by Lylah James
He walked us into what appeared to be a hotel. Confused why we weren’t in his home, I stayed quiet.
It was Master’s decision.
When he reached the room, he let me down and steadied me when my legs wobbled a little.
“We’re stopping here for today,” he explained, staring into my confused eyes.
I nodded and smiled. “Okay.”
Master walked further into the room and started to unbutton his shirt, pulling at his tie roughly. I waited at the door, watching and suddenly feeling very nervous.
He pulled his shirt from his pants and looked back at me.
“Come here, Maria.”
My body glided toward him like it wasn’t my own anymore. Standing in front of Master, I waited.
He brushed my hair out of my face and leaned forward. My lungs constricted as I struggled to breathe when he placed a kiss on my forehead.
His hands smoothed down my shoulders, and when cold air hit my flushed skin, I hissed.
The suit jacket fell on the floor, and I stood in front of my Master, naked. He could see everything. But his eyes stayed on mine, trapping me.
Finally, he pulled away, nodding behind me. I turned away and saw that the door was opened to a bathroom.
“Get in the shower,” he ordered roughly, his voice sending shivers down my spine and the rest of my body.
“You want me to clean myself, Master?” I asked quietly.
“No. I’m going to bathe you.”
Oh.
My heart fluttered, and the butterflies in my stomach increased.
“I’m going to clean you so that there is no trace of another man on your body,” he continued in the same rough voice. “So get in the shower and wait for me.”
I scurried into the bathroom, my heart wild, my mind crazy. He affected me in ways that nobody ever had.
He was different. He made me feel different. And I liked it.
I liked feeling like this.
Following my training, I knelt down on the floor of the shower. The perfect position while waiting for my Master.
Maybe it was seconds, or even minutes, but it felt like so long. Finally, my eyes saw his feet as he joined me in.
His hands went under my arms, and he pulled me up. “Lesson one. The only time you will kneel is when you have your mouth full of my cock and you’re gagging on it.”
My eyes widened, and I sucked in a deep breath. “And right now, Angel, you don’t have my cock in your mouth. So, no kneeling. You don’t kneel, ever. Unless I tell you.”
His lessons were different, but I liked them.
I nodded. He smiled.
Placing another kiss on my forehead, he whispered, “Good girl.”
He reached behind me and turned on the water. It was cold at first when it cascaded around us, and I flinched.
Master chuckled quietly, bringing me closer into his body. I finally noticed that he was naked too.
He felt hard against my stomach, his body firm against mine. I should have been scared, but I felt strangely safe. When the water turned hot, I sighed in contentment. It felt so good.
I missed warm water and warm showers.
After wetting my hair, he shampooed it. Master ran his fingers through my hair strands, massaging my scalp. So sweet. So gentle.
When he was finished with my hair, his hands moved to my body. I stood stiff for a second, feeling his hands moving across my flushed skin.
“Relax, Maria. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said against my neck, placing a soft kiss there.
I nodded and forced myself to relax. But when he started to massage my body with the soap, I didn’t have to force myself any longer.
It just happened. I released myself into his care.
He caressed my body, from my neck to my toes, washing me—cleaning me.
Giving me back the smallest dignity that I had lost.
When his hand reached between my legs, I closed my eyes. But he didn’t hurt me.
Just as gently as before, he washed between my legs. It felt wrong. I didn’t have a chance to think about it before he stood up and kissed my forehead again.
“You’re a good girl, Angel. I’m proud of you.”
My eyes snapped open to see him staring at me intensely. “You’re clean now. Perfect. Your body is all flushed and so beautiful.”
He bent his head, his lips teasing my ear. “And mine.”
His.
I didn’t notice when the water was off, but the next second, he was wrapping a towel around my body.
Helping me out of the shower, he dried me off. I watched him as he wrapped another towel around his waist.
Master walked out of the bathroom, leaving me alone. When he walked back in, he was carrying something in his hands.
“Arms up,” he ordered.
Instinctively, they went up. He pulled a simple black nightdress over my head.
I looked down my body, now fully covered.
He clothed me, shielding my shame from others.
“All done.” He smiled. “Our food is waiting for us. After you eat, I need you to sleep. I will wake you up when we are departing again.”
Grabbing my hand, he pulled me into the bedroom again. Master sat me down on the couch and handed me a plate filled with food.
I gasped, my eyes widening.
So much food. How?
Our eyes met, and he swiped away a single tear that trailed down my cheek. “You need to eat, Angel. Lesson two. From now on, you will have three meals a day. A plate full, not like you were being given before. You can have some snacks in between. Whatever you want. You will never go hungry again. Is that understood?”
I nodded speechlessly. Because what could I really say?
His lessons—his rules made no sense.
But they were his rules, so I would follow them. Not only because he was my Master, but because I wanted to.
We ate quietly. I kept my gaze on my lap, but a few times our eyes would meet. And every time I smiled. He would smile too and then nod toward my plate, silently telling me to continue eating.
Sometimes he would give me a piece from his plate, telling me to try it because it tasted good.
It was hard to eat so much. My stomach wasn’t used to taking in so much food at once.
Master must have understood, because he took the plate from me. “Are you full?” he asked.
Nodding in relief, I sighed happily.
“Good. Go to sleep now,” he said quietly.
I stood up, not needing him to tell me again. Kneeling on the floor, I went to lay down in the position I always slept in.
Suddenly, I was being lifted roughly from the floor. My head twirled in confusion as Master carried me to the bed and dumped me there.
I bounced on the soft mattress, a startled gasp escaping past my lips.
He was angry? I must have done something wrong again.
“You sleep on the fucking bed, damn it!” he snapped loudly.
His glare bored into my body. “I swear, if I find you sleeping on the floor again, I will take you over my fucking knees and spank your ass red until you can’t sit down for days. Is that understood?”
Cowering back in fright, I quickly laid down on the bed. “Yes, Master. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he hissed, closing his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I heard him taking in deep breaths.
I peeked up at him through my lashes as he opened his eyes again. He looked back in control. Placing a knee on the bed, he bent over my body so our faces were only inches apart.
His voice sounded calmer when he spoke, and my heart settled. “Lesson three. You sleep on the bed. Always.”
I nodded. And he did it again, another kiss on my forehead. “Good girl.”
Good girl.
I smiled. I was starting to like it when he said that. It made me feel better, like I had pleased him.
“Lesson four. Don’t call me Master. I have said th
at before, and I will say it again. Do not call me Master. I am Lyov. You call me by my name from now on.”
I nodded, and he smiled this time. “Say it. Say my name,” he demanded.
“Lyov,” I whispered shyly, my heart drumming loudly, my pulse erratic.
This time he kissed me softly—so soft and sweet—on my lips. “Good girl,” he whispered back.
I liked it. I liked it so much.
He was pulling something deep from within me. He was tugging at my heart strings, making me feel.
I liked his name. I liked my Master. I liked my Lyov.
“Good girls get rewarded. Bad girls get punished. If you are a good girl and follow all the rules, you will get many rewards,” he murmured.
“I will be good,” I replied.
He smiled and kissed my forehead this time. “Go to sleep, Angel.”
I closed my eyes, still smiling. He settled down beside me, pulling me into his arms, holding me to him.
My heart felt full.
Lyov saved me.
Just like I had dreamed of before. He came for me, swept me off in his arms, and carried me out of hell…toward our castle.
Maybe this was my happily ever after.
Because Lyov…he was my Prince Charming.
Just like I dreamed of. Just like I wanted.
I found my Prince Charming.
Chapter 8
Lyov
I watched her sleep, her breathing even in her deep slumber. Her chest rose with each intake of breath, and I was almost mesmerized by the sight.
My eyes were only on her—she was all I could see.
Instinctively, my arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. I needed her as close as she could be. In her sleep, she made a little soft sound in the back of the throat. Almost like she enjoyed being closer to me.
Wanting to feel her skin against mine, I slowly hitched her nightdress up. My hand found its way underneath the dress, and I pressed my palm against her bare stomach, holding her firmly to me.
Her skin felt warm and soft as I caressed her stomach, loving the feel of her under my hand. Maria turned around in her sleep, her body now facing me.
She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and her face soft with sleep. My heart felt a little lighter knowing that she was safe now, safe with me and away from those who had hurt her.
Whatever happened tonight—it fucked my head up.
Her actions, her words, everything was based on what they imprinted in her mind. They forced her to believe that she was less and only for our pleasure.
It was going to be fucking hard to change her. To make her human again. But I was going to make sure she had all the broken pieces again. I would glue her broken soul together so she was whole again.
Nobody was going to hurt her. Never again. No fucker was going to lay his dirty hands on her again.
I will be a good slave to you, Master.
I was almost so fucking tempted to march back into The Royalist and rip his head off. Solonik broke her before I could even have her. And now all I had left were the pieces. Some gone, some scattered, some broken.
I had focused on my instincts when I took her out of there. In the car, it took everything in me not to take her, claim her exactly like I wanted.
Fuck her deep, so she could feel me days after. So she knew that I was the only one she should ever concern herself about.
It is hard for a man not to take what is his, when it’s only an arm away.
When Maria moved in my arms, getting restless in her sleep, she brought me back into the present.
My gaze whispered over her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, her black hair so shiny and beautiful, her skin white, so soft that it almost felt like velvet. Her lips were pink and ripped, like she had bitten on them for too long.
I placed a kiss on her forehead when a whimper escaped past her lips. Her eyebrows furrowed like she was in pain, and I soothed it out with my lips.
She burrowed deeper into my embrace and let out a sleepy sigh. Her distress was gone, replaced with an almost content look. She was…safe. And she knew that.
In my arms, she would always be safe. Even in her sleep, I would keep the demons away.
Whatever I was feeling in my heart, none of it made sense. All I knew was that Maria was mine now. My little Angel.
And I needed her close to me. By my side.
I didn’t care what it meant and what I had to fight with—she was mine. The minute I saw her, she lost her soul to the Devil.
Solonik might have let her go, but she had fallen into my trap. If she thought she was free—she wasn’t.
I was going to steal her away from the rest of the world.
She escaped a monster only to end up in the hands of the Devil—who controlled hell. The king of the underworld. And she was going to be my Queen, whether she liked it or not.
I was going to give Maria back her wings and then trap her again. Make her human so she could give me what I needed—what I craved. Her heart and her soul.
I began to lose track of time as I imagined what it would be like to have her by my side. Having her in my arms, holding her close to my body, it only amplified my feelings—or whatever the fuck you call it—for her.
The darker part inside of me, the one that wanted to lose control so bad, seemed to be satiated with just watching her. For now. Until I would lose control and claim her.
When that happened, it was going to be a moment she would never forget. She was going to beg me for more, just like in that room at The Royalist. She was going to beg, and I was going to give it to her, gladly.
I wanted her passion and everything else that came with her. The fire and the burning.
I wanted her to look at me as if I were her world, the only one that mattered. My selfish needs were going to corrupt her, but I didn’t mind at all. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to mind either.
“Lyov.”
My name snapped me out of my reverie, and I glanced down at Maria to see her staring at me. “What is it, Angel?” I tucked her hair behind her ear. This way her whole face was visible to me.
“Are you not sleepy?” she asked softly, her hand going to my chest. She didn’t seem to mind that I was naked except for my boxers.
Instead, Maria chose to touch me, voluntarily. She glided her fingers up my chest until they rested against my neck.
A small smile appeared on her lips, like she enjoyed touching me. I knew I damn well loved it.
Her fingers moved over my cheek, palming my face gently. “Are you okay, Mas—Lyov?”
Her sweet question was my undoing. Here she was, trapped by me, yet she was asking if I were okay.
“I am okay, Angel—just thinking. You should be sleeping,” I whispered back. Our foreheads touched, and I kissed the tip of her nose.
She moved closer, her legs pressed against mine. Without thinking, I grabbed her thigh and hiked her leg over my hips, molding her body against mine. Maria let out a small gasp in surprise and licked her lips nervously.
Her eyes moved down, but our bodies were covered with the bedsheet. I knew she could feel my hard bulge between her legs, and I could feel how fucking warm she was.
My fingers bit into her hips, resisting the sudden urge to thrust against her heat. She swallowed nervously before burrowing her head into my chest…but not before I could see her cheeks reddening with a beautiful blush.
I smiled at her innocence, craving more of it. Slow, Lyov. Take it slow. Woo the fuck out of her. Make love to her. And then you can fuck her.
“Good night, Master.”
“Maria,” I growled dangerously.
Her arm went around my waist, holding me tightly. I didn’t know if it was in fright or if she was trying to hide into me, her way of escaping my wrath.
“I am sorry, Lyov,” she whispered.
I took a deep breath, trying to control myself before I completely fucking lost it. “I will not repeat myself again, little Angel. This i
s your last warning. Never call me Master again. It’s Lyov to you. Always.”
What she didn’t realize was that her soft whisper—when she called me Master, the beast inside of me loved it and wanted to claim her right there. I wanted to wrap my hand around her throat and fuck her tight pussy until she was screaming her orgasm.
My cock jerked at the thought, and I hissed. She froze in my arms, and I wanted to smack my head into a wall.
I had to rein myself in or I was going to lose her before I even had to chance to have her.
I took in a deep breath while my palm caressed her back in a soothing manner. After a few seconds, she finally relaxed, only to wiggle in my arms, trying to get herself comfortable.
My cock rubbed between her legs, and I internally swore.
“Stop moving,” I snapped loudly.
She flinched, and I swore again.
Ah, for fuck’s sake.
“Go to sleep, Maria. We have a long day tomorrow,” I finally breathed out.
My little Angel nodded silently before closing her eyes. “Good night.”
“Good night, Angel.”
I stayed still, just breathing. I was scared to move, scared that I was going to come right there like a horny teenager losing his virginity.
Maria was long asleep by the time I finally relaxed and talked Junior Lyov down. It was the hardest fucking thing I had ever done in my life.
When my eyes started drooping and sleep was beginning to claim me, I placed another kiss on Maria’s forehead. There was this primal need inside of me, just to touch her and hold her. Just to feel the softness of her skin against mine.
My last thought before darkness took over was how badly I wanted to see my little Angel smile again. Not just a small smile on her lips. I wanted to see her smiling from her beautiful blue eyes.
I wanted to watch her soul smile.
Never had I thought about love or soulmates. A day ago, I didn’t fucking care about it. I didn’t even know what love meant, and I sure as hell didn’t want it.
Love was a weakness.
But holding Maria in my arms, it didn’t feel like a weakness anymore.
I felt powerful. In control. I felt alive.
It felt like I had found a new purpose in life.
