INICIAR SESIÓNLia’s POV
“I’ll do it,” I whispered.
The words leaving my mouth before I could even think them through. My heart was pounding in my chest as I stepped forward, holding out my trembling hands like I was offering them to the devil himself.
Kade’s eyes dropped to my hands, slowly rising to meet mine. A sly smirk tugged at his lips again, this time colder, confident, and calculating.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice a low murmur that somehow filled the entire room. “I’ll do anything to save my brother,” I breathed. “Just…please spare his life.”
He gripped my arm, engulfing my fingers like steel. And it dawned on me in that moment that I had just sealed something far darker than a deal. I have sold myself to him, my body, mind, and soul.
Kade didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled me closer even more, his eyes raking over me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “Good girl,” he whispered, brushing a thumb over the back of my hand before finally releasing me.
“You’re mine now, little princess.”
I stepped back, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat. “Pl….Please let me go to my brother.” But he only laughed, the sound sending a chill down my spine.
“Not so fast.”
He turned on his heel and walked towards a door. I stood frozen, uncertain about what was happening, until he looked back at me. “Well? Follow me.”
I hesitated, every instinct in my body telling me not to dare do it, but I followed. We walked past a hallway, past two huge guards who didn’t even blink as we passed. The door he led me to looked like any other, but the moment he opened it, I realized this wasn’t just a room.
It was a damn cage. Small, clean, and empty except for a single bed, a full-length mirror at the edge of the bed. No windows. “Where’s my brother?” I asked, and walked in as I turned to face him.
Kade didn’t answer. Instead, he kicked the door shut behind him, and in an instant he was closing the distance between us. “Wh…what are you doing sir?” I staggered back until my legs hit the bedframe.
But he didn’t utter a word. The next thing I felt was his hands on my waist as he grabbed me—rough, unforgiving. One moment I stood by the bed, breath caught in my throat.
The next thing I knew, I was against the wall, his body pressed into mine, closing every bit of space I had left to breathe. His mouth crashed onto mine…not a kiss but rather a warning, making sure that I knew I now belonged to him.
I stood still, a gasp caught somewhere between my throat and his lips. The taste of him flooded every part of my senses…dark, possessive, and with how much I hated to admit it. Addictive.
My hands flew to his chest, my trembling fingers pushing hard against the solid wall of muscle on his body. But it was like I was trying to move a stone. “Mr Kade…please…” I choked out, my voice breaking.
Yet he didn’t stop.
“Has anyone ever fucked you so bad you didn’t want them to stop?” Whispering into my ears as his hands slid to my thighs, pulling me tighter into him, his thigh pushing between mine, lifting slightly off the foot like I weighed nothing.
He unbuttoned my shirt with a sound that made my heart stop, the fabric falling open in shreds as the cold air licked across my exposed skin. I gasped for air again, the sound unintentional as the heat of his lips trailed lower..hovering by my jaw, down to the curve of my throat.
His breath was warm against mine, his teeth not biting, just threatening, making me shiver even as every nerve under my skin came alive in his hands.
“You don’t get to plead, little princess,” growling into my ear while his mouth devoured every part of my neck. “You signed yourself over to me. You’re mine now.”
I flinched, both from fear and something else I couldn’t make of yet..something dangerous. His hand curled into my hair, drawing my head back it exposing my neck like prey. My knees tried to fight him off, but his arm was already there, owning me.
I hated how my body responded to him. How every part of me didn’t want him to stop. And maybe… maybe he saw it. Because suddenly he pulled back, and just like that his body left mine in a rush of cold air.
I stumbled forward, my chest rising and falling in heavy gasps, my fingers clutching at the torn remains of my shirt as I stared at him, fear evident across my face.
“Relax,’ little princess,” he chuckled, licking his lower lip like he could still taste me. “I’m not fucking you tonight.” His eyes dropped down to my body, lingering where the fabric clung desperately to what was left of my modesty.
There was nothing gentle about the way he looked at me…only hunger, he was just holding back with a terrifying kind of discipline. “I like to see fear in people,” he murmured, stepping closer to me again but not touching this time.
Just letting me feel the weight of his presence. “But I like anticipation more.” Of course, I couldn’t say a word, my heart was still in my throat while my skin still burned from his touch…still tingling…still aching.
He stretched out his hands, and for a moment I staggered back in fear, thinking he would grab me again. But instead, his fingers only brushed a strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear like a good lover would.
He stepped back, walked to the door, and pulled it open. “You’ll stay here for tonight. Locked and watched.” I blinked, still too shaken to say a word.
“Try to escape…and your brother dies.” Pausing to speak in the doorway. Then the door shut behind him, the lock clicked and I was all alone.
I dropped to the bed, my heart still pounding in my chest from the memory of everything that just happened.
His touch, his scent, his mouth on my skin. “God, what had I just gotten myself into?” I murmured, wrapping my arms around myself to keep my body from shaking.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was the way my body had reacted to his touch, the way my skin burned from where his hands had been. That fucking look of weakness in my face when he looked at me like I was something worth destroying.
Tears blurred my vision. And then I noticed it, but I stepped closer to the mirror slowly, my reflection looked….new. Was this what selling your soul to the devil looked like?
I turned away to climb on the bed, and that’s when I saw it. A camera. A small, red light was blinking from the ceiling. I was being watched by him every second. Every single breath or movement I made.
And I knew
Kade Valen wasn’t done with me.
Not even close.
But worst of all?
I couldn’t stop remembering the way his mouth felt on mine…
And the shameful part of me that had wanted more.
Lia’s POVNine Months Later****The first thing I heard that morning was crying.The crying that somehow sounded far louder than something coming from a six-month-old baby should.Before I even opened my eyes, I was smiling."Kali."The crying continued through the baby monitor; meanwhile, beside me, Kade groaned into his pillow. I turned my head toward him and found one eye barely open, his expression carrying the deep suffering of a man who had been asked to do the impossible."Your daughter is awake.""Our daughter.""Your daughter right now."The crying grew louder, as if Kali had decided neither of us was moving fast enough. Kade stared at the ceiling for several seconds, clearly hoping the problem would somehow solve itself.With the heaviest sigh imaginable, he pushed himself upright."I'm being bullied.""You've been saying that since she was born.""Because it's true."A soft laughter escaped me as he disappeared from the room.A few minutes later he returned carrying a very
Lia’s POVOne month later.Morning sunlight streamed through the apartment windows, spilling across the hardwood floor in soft bands of gold while the scent of freshly brewed tea lingered in the air. I stood in the kitchen with a warm cup between my hands, listening to Noah and Damien argue from the other side of the room."That wasn't what happened.""That is exactly what happened.""No.""Yes.""No.""Yes."I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head.Neither of them even noticed.Somehow, over the past month, Noah and Damien had become completely unbearable whenever they were together. Every conversation and disagreement became a battle neither of them was willing to lose.The argument continued in the background as I took another sip of tea and let my attention drift elsewhere.For the first time in longer than I could remember, life felt quiet—no emergency phone calls in the middle of the night. No waking up wondering what disaster was waiting around the corner. After everything
Lia’s POVThe gunfire outside erupted again.The deafening cracks tore through the warehouse, echoing off the metal walls until it felt as though the entire building was trembling.Julian's smile vanished as he turned sharply toward the warehouse entrance, and another round of gunfire rang out. His attention shifted to Noah before returning to the entrance."Take them deeper inside."Three men stepped toward us instantly. But before they could reach us, another burst of gunfire exploded outside. One of the men near the entrance suddenly jerked backward as a bullet punched through the warehouse door beside him.He hit the ground instantly."Move!" One of the men shouted.Julian spun around and drew his gun, rushing outside the warehouse. The remaining guards rushed after him, and within seconds, they were charging toward the entrance.The warehouse, packed with armed men only moments ago, suddenly felt half-empty. Silence settled between us as Noah looked at me, and I looked at him too
Lia’s POVBy the time I reached the place Julian had sent, my hands shook so badly I could hardly hold the steering wheel. The cold metal kept slipping under my palms. At the same time, the old warehouse appeared ahead at the edge of the abandoned industrial area, surrounded by rusted containers and broken fences that sagged like forgotten bones under the dark sky. I sat inside the car for a long moment, my heart pounding hard against my ribs until it hurt, the clock on the dashboard counting down the little time I had left. Noah was still my brother, no matter how many times he had picked Selene, no matter the lies and betrayals that had ripped us apart, and I could not let him die alone in this empty place. I pushed the door open, the cold night air hitting my face like a warning, and stepped out onto the gravel that crunched too loudly under my shoes.The warehouse entrance stood open like a black mouth waiting for me, as if Julian had known exactly when I would come and what I
Lia’s POVDamien hadn’t even reached the door when Kade’s voice sliced through the room.“Who did it?”The question carried a dangerous edge, sharp and controlled, tightening the air around us. Damien paused mid-step and turned slowly, his shoulders tense. He didn’t speak right away, as the weight of the truth seemed to press down on him.“Julian.”The instant the name left his mouth, everything inside Kade went completely still, that familiar shift settling over him—the one I’d seen before everything turned to chaos. His eyes hardened, calculating.“What?” Kade said quietly.“They hit the safe house with precision. I don’t know how he knew the routes, the guard changes, and the timing. And it wasn’t just an attack.” He paused, his jaw clenched tight. “This is war.”Kade exhaled slowly through his nose, the sound barely audible. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped lower, colder. “Gather all my men. Tell them Julian doesn’t leave this alive.”Damien hesitated for half a second
Lia’s POVI didn't know how long I stood there after Kade told me Noah betrayed him. The apartment had grown quieter after Damien left to deal with the men outside. Broken pieces of wood still littered the floor near the entrance, a reminder of Julian's visit, but for the first time since I'd arrived there, I didn't feel like someone was about to kick the door down.Kade was standing near the window, speaking into his phone. His voice was low and controlled as he gave instructions to someone on the other end of the line.I watched him without meaning to.The last few days had changed him.Or maybe they had stripped away the parts he usually kept hidden.There was exhaustion written all over Kade's face. It showed in the dark circles beneath his eyes, in the tension locked into his shoulders, and in the way he rubbed the back of his neck after ending the call. It was the kind of tiredness that no amount of sleep could fix.When he finally turned around, he caught me staring. For a mom
Lia’s POV“Please, Lia. Don’t walk away from me, not again.” Kade’s voice came out quieter than intended the moment his dark eyes held mine as though I would disappear if he looked away for one second.“I have to,” I whispered, “If I stay back, Selene will destroy both of us.” He shook his head, hi
Kade’s POVI sat in the corner of the boutique, which smelled like roses and money — the kind of place where everything was too good to be true. All I could do was watch Selene spin slowly before the mirror as the fashion designer fussed with the lace on her gown. But all I could think about was h
Lia’s POVHe stood at the door.Kade.His suit jacket was gone this time, his shirt wrinkled and half-unbuttoned, the white fabric stained beside the collar. His hair was messy, as if he had run his hands through it many times.But it was his eyes… that glued me to a place. Then the smell hit me ne
Lia’s POVMy mind kept replaying every one of his words, each one leaving a fresh wound. One week to find Noah, or he would find him and kill him. Oh God.I hadn’t eaten or slept. My brain was a storm, and I couldn’t find the root of it. I had no plan.. just the wicked nauseating knowledge that my







