Page 46 of Diamond Kisses

Sucking in a tattered breath, Henri hung in his binds.

Peter gave him a heartbreaking look.

I held my bleeding soul in my hands.

And Henri delivered himself straight to the devil, sacrificing himself for me, for Paavak, for love.

“I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That my senses belong to you.”

“Belong to me…what?”

Henri gulped. “Belong to you…Sir V.”

“Good boy.” Victor smiled as if Henri had agreed to a lazy afternoon of poker. “Think about what you’ve learned this morning. I’ll be back this afternoon with your next lesson.”

He left just like he had last night.

The ballroom doors closed.

Leaving the three of us bound and dying.

None of us spoke.

Not one of us looked at the other.

Exactly as Victor commanded.

Chapter Seven

………………………….

Henri

I SANK INSIDE MYSELF AND surrendered.

I shut off all my humanity and became that shadowy beast within.

A beast that’d been collared by a new Master. A Master who told me when to eat, drink, and sleep. I didn’t question him. I didn’t bite back. I let him steal every ounce of dignity all because I loved another far more than I loved myself.

Days turned into weeks.

Evenings into nightmares.

The things he did pushed me to the brink of madness.

Things I erased immediately. Things I refused to accept were happening.

And through every one of hislessons, I didn’t look at her.

I didn’t seek out her gorgeous golden eyes.

Didn’t have the strength to be selfish enough to look at her even though every part of me was dying.

Ineededto see her.

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