The next morning, Luca found himself pacing the grand hall, heart pounding in his chest. He had barely slept. Damien’s words from the night before still echoed in his mind, each syllable laced with possessive hunger. He knew what he had to do.

When Damien finally returned, his presence consumed the space. He was covered in blood, the dark fabric of his suit clinging to his broad frame, his gloves stained. The metallic scent filled the air, but his eyes—those ruthless, ice-cold eyes—immediately locked onto Luca.

Luca hesitated, his fingers curling into his sleeves. Every instinct told him to run, but instead, he forced himself forward, closing the distance between them. Damien watched him with something unreadable in his gaze, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as if amused by Luca’s bravery.

Luca swallowed hard, his voice small but unwavering. "I want to see my family. Just once."

Damien tilted his head, curiosity flickering across his sharp features. "And what do you offer in return, printsessa?" he murmured, voice thick with amusement.

Luca's face burned as he lowered his gaze, his hands twisting together. The weight of Damien’s attention was suffocating. Finally, he whispered, "I’ll let you kiss me… however you want."

Silence stretched between them. Damien’s smirk vanished, replaced with something far darker. He took a slow step forward, his bloodied gloved hand reaching up to grasp Luca’s chin, tilting his face up to meet his gaze. His breath was warm against Luca’s skin, his grip firm but not painful.

"However I want?" Damien repeated, his voice a dangerous whisper.

Luca’s pulse hammered against his ribs, but he nodded, his lips trembling.

Damien chuckled, deep and possessive. "You truly don’t understand what you’re offering, moya radost’." His thumb brushed against Luca’s bottom lip, smearing a faint trace of blood across it. "But I accept."

Luca’s breath caught, but before he could react, Damien leaned in, voice dark and dripping with promise. "Be careful, little one," he murmured against his lips, "because once I start, I won’t stop."

---

The room was suffocatingly silent after Damien’s words, yet Luca couldn't ignore the heat pooling in his stomach. He knew he had stepped into dangerous territory, but desperation clouded his judgment.

Damien removed his bloodied gloves with slow, deliberate movements, his piercing gaze never leaving Luca. He tossed them aside, then reached for his tie, loosening it just enough to reveal the strong column of his throat. He exuded raw power, his presence overwhelming.

Luca’s breath hitched as Damien cupped his jaw again, tilting his face up. His fingers were warm now, pressing into his skin like a brand.

“You want to see your family,” Damien mused, his voice almost thoughtful. “And in return… you offer yourself to me?”

Luca’s throat bobbed as he tried to answer, but before he could, Damien pressed closer, his lips brushing against Luca’s ear. “You don’t know what kind of man you’re playing with, malysh."

A shudder ran down Luca’s spine. He clenched his fists at his sides, determined not to show weakness. “I know what I’m doing,” he whispered, though his voice wavered slightly.

Damien laughed, a low, amused sound that sent chills through Luca. "Do you?"

Then, without warning, Damien grabbed Luca by the waist and pulled him flush against his chest. Luca gasped, hands landing on Damien’s shoulders. The scent of blood and expensive cologne invaded his senses, leaving him dizzy.

“I could devour you right here,” Damien murmured, his lips ghosting over Luca’s jawline. "But I’ll savor it. Like breaking in something new, something delicate." His fingers dug into Luca’s hips, possessive and unyielding. “You offered a kiss, but I’ll make sure you understand what it means to give yourself to me.”

Luca swallowed hard, his entire body trembling. But he didn’t pull away.

“Call your sister first,” he managed to whisper, his last shred of control slipping.

Damien’s smirk widened, predatory and dark. "That wasn’t part of the deal, printsessa." .*****

The tension between them was suffocating, electric. Damien’s fingers trailed slowly over Luca’s jaw, his grip tightening just enough to remind Luca who was in control. He tilted Luca’s chin up, forcing their gazes to lock before pressing a heated, possessive kiss against his trembling lips.

There was no hesitation, no gentleness—Damien claimed him with a hunger that had long since festered into obsession. His mouth moved fiercely, tasting, devouring, consuming every shaky breath Luca gave. The boy shivered, powerless beneath the raw intensity of it, his body betraying him as he clung to Damien’s suit.

Damien claimed him with a hunger that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long. Luca shivered, his body betraying him, melting into the touch he both feared and craved.

A deep growl rumbled in Damien’s chest as he pulled back just enough to brush his lips over Luca’s swollen ones. "You belong to me, moy sladkiy," he murmured, his voice dark, thick with possessiveness. "You breathe because I allow it. You exist because I won’t let you go. Don’t ever forget that."

Luca swallowed hard, wide-eyed, nodding weakly. His pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out any rational thought. Damien’s thumb pressed against his lower lip, parting his mouth slightly before claiming it again in another bruising, feverish kiss. He deepened it, biting, tasting, his gloved hands roaming over Luca’s waist, gripping him with an unrelenting need.

"Tell me you understand," Damien demanded between kisses, his breath heavy, heated. "Tell me you’ll always come back to me."

Luca gasped as Damien’s hand gripped the back of his neck, possessive, unyielding. "I—I understand," he whispered shakily.

A dangerous smirk curled Damien’s lips as he dragged his mouth along Luca’s jaw, pressing lingering, scorching kisses down his throat. "Good boy," he murmured approvingly, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. "You don’t leave me. You don’t escape. Not now. Not ever."

Luca trembled, caught between fear and the way Damien’s deep, husky voice sent a forbidden thrill through him. He knew there was no true escape. Damien’s obsession was unshakable, his grip unbreakable.

"I’ll let you see them," Damien finally relented, his voice dark with warning. "But you will return. And you will not speak a word of the truth. If you so much as hint at anything—"

Luca didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew the weight behind those words. Knew the lengths Damien would go to keep him caged. But despite the danger, the suffocating possessiveness, there was an undeniable flicker of hope in his chest.

He was going to see them.

Even if it meant stepping right back into Damien’s obsession, into the gilded cage he would never escape.