Page 74 of Claimed By Rage

That might even be his plan—dragging things out as long as possible, denying her death even if she begs for it.

I hope she does.

I hope my brothers deny her wish.

After all, she denied them something precious, too.

A baby wouldn’t have solved our family problems, but it might have brought us a ray of hope in this dismal fucking world.

I glare at Celia as Ruin picks her up and cradles her against his chest. Leaning down to meet her eyes, I throw every ounce of my hatred into these words: “I hope you never get pregnant.”

She flinches like I’ve slapped her.

“A bitch like you would poison your child before it’s even born. They’re better off dead than with you as a mother.”

A silent tear tracks down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb and swipe it over her gagged lips, hoping that she not only tastes its salt, but that she remembers this moment as much as I will.

Because every time she cries, I want her to think of me—and choke on her regrets as much as the rest of us.

Chapter 24

Rage

I runmy hand down the gilded bars of my new cage, admiring how they shine in the light. It’s a new addition to the club floor—a cage for someone to dance in. Lounge in. Get fucked in. Bolted down right next to the padded throne I use to survey the crowds. There’s a smaller one in the middle of our apartment, taking up what used to be our living room floor. We never used it for much beyond quick meetings before or after jobs, so this is a much better use of the space.

Together, my brothers and I will teach Celia what it means to break promises.

You don’t get a fucking choice but to keep them.

I wrap my fist around one of the bars and tug, satisfied with its sturdiness. All three of us hold matching keys, but we decided that if one of us puts her inside, another one isn’t allowed to take her out. I wanted to commission a smith to create three different locking mechanisms so that if one of us locks her in, the other won’t be able to unlock it, but time was of the essence.

We couldn’t risk Celia actuallyrunning away.

To think that she stayed within city limits this entire time…

A hum catches in the back of my throat as I wonder, for the hundredth time, if she was waiting for us—for me—to comeafter her and bring her home. If she didn’t really want to leave, but she was scared of how angry I’d be with her after our little strangulation incident.

I don’t blame her for it. In fact, I’m proud that she acted out of passion instead of shoving it deep, deep down to bury it. Most men within the bratva are taught that emotions are weaknesses—but my brothers and I believe that they’re weapons.

Hate. Fear. Excitement.Love.

They fuel us to be better versions of ourselves—versions that our enemies can’t use against us. If we harness our emotions, we control our reality.

It’s when we act out recklessly that we lose control.

Which is why the cage is necessary. It will keep me in check as much as it will keep Celia safe. Being around her, knowing that she aborted our baby before it ever had a chance to take root… My fists clench hard enough that my bones scream.

Shepromisedto have my baby, to love and cherish it.

A mother who loves her children doesn’t throw them away. Notever.

Now that Celia will be under lock and key, she won’t be able to get rid of my gifts so easily. It was an error of judgement to trust her the first time, but it was also an error to tell her anything about the Baranova wedding and my involvement in it. She doesn’t understand the circumstances. I don’t even know if Mikhail—or Valentina—has told Celia the truth about what happened that day.

Guessing from how violently Celia reacted, I’d say, probably not. It’s something I’ll explain to her while she’s behind bars.

But notthesebars. First, I’ll need to train her how to behave and be grateful for our generosity—then, we’ll upgrade her to the cage on the club floor.

Until then, she’ll stay where she belongs—under constant watch, all hours of the day, in the heart of our home.

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