Luca’s breath hitched as Damien’s whisper ghosted over his skin. The words clung to him, thick and suffocating, wrapping around his throat like an invisible chain. He wanted to run, to escape, but his body refused to move.

His eyes flickered back to Natalya’s crumpled form on the floor, her chest barely rising. Luca’s stomach twisted. She looked so small, so broken. And Damien…

Damien was watching him with something unreadable in those piercing blue eyes.

“You’re trembling.” His voice was soft, deceptively gentle. His gloved fingers trailed down Luca’s jaw, the leather warm from his own skin. “Does it frighten you? Seeing what I’m capable of?”

Luca swallowed hard, his pulse hammering. “You nearly killed her.”

Damien exhaled slowly, his smirk unfazed. “I gave her exactly what she deserved.”

Luca’s stomach lurched. This wasn’t just violence. This was something else—something cold and calculated. Damien didn’t act on impulse; he didn’t lose control. No, everything he did was deliberate, methodical.

And now… Luca was next.

Damien’s fingers tightened slightly, forcing Luca to meet his gaze. “You don’t approve?”

Luca’s breath hitched. He could barely force the words out. “She’s your wife.”

A sharp chuckle escaped Damien, dark amusement flickering across his face. “And?”

Luca’s lips parted, but he had no response. There was nothing he could say that would make this man see reason. Nothing he could do to change what he had just witnessed.

“Luca.” Damien’s voice was softer now, coaxing, laced with something sinister. His hand slid down to Luca’s throat, the pressure just enough to make his breath catch. “You’re shaking so much. Are you scared of me?”

Luca forced himself to remain still, to not let his fear show, but Damien saw through it instantly. His smirk widened.

“Good.”

Luca barely had time to react before Damien’s grip yanked him forward. Their bodies nearly touched, Damien’s warmth seeping through his clothes. The scent of blood and expensive cologne invaded Luca’s senses, making his stomach twist.

“Listen carefully, Luka.” Damien’s lips brushed against the shell of his ear. “You don’t get to judge me. You don’t get to look at me with those accusing little eyes.”

Luca clenched his fists. “You’re a monster.”

Damien sighed, as if Luca’s words disappointed him. “Maybe,” he murmured. “But you’re still here. And you’re still mine.”

Luca’s breath caught. His heart pounded so violently it hurt.

Damien pulled back slightly, his gloved thumb brushing against Luca’s lower lip. “I won’t hurt you, Luka.”

Luca stiffened. Lies. Everything about this man was a lie.

“But…” Damien continued, tilting his head, his grip tightening just enough to make Luca’s pulse stutter. “You will learn to obey me.”

Luca opened his mouth—to protest, to scream, to fight—but Damien silenced him with a single, quiet command.

“Kneel.”

Luca’s entire body locked up. He stared up at Damien, his breath shallow, his mind screaming at him to resist.

Damien’s smirk didn’t waver. He simply waited, his grip firm yet patient. A predator giving his prey a moment to realize there was no escape.

Luca clenched his jaw, his nails biting into his palms. He wanted to fight. He wanted to refuse.

But deep down, something inside him knew the truth.

Damien always got what he wanted.

******* Luca sat frozen, his breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with the lingering tension of Damien’s command. He wanted to resist—to hold on to whatever shred of control he had left—but his body betrayed him. His knees trembled, the weight of Damien’s gaze pressing down on him like an unbearable force.

“You hesitate,” Damien mused, his voice edged with amusement, but there was an unmistakable warning beneath it. “I should punish you for that.”

Luca flinched. His mind raced, searching for a way out, but there was none. He was trapped in a game he didn’t know how to play, and Damien was already ten steps ahead. The man’s gloved fingers curled around his chin, forcing him to look up.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Luka.” The softness of his voice was almost worse than his usual cold indifference. “Kneel.”

Luca’s throat tightened. A wave of nausea rolled through him as he felt his legs slowly give in. His body moved on instinct, as if it knew there was no other choice. The marble floor was cold beneath his palms as he lowered himself, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Damien let out a pleased hum, his fingers sliding through Luca’s hair in a mockery of affection. “See? That wasn’t so difficult.”

Luca swallowed back the shame burning in his chest. Every part of him screamed in protest, but his body had already surrendered. He hated himself for it.

Damien crouched in front of him, one gloved hand resting under Luca’s chin. His piercing blue eyes drank in every detail—Luca’s trembling lips, the way his chest rose and fell too quickly, the subtle tension in his jaw.

“Beautiful,” Damien murmured, his fingers tracing along Luca’s cheek. “I always knew you’d look good on your knees for me.”

Luca snapped his head away, his breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts. “Go to hell.”

Damien laughed, dark and amused. “Oh, Luka.” He grabbed Luca’s jaw again, this time with an iron grip, forcing him to look up. “You don’t understand, do you? Hell is right here. And you belong to me now.”

Luca’s stomach twisted. A sharp spike of fear shot through him, but before he could respond, there was a knock on the door. The sound shattered the heavy silence like a gunshot.

Damien’s expression darkened. Annoyance flickered across his face as he straightened, his fingers finally releasing Luca’s face. “Stay.” His voice was clipped, commanding.

Luca barely had time to process before Damien strode toward the door, yanking it open. One of his men stood there, stiff and uneasy.

“Sir,” the guard hesitated. “It’s urgent.”

Damien’s jaw tensed. A dangerous silence followed, and for a split second, even the air in the room seemed to still.

Luca’s breath hitched. He didn’t dare move.

Damien turned slightly, his gaze flicking back to Luca. A slow smirk curved his lips, but there was something deadly in his expression.

“Don’t go anywhere, Luka.” His voice was quiet, but the warning was clear. “I’ll be back soon.”

And then he was gone, the heavy door locking behind him with a finality that made Luca’s stomach drop.

He was alone.

And he was still trapped.