Page 746 of Coal Hearts

“I don’t think you’re ready to give yourself to me completely yet,” Victor murmured. “But...let’s test if you’re ready for those games to begin, hmm?” Pushing away from the table, he pointed at his fly. At the hardness hidden behind it. At the cock I wanted to eviscerate.

“A tiny request, my dear sweetling.” He chuckled under his breath. “Like I said, I don’t trust you to put my entire dick in your mouth, so for tonight, just remove me gently and...kiss me.”

I gagged on sour spit.

My jaw clenched to bite.

Kiss him?

Kiss that part of him?

Fuck no.

Jesus no.

Images of slicing my teeth through his cock and making him bleed consumed—

“Ah, ah, don’t you think I can’t see your thoughts?” His hand lashed out and grabbed my chin. Wrenching my eyes to his, he smirked. “I see them clear as day.”

His fingers dug painfully into my cheeks.

His eyes flashed pure evil as he hissed, “Ferdinand, would you be so kind to take Ilyana on stage? You have my permission to fuck her and then cut off her tits with your steak knife if Henri even twitches wrong.”

No—

“Be my pleasure, Vic.” The sound of wood on wood screeched as Ferdinand shoved his chair back and stalked toward where Ily was chained to the wall. I didn’t dare look at her but out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grab her, unhook her, then drag her tripping onto the stage.

She squeaked in pain as he shoved her against the same pole Victor had chained me to for forty-eight hours when this all began.

“I’m ready when you are, Vic.”

“Excellent.” Letting my cheeks go, Victor reclined and shrugged. “If you so much as think of biting me, my pet, you can watch my friend cut off your lover’s very nice breasts, and then I will personally feed them to you for breakfast.”

Ily cried out as Ferdinand grabbed her left breast.

Pure homicidal rage crackled like lightning in my body. “Don’t you fucking—”

Electricity.

Hot, vicious, biting electricity.

Seconds or minutes or hours.

I could never tell.

The pain stopped as suddenly as it’d begun.

I lay on my side, gasping, twitching, my entire body fried with maiming power.

“Try again.” Victor tapped his shiny shoe against my bare hip. “What were you going to say?”

It took every willpower to push upright with shaking arms and kneel before him again. Swallowing every shred of self-respect, I bowed my head and said, “You know you don’t have to threaten me.”

Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Every part of me recoiled, but I didn’t pull away.

“Do you think I’m bluffing?” He smiled. “Do you think I believe this little act that you’ve perfected? That you truly are this docile?”