Chapter 435
Chapter 435:
“Do it,” Skye hissed. “Or I start screaming. Lucian will come in here, and I’ll tell him you were the one who sold our location to the kidnappers p>
That was the tipping point. The fear of Lucian outweighed the fear of Dominic. Wayne grabbed the pen. He pulled out his encrypted phone and typed furiously.
“Sent,” he whispered, showing her the screen. The message was routed through a shell server, untraceable.
“Good,” Skye said.
She stood, smoothing her dress. “Now delete it. And Wayne? If you tell anyone I was here, I release the files anyway p>
She turned and walked back toward Marcus, her limp returning instantly.
“I feel better now,” Skye said, her voice weak. “Thank you, Marcus. I think… I think I can sleep p>
Marcus looked relieved. “Let’s go p>
As they walked back to the bedroom, Skye caught a glimpse of Wayne in the reflection of the glass doors. He was packing his bag, looking for a way out.
The message was out. The beast was coming.
The penthouse suite felt different when Skye returned. The air was heavy, charged with static. Lucian was sitting on the sofa, cleaning his gun. He looked up as she entered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“You were gone a long time,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
Skye walked over to him. She sat on the floor by his feet, resting her head against his knee. It was a submissive gesture, one designed to disarm him.
“I was scared,” she whispered. “Every shadow looks like a man with a knife p>
Lucian stopped wiping the barrel. His hand came down to rest on her head. “I told you. You are safe here p>
Skye looked up at him, biting her lip. She let her eyes fill with a mixture of fear and what she hoped looked like resignation.
“Lucian,” she said softly. “If… if we are going to stay together. If you are taking me away p>
“We are,” he said firmly.
“Then I need something,” she said. She lowered her voice. “I need birth control. I missed my pill this morning. With everything happening… I don’t want an accident p>
Silence stretched in the room. Thick, suffocating silence.
Uոс𝗲𝗇𝘀о𝘳𝖾𝗱 ѕ𝘵𝗼𝗋iеs 𝗈𝗇 𝗯e.𝗰𝗈𝘮
Skye held her breath. This was a gamble. Asking for birth control implied a future. It implied she expected to be sleeping with him. It implied surrender.
A slow, arrogant smile spread across Lucian’s face. The tension in his shoulders evaporated. He interpreted her request as the final breaking of her will. She was not planning to run; she was planning to be his mistress.
“Of course,” he murmured. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I will take care of it p>
He picked up his phone and called Marcus. “Get a prescription. Yes, now. And bring wine. The ’96 vintage p>
He hung up and looked at Skye with a dark hunger that made her skin crawl. “You are finally seeing reason, Skye. We are inevitable p>
“I know,” she lied.
Marcus returned ten minutes later with a small pharmacy bag and a bottle of wine. Skye took the pill immediately, swallowing it with water while Lucian watched. He looked satisfied, like a man who had just trained a wild horse.
“Dismiss the guards,” Lucian told Marcus. “I don’t want to be disturbed tonight p>
“Sir, with the threat level p>
“The threat is external,” Lucian said, his eyes on Skye. “Inside, everything is under control. Go p>
Marcus nodded and left. The heavy lock clicked into place.
It was just them.
Lucian turned off the main lights, leaving only the ambient glow of the city coming through the rain-streaked windows. He poured two glasses of wine. He handed one to Skye, then sat beside her, pulling her into his lap.