Page 56 of Crown of Blood

"That," Luca says, his grip softening to a caress, "is what I'm still trying to discover."

His other hand slides around my waist, pulling me against him until there's no space left between us. I should push him away. Should demand answers. Should run as far as these mansion walls will allow.

Instead, I remain perfectly still, caught in the gravity of him.

"Now,little rabbit…You broke into my office," he murmurs, lips brushing my ear. "Invaded my privacy. Questioned me." His teeth graze my earlobe. "Do you know what happens to people who defy me?"

I try to pull back, but his arm is iron around my waist. "Luca—"

"Shh." His finger presses against my lips. "I think it's time you learned."

Before I can respond, he's pulling me toward the far wall, where a panel slides open at his touch to reveal a hidden door I never knew existed.

"What is this?" I ask, voice barely above a whisper.

Luca's smile is dark as midnight as he guides me across the threshold. "This,cara mia, is where I teach obedience."

The room beyond is a study in shadows and luxury. Black velvet walls, dim red lighting, and implements of pleasure and pain displayed with the same meticulous care Luca brings to everything he touches.

My breath catches as I take it all in—the padded bench, the chains suspended from the ceiling, the cabinet of gleaming sexy toys I can only imagine the purpose of.

"You're afraid," Luca observes, his hand splayed at the small of my back. "Don't be. Fear has no place here. Only honesty."

He moves to a sleek black cabinet, opening it to reveal an array of silks, ropes and leather restraints. His fingers brush over them thoughtfully before selecting a blindfold of the softest bright red silk.

"For snooping through my things," he says, turning to me with heat in his eyes, "you lose the privilege of sight. For questioning me—" he pulls a pair of leather cuffs from the drawer, "—you lose freedom of movement."

I should be terrified. Should be backing away, screaming, fighting.

But heat pools low in my belly, a shameful, undeniable want that makes my skin flush and my breath quicken.

"And if I refuse?" I manage, voice steadier than I feel.

Luca approaches slowly, blindfold dangling from his fingers like a promise. "I have told you before, I might be a dangerous man, Mrs. Ravelli. But I will never do anything to you that you do not want. If you desire, you walk out that door, and we pretend this room does not exist. You will still be punished, but merely with my hands." He stops inches from me, close enough that I can feel the heat of him, smell the spice of his skin. "But we both know that's not how you want to be disciplined."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because you're not just curious about me, Bianca." His voice drops lower, to that velvet register that makes my knees weak. "You're curious about yourself. About why, despite everything, you crave what only I can give you."

He's right, and we both know it. Since that first night in the hotel, when he showed me a world of power and darkness I never knew existed, some broken, hungry part of me has been drawn to his flame like a moth.

I lift my chin, making my choice with eyes wide open. "Do your worst, Luciano."

His smile is triumphant as he circles behind me, the silk brushing my cheek before darkness claims my vision.

"Oh, little rabbit," he murmurs against my ear, his hands already working the buttons of my sweater, "I plan to."

Chapter Fourteen

Luca

"Doyourworst,Luciano."

Her defiance ignites something primal in me—a darkness I've kept leashed until now.

With shaking hands, I secure the silk blindfold across her eyes, watching as the crimson fabric transforms her from Bianca the defiant to Bianca the vulnerable.

She betrayed me the moment she opened that drawer. And now she's going to learn that in this house, there are consequences.

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