Page 16 of Crown of Lies

They’d put up a fight, as Enigma members always do, but Carnage would have revenge in their blood, and that flame burns hotter than anything.I should know.

Licking my lips, I stare into Nico’s eyes.

Before all of this shit went down, when things were different between us, I was starting to think I could read his expressions. That I knew him well enough to guess what he was thinking.But right now, I can’t even begin to imagine what thoughts are hiding behind his impassive blue and green eyes.

He already lied to me once.

He offered me an alliance, a truce, and look where that got me. He’s proven that a deal with him is a deal with the devil, and there’s no way in hell I’m signing my soul over to him again.

Clenching my jaw, I shake my head. “No.”

A look of surprise flashes through Nico’s eyes. “What?”

I scowl. “Killian didn’t have the noise machine onthatlong. I’m sure your ears still work. I said no. I’m not taking your fucking deal.”

He growls in frustration, surging toward me. His palms slam into the wall on either side of my head as he looms over me, his large frame crowding mine, pinning me against the wall.

“I’m not playing games with you, mia cara,” he growls. “And this offer won’t last forever. Don’t be a fucking idiot.Take. It.”

“I was already an idiot once when it comes to you.” I tilt my chin up, the chain of my handcuffs scraping against the pipe. “I’d say refusing to bargain with you means I’m finally getting smart.”

Nico bares his teeth, his hands curling into fists where they rest against the wall. “I’m trying to help you.”

“Are you? Because it seems like you’re only interested in helping yourself.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he bites out. “I’ve never met anyone as goddamn stubborn as you. I’m offering you a way out!”

There’s an edge to his voice that I’ve never heard before. Something wild and tense. Almostdesperate.

He’s got me shoved up against the wall with his body, the two of us so close together that I can feel all the points of contact between us from our chests to our toes, and the heat radiating from him mingles with the scent of musk and spice.

It’s all so familiar.Toofamiliar.

I want to pull away, to put some space between us, but there’s nowhere for me to go.

So I stand my ground, ignoring the way my skin tingles with awareness as I lift my uninjured shoulder in a small shrug.

“Fine. I’ll think about it,” I say.

The tension in his body bleeds away a bit, and he starts to nod. But before he can back away, I smirk and add, “Ifyou get down on your knees and beg.”

Anger sparks in his eyes.

In a flash, one hand moves down to grip my throat, his fingers digging into the sides of my neck.

“There’s only one reason I’d ever get on my knees for you, mia cara,” he murmurs roughly. “And it won’t be to beg you for anything. In fact, you’ll be begging me.”

A shiver of heat rushes through me as images of the times he’s been on his knees for me before filter through my mind.

I scoff. “Begging you to do better, maybe. You were a disappointment as a husband in more ways than one.”

That taunt just seems to piss him off more. He tightens his grip on my throat, leaning in until our noses are almost touching. “What are you saying, mia cara?”

My tongue darts out to wet my lips, my heart thumping hard against my ribs. “I’m saying maybe you’re not the only good actor in this marriage.” I let out a breathy, low moan. “Sound familiar?”

“Liar,” he challenges. “There’s no way you were faking it.”

He’s right about that. I remember being almost terrified of how my body responded to Nico the first time he fucked me on our wedding night. How he seemed to know just how to touch me, his hands rough and possessive as he manhandled me into position so that he could devour me like he was starving. How he demanded that I come before fucking me to within an inch of my life.

---