Page 75 of Snitches and Serpents

But I make sure to keep any traces of amusement from my face as I close the door behind me with a thud.

Elle leaps up from the bed and quickly tries to hide the splinter behind her back. I keep my eyes on her as I walk over and set the plate of rice and beef stew on the nightstand. She says nothing, but it looks like she has recovered fully from the side effects now. Though she looks a bit nervous. Probably because I caught her trying to pick the lock.

And because I fucking love lording my power over her, I decide to press the matter.

While letting a dark expression settle on my features, I straighten and then take a step towards her. She instinctively takes one back. And she keeps her hand hidden behind her.

“If you stick that into the lock, all that will happen is that splinters of wood will get stuck in it,” I say, locking hard eyes on her. “And then that will clog it so that it can’t be opened with the key. Is that what you want?”

A hint of alarm flickers across her face. Then she clears her throat. “No.”

I hold out my hand. “Then give it to me.”

She hesitates.

“You can either give it to me willingly, or I can come over there and take it from you,” I declare. I let threats and unflinching authority bleed into my voice as I add, “You have five seconds to decide.”

A jolt shoots through her. Then she hurries over and places the wooden splinter in my waiting palm.

Satisfaction washes through me. While slipping the splinter into my pocket, I nod towards the bed. “Sit.”

She watches me with suspicious eyes, but walks over to the spot I indicated and sits down.

“Eat,” I command.

For a few seconds, she just holds my gaze in stubborn silence. Then she heaves a resigned sigh and picks up the knife and fork and starts eating.

Smug victory pulses through me, and my cock hardens.

Fuck, I love bossing people around. But I love doing it to her more than anyone. Holding her life in the palm of my hand is so fucking addictive. And it’s even better when she knows it too. When she knows that she is entirely at my mercy. Oh, how the tables have turned since high school.

Just to rub it in her face, I remain standing there right in front of her while she eats, so that I can truly loom over her like her own personal god.

She grinds her teeth at the power play but doesn’t protest. Instead, she simply eats the food I brought her while purposely not looking up at me.

Once she has finished eating, I nod towards the empty plate. “Done?”

Slowly, she raises her head to meet my gaze. She holds it for a few seconds in complete silence. Then she says, “No.”

I frown. “What are?—”

She shoots up from the bed and stabs the utensils at me.

Leaping back, I barely manage to avoid getting a damn knife and fork buried in my chest. She misses by mere inches, but when my body is no longer there to meet her weapons, the move makes her stumble forward.

The moment she’s off balance, I launch my counterattack.

While she’s still staggering forwards, I swipe my foot and take her legs out underneath her. She hits the floor with a huff, but recovers immediately and slashes the knife through the air. I’m forced to jump to keep it from connecting with my calf.

Astonishment pulses through me.

Her technique is awful, but the sheer fierceness in her moves is incredible.

Landing on the floor again, I quickly kick the fork out of her hand and then drop down over her. The fork dings against the concrete as it skids across the floor.

Elle tries to roll away, but my knees hit the ground on either side of her before she can escape. Alarm flashes across her beautiful face.

Quickly shifting the knife to her other hand, she stabs it towards my throat.

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