Page 99 of Bonds of Pain
“Ares?” I call out, keeping my voice low.
No answer, but I hear movement from the bedroom. Strange. Ares knows better than to go poking around in there. I draw my sidearm and approach cautiously, nudging the bedroom door open with my foot.
The sight that greets me stops me cold.
Countess Vivienne Marsden reclines on the bed, her silver-streaked hair cascading over bare shoulders. She wears nothing but a sheer crimson negligee that leaves little to the imagination.
“Hello, darling,” she purrs. “It’s been far too long.”
My stomach drops as memories flood back, being fourteen and trapped in this very room while she…
I turn sharply to leave, but the bedroom door slams shut. Duchess Elara steps out from behind it, blocking my exit.
“Not leaving so soon, are you, Poe?” Elara’s voice carries the same aristocratic chill I remember from the coalition meeting. “You’ve only just arrived.”
I keep my expression neutral despite the hammering in my chest. “This is a restricted area. You need to leave immediately.”
Vivienne laughs, the sound like broken glass. “That’s not very hospitable. Especially when we all went to such trouble to arrange this little reunion.”
The message was not from Ares.
My hand tightens on my weapon. “Step aside.”
“No need to pretend,” Elara says, moving closer. I automatically raise the gun higher, though not quite pointed at her. “We picked up on your little hints.”
Hints? What the fuck?
“Oh, put that thing away,” Vivienne says, rising from the bed. “We both know you won’t use it. Not on us.”
She’s right. Even now, after everything, my arm feels leaden, my finger frozen on the trigger guard.
“What do you want?” I manage to keep my voice steady.
“You, of course,” Vivenne purrs as she eases closer. “Just like we used to have you in the old days.”
Vivienne’s hands slide up my chest, and I feel myself collapsing inward. My mind fragments, scattering like shards of broken glass. I’m no longer a grown Alpha and a dangerous man—I’m fourteen again, trapped in this very room with these same hands exploring my body without permission.
“There’s no need to be shy,” Vivienne purrs, her fingers working at my collar. “You’ve been sending all the right signals lately.”
Signals? What signals?
My throat constricts. I need to say something—anything—but my voice has abandoned me. My gun is still in my hand, but it might as well be made of air for all the good it’s doing me.
“We noticed how you looked at us after the coalition meeting,” Elara says, circling behind me. Her hand traces across my shoulders. “The way you lingered. The way you didn’t push Vivienne away when she touched your arm.”
I didn’t push her away because I couldn’t make a scene in front of Maya. Because violence against high-ranking Omegas would have caused a diplomatic incident. Because I froze then just like I’m freezing now.
“You don’t have to pretend to be the big, strong alpha anymore, darling. I know how hard it is to admit what you need,” Vivienne whispers, as if she’s sharing a secret. “When we got your message asking to meet where no one would see, I knew what you were really asking for.”
Message? What fucking message?
My voice sounds like it’s coming from underwater. “This is a misunderstanding.”
Vivienne laughs softly. “Your body remembers us, darling. You were always so responsive.”
Her hand slides lower, and my muscles lock. I can smell her perfume—the same cloying scent she wore years ago. The room spins slightly.
“Stop,” I manage, but it comes out as barely a whisper.
