Page 53 of Soul Of A Villain

“Yeah. Married. Oh, I’ve told him it’s a crazy idea, but he won’t be swayed. But I guess if he’s going to marry anyone, it should be Ava. She’s turned his world upside down.”

“You don’t like her?”

“On the contrary,” Oliver said before taking a long swallow of wine. “She’s an amazing girl. They are meant for one another; love each other to the point of madness. She’s got the backbone and strength it takes to be in our world. It’s just… this is the type of thing that leaves you fucking vulnerable. Gives your enemies a way to hurt you. Kingston is giving them ammunition by marrying her.”

“Isn’t that your brother’s concern?” Londyn asked. “I mean, it shouldn’t matter what he does or who he marries.”

Oliver’s head tilted. “But it does. Because he loves her, I will do my part in protecting her. And him, if it ever comes to that again. Although I doubt it would ever come to that. Kingston would slaughter anyone who hurt her.”

“What do you mean, again?”

He hesitated, his brow furrowing. “Last year, I betrayed Kingston. Tried to sell the woman he loves to the same men who sold you to me. I wanted to take over his empire. Steal his throne. But taking her would have destroyed him and me, too, eventually. So, I eliminated the men I had taken as partners and backed out of the deal. Seems I couldn’t stab my brother in theback, after all. Although I desperately wanted his crown, I realized it would never fit me like I wanted it to.” Oliver’s voice dropped to a low murmur of remembrance. “He forgave me, of course. And so did Ava. But the fact remains, I planned a coup, even if I never went through with it.” His fingers closed tight around the wineglass stem. “Kingston trusts me now, but I keep warning him it’s my fucking nature to do what is inmybest interests.”

Londyn let out a shaky breath. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Why? I don’t know. Maybe I like telling you my deepest, darkest thoughts. Seeing your reaction when you learn my secrets.” His icy-blue eyes held her hostage, a hand raking through his thick, dark hair in obvious agitation. His gaze dropped to her breasts, where they swelled against the black silk evening gown she wore. He had commanded her to dress formally for dinner, and she had obeyed, of course. Donning the elegant gown and matching Dior heels, arranging her hair in an elegant updo that Paris had shown her how to do long ago, and applying a bit of mascara and lipstick from the toiletries he had provided. When she entered the dining room earlier, Oliver’s gaze lit up in appreciation.

Londyn could not deny the preening satisfaction that sent butterflies flitting around her heart before she shoved the feeling down deep into her gut. She wanted him to like what he saw. Wanted him to want her, which was crazy, considering her current situation.

“Maybe… maybe I’m considering the possibility ofkeeping you alive. You can be my live-in therapist.” Oliver mused, twirling the wineglass between his long, blunt fingers. “How could I be sure you wouldn’t try to escape me if I spared your life?” Rattled by his shocking confession, Londyn was silent. She could not promise that if an opportunity to get away presented itself, she wouldn’t take it. But what did it matter, anyway? His murmured suggestion wasn’t genuine or even a truthful consideration. It was just another way to torment her. Dangling the hope of freedom and waiting for her to snatch at it.

“Would you try?” he asked, pinning her with those perceptive eyes.

For a moment, Londyn caught a glimpse of something else deep in the depths of his steady gaze. A flash of… longing. A vulnerability that made him very human. It was apparent in that split second that this hard, brutal man wasn’t as immune to fear and uncertainty as he wanted the world to believe. Suddenly, Londyn understood the reason for the word tattooed across his knuckles. She understood the possessiveness. The way he wanted to completely own and rule her. Everything in his life had been won in bloody fights for dominance and ownership. He held tightly to his possessions and savagely protected them by whatever cruel means were necessary. What he feared most was losing what he treasured most.

And in dawning awareness, she knew thatshewas that treasure. He may have meant it when he swore to end her life, but things had changed. He did not want to lose her now.

The revelation made her breathless. And sick. Because she did not want to leave him any more than he wanted to let her go. Her eyes filled with tears, both for herself and for Oliver. What was between them was hopeless. It would not end well. It was a grim reality Londyn could not ignore.

“I have a gift for you, Londyn,” Oliver said suddenly, rising from his chair and standing behind hers. Londyn did not dare crane her neck to look at him, wondering if he had guessed the track of her thoughts. She sat silent and still as his large hand rested on the curve of her shoulder, his fingers lightly tracing her collarbone while his thumb rubbed the nape of her neck. Every nerve inside her both tightened with anticipation and softened with desire. Oliver had the terrifying ability to scramble her brain with fear while stoking every illicit craving her body harbored. She subtly leaned into his touch, soaking it in and savoring the tingles of hopeless excitement.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she sensed him reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket. There was a shuffling of something being opened, followed by a muffled pop as it closed. She couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like it might have been a jeweler’s box.

Cold and heavy, a chain was placed around her neck. No… not an actual chain, but a necklace. It nestled into the hollow of her throat like a lump of ice.

Her hand automatically moved to touch it as Oliver secured it around her neck. There was a quiet click, and his fingers brushed the hair on the nape of her neck, twirling the small curls around his finger as he caressed her.

“I had this made just for you, dove. A symbol of my ownership. And my devotion.”

Londyn could hear the smile in his words, and her heart pounded.Devotion? What does that mean? Does he realize that the word carries the weight of forever?

“I am the only one who can remove it, so don’t even try,” he continued in a soft murmur. His free hand came up to encircle her throat from the front, tilting her head back until her eyes opened to see him standing above her. “It’s a diamond collar, set in platinum with a two-carat stone pendant in the shape of a heart. A ring at the top of the pendant allows a leash to be clipped to the collar. Useful if you decide to crawl away from me instead of to me.”

Londyn whimpered at the image his words conjured. A leash? A diamond-encrusted collar? What was next? Caging her as though she were a mischievous kitten?

Please, keep me in a cage if it means I will be yours.

Oliver kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her up from the chair. “Come seeso that you can thank me properly.”

A large mirror framed in sleek black metal hung over a sideboard, and Oliver guided Londyn there until she could see her reflection.

Her breath caught in her throat. The diamond choker fit around her neck perfectly, the heart pendant sparkling like a chunk of ice in her throat’s hollow. She traced it, stunned by its terrible beauty and horrified that its embrace somehow felt… right. As if it had always belonged around her neck, shackling her to the man behind her.

“I’m going to fuck you while you are wearing this, Londyn. Just this and nothing else.” Oliver’s gaze caught and held hers in the reflection. His eyes were as cold and hard as the diamonds around her neck. Breathless under the weight of his stare, Londyn stood frozen as he continued in a low, husky voice, “I will watch you crawl for me, and I want you to wonder if I’m going to choke you with the leash until you pass out or give you enough slack to hang yourself when you try running. And you will try it, Londyn. I know you won’t be able to help yourself.”

“I won’t…” she argued, but his laugh cut her off.

“Don’t lie to me, dove. You would have kept running today if I had not caught you. This makes it a hell of a lot easier to keep you close.”

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