Page 138 of Craving Venom

I jerk my head as my thighs clamp together so fiercely they throb and my entire body seizes with fear.

“Zane,” I whisper.

His expression doesn’t change.

“Give me your hands, or I’ll take them.”

My hands tremble uncontrollably as I inch them forward while a clammy sheen of sweat coats my palm. Zane watches as if he already knows what I’m going to do before I do it.

I hate that he’s right.

At the last second before my wrists reach him, I jerk them back desperately trying to yank myself away, but he moves faster. His fingers seize my wrists mid-air and a choked scream rips from my throat as he wrenches them forward, holding them with effortless strength.

I struggle instantly, thrashing against his grip as my hair whips into my face, blinding me, while my knees crash into his ribs and my nails claw into his flesh, desperate to break free.

But it doesn’t matter.

He’s so much stronger.

He pins my wrists with one hand, tightening his hold until my bones feel like they might snap under the pressure.

“Let go, let me go—” My protests only make his grip tighten, only makes the belt pull harder against my wrists.

The leather slips and my hair falls into my face, sticking to my damp skin, clinging to my lips, making it even harder to fucking breathe.

I jerk my head, trying to shake the strands loose, but it only makes them tangle more, framing my face, falling into my mouth, itching my skin, making my already spiraling panic even worse.

Zane grunts, adjusting his grip, fighting against my struggle, and the belt slips again.

I see my chance.

Without thinking I lunge forward, and sink my teeth into the flesh of his hand, biting down on everything I can reach—his skin, his veins, even a few strands of my own hair that got caught between my lips.

But he doesn’t let go.

“If you don’t start behaving—” he breathes, “I’ll wrap my belt around your throat. And trust me, good girl—” his lips curl into a monstrosity, a distortion that shouldn’t exist on a human face—

“My cock is itching for that.”

A tremor racks through my entire body. I rip my mouth away from his hand, and his hand loosens around my wrists, but the moment he lets go, I barely get a second to process it because he’s already grabbing the belt again.

And this time he doesn’t miss. The leather coils tight around my wrists, burning my skin as I jerk, trying to twist out of it before he can secure it.

“No—” My legs kick out as he yanks the belt tighter, the loop cinching with a sharp snap.

My elbows bend instinctively, curling my body inward, trying to pull my arms back, but he’s mercilessly steady. His fingers hook under the leather, and in one smooth motion he stretches my arms above my head. The force of it slams my back onto the mattress, knocking the breath straight from my lungs.

With one knee pressed into the mattress, he secures the other end of the belt to the headboard, forcing my wrists to stretch, to strain, to fucking stay.

My body fights harder as my legs kick up, trying to connect with any part of him. But he just laughs, grabbing my calf mid-kick, shoving it back down with zero effort.

“You’re adorable when you struggle.”

His lips hover a breath away from mine. I bare my teeth, ready to bite the second he dares to close the distance.

But he doesn’t kiss me.

Instead, his mouth drags along my jaw. I flex my body at the unwanted heat that spreads beneath my skin. His fingers slip under my camisole, gliding over the exposed plane of my stomach.

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