Page 50 of Cruel Pawn
You’re mine. You don’t get to leave again.
But when I shifted out from under Arden, glancing back at his sleeping face, something lit up neon and flashed in the back of my mind. I moved too easily—if you discounted the ache in my muscles and my pussy. The chains rustled and I froze, staring at Arden, watching his chest for any hitch in his breath. When he remained sleeping, I scanned the length chain, a grin stretching over my face when I found it—a link had warped, ripped open by our rough fucking.
My heart flickered in a rapid beat as I very carefully pulled that broken link free of the others, leaving me with only a small chain attached to each wrist.
You don’t get to escape me. Not fucking ever.
Yet here I was, breathing fast, exhilarated by broken chains and a chance to escape. I couldn’t deny a tangle of guilt formed as I leaned over Arden’s unconscious form and, with exceptional care, unclipped the key from the chain around his neck. My own neck tingled with warning, screaming that I would get caught and not only would he punish me for the attempt, he’d be hurt too.
For a reason I refused to admit to myself in the daylight, I didn’t like the idea of hurting Arden. But the bastard had drugged and chained me. It wasn’t like I was going tostay.
This means you’re mine. Marked as all fucking mine.
I shook my head to dislodge my own words. I was horny, and horny people didn’t speak sense. Just because I meant them in the night didn’t mean they were true.
So, I rolled down the covers and lifted my ankle, fitting the key into the padlock. The chains slid away with a soft clink, and I held my breath, waiting for him to surge up, for his strong hands to lock around my wrists and cage me again. The warning tingle moved down my back until I had to fight back a shudder. My blood was loud in my ears. But Arden kept sleeping.
I exhaled a soft breath of relief and slid out of bed, feeling so damn good to be able to walk and move and dress myself without being yanked back by chains. I still had to contend with the small length at each wrist, and there were bands of metal around both wrists and my ankle, but I’d deal with those later.
I could get out of this damn cottage, get back to where I was safe. Then plan my revenge.
Excitement gave me butterflies, like this was all an elaborate chess game and now it was my turn to make a move. I wouldn’tkill Arden, would never kill him, but evading him thenhuntinghim for my vengeance… it made me giddy. He’d never see me coming.
I stole a pair of his sweats and another oversized shirt, ignoring how familiar his chocolate and coffee scent was as I shoved my bare feet into a pair of muddy Nike Airs and crept through the cottage. Aegi lifted her head to give me a narrow-eyed stare, but when I saluted her with two fingers, grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer, and headed for the door, she put her head back down and went back to sleep.
No one can ever make you feel this way; no one will ever be as obsessed with you as I am.
True. Still true, every last word. But that didn’t stop me running.
I reached the door, and inched the handle down increment by increment, all my focus behind me, waiting for movement from the bed. I pulled on the handle—and swore. Shit, he’d locked it.
Like god loved me, the keys were still in the door, so it was the work of moments to disengage the lock. The click was as loud as a gunshot in the silence, and I froze. A shiver ripped through me when Arden murmured my name, the bed springs creaking.
Time to go.
I ripped the door open and ran.
26
Arden
The squeal of hinges woke me, and I shot upright with panic clamouring in my chest. Disbelief was the next to strike as I fought the covers tangled around my legs, because Aegi didn’t open doors, which meant one of two things—an assassin had found a way in, or my future wife had found a wayout.
A rapid scan of the cottage showed it was empty of anyone but me and my baby. The world slowed for a second, silence stretching on. A smile crossed my face. My girl had run.
“You’re a fool if you think I won’t chase you, my pretty poison,” I laughed, a warning she wasn’t around to hear.
I didn’t rush as I dressed in a tight cotton shirt and sweats—my second favourite pair, which meant she’d stolen my faves. I got a rush from that, not gonna lie. Even better, a pair of shoes were missing.
“Oh, Priya,” I murmured, strapping a knife to my arm just in case any assassins decided to breach the grounds around the cottage again. I was still furious about the first, and a little jealous that my girl got to kill him before I could make him scream. I would have taught him to never evenlookat her before his heart stilled, but oh well. He was dead, and that was the most important thing. “You have no idea how serious I am about keeping you.”
Aegi made a low, questioning noise, watching as I fastened my running shoes.
“Exactly,” I agreed, pointing at her. “There’s nowhere to run. Nowhere she can escape me. And she has no idea how much I love to chase.”
Or what I’d do when I found her. Priya had waved a red flag at a bull, and after unleashing myself last night, I was even more devoted to her. She didn’t get to own me, control me, take all of me, then run. She was afraid, but there was no need to fear the devil when he loved the bones of you.
Her alias might have been the Rook, but I wondered if she knew mine. I wondered if she knew the Pawn was a ruse, a trick to lure my victims close. That was why I had a crown inked around my bicep—I was a king, a ruler, a power player masquerading as a pawn. And my pretty Rook might have beaten a pawn, but she was no match for a king.
