Page 51 of His Dark Cravings

Xavier’s hands are suddenly on me, plucking at my clothes and tossing them aside. He's efficient, unfeeling. The cold bites into me as he peels the fabric away. I shiver, but I don’t protest. I’ve learned better.

When I'm completely naked, he cuffs my hands behind my back, the metal digging into my wrists. I listen to the clicks, trying to root myself in the present. But I'm just as removed from this situation as he appears to be. Xavier squats and fastens leather cuffs to my ankles, then stands back up.

“Get on your knees,” he orders.

I sink down, the floor cold beneath me. It’s a shock, the grounding I was looking for. My knees press into the stone, and I straighten, trying to steady my breath.

“Lie down,” he says next.

I hesitate, my heart pounding. The floor is frigid against my knees, unforgiving. I close my eyes, my breath hitching.

“Why?” I whisper, the word escaping before I can catch it.

Xavier steps closer, his strong body a silent threat.

“Now,” he barks.

I swallow hard, the taste of fear in my mouth. I lower myself slowly, the cold seeping into my skin. The floor feels like ice against my stomach, and I can’t help but shiver.

He blindfolds me then. I flinch as the world disappears. I hear the jingle of metal, the sound sharp. My legs are tugged apart, the cuffs at my ankles attached to something rigid. I try to resist, to pull my legs together, but it’s useless. A bar of metal forces me to stay open, exposed.

I gasp, the vulnerability overwhelming.

“Xavier,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

But he doesn’t respond.

The sounds around me mean nothing. I strain to hear, to understand, but there’s no rhythm, no pattern. My cheek presses against the cold floor, and I shiver, not just from the chill but from the helplessness. I’m blindfolded, bound, and completely at his mercy.

I flinch as something touches my back—soft, then sharp. A flogger. The leather tails kiss my skin, then bite. I jolt with each strike, but I don’t cry out.

I don't want to give him the satisfaction.

“Hm,” Xavier murmurs, his voice low, taunting. “Still so tense, Everly. Still holding on so tightly.”

I press my lips together, grounding myself in the pain and the cold. It’s all I can feel, all I can focus on. But then he speaks again, his words cutting deeper than any flogger.

“You said you cared, didn’t you?”

The words make my face burn. Shame and embarrassment crawl up my throat, mixing with frustration.

“Maybe I lied,” I retort, my voice strained.

“Lied?” He scoffs, a hint of amusement in his tone. "A lie of omission, perhaps. You do care. That much is obvious." He pauses, letting the implication hang in the air. "But if you truly cared, you wouldn't hesitate. You'd submit completely."

The flogger cracks down, a searing stripe across my back. I cry out, the unexpected force stealing my breath. The sting blossoms into a burning heat. I clench my fists, the restraints biting into my wrists. I want to thrash, to resist, yet a strange compulsion keeps me still.

“You care," Xavier repeats, his voice a low murmur laced with cruel amusement. "And that pathetic flicker of defiance? That's you punishing yourself for it.”

I don’t answer. I won’t.

The flogger doesn't come again. I hear the sound of leather slapping against the floor, then the heavy thud of his boots as he moves closer. His fingers brush against my cheek, cold and calloused.

“Let go, Everly,” he whispers, his breath hot against my ear. “Let me in.”

I shake my head, just a small movement, but enough. My heart is pounding, but I’m not going to give him what he wants. Not like this.

Xavier’s hand tightens in my hair, pulling my head back. “You’re so stubborn,” he growls, his voice low and rough. “But I’m not going to stop until you’re mine. Completely.”

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