beside my abandoned coffee cup.

Picking it up, Victor stroked it like it was a pet anaconda. “I’ll answer your little question in a moment, Ward, but first...indulge me in some of mine.”

I didn’t like the way he stressed my last name.

I didn’t like that he smiled at me the same way he smiled at his godforsaken jewels.

The old me would’ve broken into icy sweat by now.

The new and improved me just stood there.

Bold and careless.

Crossing my arms, I tipped my chin. “Got something on your mind, Victor?”

“I do actually. Allow me to show you.” Angling the remote at the TV, he clicked it on and revealed a scene that felt like foggy déjà vu.

Drifting a little closer to the screen so the sun glare didn’t obscure details, I frowned at the still image of my arms wrapped tight around Ily, my mouth pressed to the corner of her eye, her naked body draped over my lap on the busy acorn-motif carpet of the library.

That felt like decades ago.

My heart skipped then settled. “You’re interrogating me on transgressions I’ve already explained?”

Victor pursed his lips. “Just indulge me for a few minutes, mon ami. I’m aware you said your fetishes include tears and whispers.”

A few guests snickered around the deck.

The jewels behind me stayed eerily silent.

“Amongst my top five, yes. But you already asked what I was doing when you came to find us. And I told you.”

Funny, the thought of whispering to Ily now leaned toward telling her exactly what I wanted, rather than doing my useless best to save her. I no longer wanted to whisper for her to play along but to truly confess that her blood made me throb and her tears made me ravenous to break her.

“Tell me again if you don’t mind.” Victor tapped my empty coffee cup with the remote. He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Go on. Don’t be shy. After all, there’s no secrets between us.”

There he went with the cryptic crap again.

Yesterday, I would probably have had a panic attack and overcompensated with some heavy-handed confession of wanting Ily in pieces.

Today, I merely shrugged and released a part of my untameable darkness. “Fine. I drank her sadness.”

“Why?”

“Why? I don’t know. Why do we like the things we like? I’ve always been drawn to tears. Probably another throw-back to my fucked-up childhood.”

“Oh? How interesting.” Victor took a bite of his mini blueberry danish. “Please...do continue.”