Page 65 of Serpent King's Prisoner

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, my voice edged with the desperation that was clenching my insides. “But I know they’re looking for me. I know they’re looking for the missing white girl in San Francisco. We both know…we both know this isn’t the kind of thing they’re just going to give up. But I have an idea.”

Nathan’s expression didn’t change, but he lowered his hands slowly, as if considering my words. The silence stretched between us, fraught with possibilities, each one more dangerous than the last.

“Look, you could kill me now, and that might solve one problem for you, but it’s going to create several more. You don’t want to attract attention to yourself, right? And we’re not naive. We both know how the media works in this country. Young, pretty white girl goes missing in Chinatown…” I continued, trying to keep my voice level despite the pounding of my heart. “Or—I make you a deal.” My eyes locked onto his, willing him to understand. “I’ll be your girlfriend, your toy or whatever you want to call it. I’ll stay with you indefinitely...if you let me live.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked, his voice low, crawling toward me slightly. “To be mine?”

His question hung heavy in the room, and I knew my answer would seal my fate. “Yes,” I said, and I meant it. I had never been good at lying anyway. “And to be honest...I’ve never had better sex.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Your touch,” I said, my free hand slowly moving towards the bruises and bite marks marring my skin, “it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It makes me want to touch myself.” I could hear the raw honesty in my voice, and it startled me. This was more than just a ploy for survival; I was admitting something I hadn’t fully accepted myself.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he took in my words, sparks of interest igniting in his eyes. “The orgasms you give me,” I continued, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ve never had better.”

His dark eyes held mine, a feral gleam igniting within them as I spoke my truth. It was the truth—it definitely was. It was also my only ploy to stay alive. He moved closer, the bed dipping under his weight. He reached out, fingers tracing the edge of the bruise on my shoulder, the one he had left days ago. His touch was featherlight, almost reverent.

“Is that so?” His voice was softer now, a hint of huskiness creeping in, but the dangerous glint never left his eyes.

I nodded, meeting his gaze with all the courage I could muster. I had always been trained to maintain control, to keep my emotions in check. But right now, I needed to let Nathan see what I felt. How he made me feel.

“Yes,” I breathed out. “You have me...craving you.”

His jaw hardened, and I scrambled to make my final plea.

“I’m always so wet here,” I said. “Tied up, just thinking about what you’re going to do to me next. How you’re going to touch me, how you’re going to fill me. Every single time, it’s like...it’s like you’re the only one who knows exactly what I want.”

He shook his head again, and I swallowed, hot tears prickling the corner of my eyes again. At one point, I had stopped crying, but now it seemed like I might start again.

“Nathan, you don’t want to kill me,” I said. “You said it yourself. Even if I’m just a…just a hole…you said my pussy is perfect. Where else are you going to find something like this? If you don’t want to keep me alive for me, keep me alive for you.”

Fuck, I really hated this, but it seemed to be doing it for him, and he wasn’t actively killing me so it was at least buying me time. There was also a part of me that enjoyed this, that loved being just a hole, a plaything to be used at his whim. I’d always been the strong one, the one in control, and this—this submission—was thrilling in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

And maybe there was something seriously wrong with me for that, but right now I couldn’t afford to care.

His lips quirked up in a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was a look that spoke of many things—amusement, perhaps a touch of admiration, and something else I couldn’t quite name. Nathan was a puzzle, a man who lived in shadows yet yearned for the light in ways he wouldn’t admit.

“Alright,” he said after a moment, his voice a soft rumble. “We can play this game—for now. But you will do everything I say. You will live how I want you to live, eat what I want you to eat, wear what I want you to wear. Do you understand?”

I exhaled heavily as I nodded. Nathan might have accepted my offer, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet. There were rules in this new reality, and I would have to learn them fast.

As long as I was alive, there was a chance. A chance to survive, to fight another day. And maybe, just maybe, a chance for me to take down the Golden Serpents from the inside.

Nathan leaned back against the wall, the soft light from the lamp he had left on at night casting shadows across his sharp features. He regarded me with a gaze that seemed to strip away all pretense, and I could feel his eyes tracing the line of my jaw, down to my exposed breasts.

I swallowed, processing the terms. Living with Nathan Zhou, in the lion’s den. It was risky, insane even, but it presented an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The chance to gather intel right under the nose of the most powerful Triad boss in San Francisco.

“And if anyone asks,” he continued, “we’ll have plenty of details to share about our little getaway.”

I met his gaze, fighting to keep my emotions in check. Nathan might be setting the stage for our charade, but I was scripting my own role in this twisted play. One that involved digging through his secrets, unraveling his empire piece by piece.

“Understood?” he asked, his voice low and strangely hypnotic.

“Understood,” I replied, matching his intensity.

Then, without warning, he closed the distance between us, his hand cupping the back of my neck as he pulled me into a kiss that was meant to seal our deal. His lips were demanding against mine, a silent claim of ownership. But there was something else there too—a flicker of genuine tenderness that caught me off guard.

I kissed him back, not just out of relief for being alive, but because, at that moment, I felt alive in a way I hadn’t before. With every touch, I sensed an opening, a crack in his armor. Nathan Zhou might think he held all the cards, but he’d just dealt me into the game.

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