Page 51 of Bound to a Monster

“I know,” I say, feeling breathless. “But I wasn’t normally around. You know.”

“When they hurt people?” His smile is dangerous as he comes a little closer.

I swipe at the air and he stops just out of range. “You went too far.”

“You’re right, little fencer. I lost control. You saw me at my worst.” He spreads his hands almost in apology, but he doesn’t quite say it. “I did it for you.”

“No, don’t say that. You were enjoying yourself.”

“Maybe I was, but if it hadn’t been you?—”

“You would’ve killed him. If it hadn’t been me trying to make you stop, you would’ve choked him until he died.”

His head tilts, and he licks his lips. “Should I have let him grab you like that then? Should I have let him hurt you?”

“No, of course not. But you didn’t have to take it that far.”

“You make me do this.”

“I don’t make you do anything.”

He moves forward. I lunge, mostly by instinct, and the tip of my blade catches his shoulder. I stare in shock as he grunts in pain. It cuts through his shirt, but he doesn’t stop. He pushes forward, coming at me, bending the blade until it bites into his skin.

A drop of red wells up around the cut.

“Stop,” I tell him, eyes wide.

He doesn’t. He keeps coming and lets the tip sink in deeper. His face grimaces with pain. “I would never do that to you,” he says, staring at me. “You know that, don’t you?”

I break first. I pull my arm back, turning so the blade slips out of the wound in his shoulder, and as I turn, he grabs me and pulls me against him. My heart’s racing wildly as I look at the surprisingly deep cut and up into his handsome face.

“I don’t know anything,” I say, and his lips are so close to mine. This vicious, terrifying man could crush me with his mouth if he wanted. He could ruin me here and now like he ruined me already. And a sick part of me wants him to keep coming.

To let the blade sink in deeper, right up to the hilt.

“I promise, little fencer, you’remine. You’re my wife. You’re the mother of my unborn child. I will never hurt you, and I will never let anyone else hurt you.”

My lips part. My mouth waters. My heart’s racing like crazy.

Blood drips down his shoulder, staining his shirt.

“I should take care of that mess,” I say, stepping back before I can make an even bigger mistake. I drop the saber to the floor.

“If you want to.” He stares at me like he doesn’t care either way.

I lead him upstairs to the medicine cabinet. He lets me clean and bandage the wound, and when he leaves for the day, I lock my bedroom door and get myself off so hard I nearly black out as I scream his name into my pillow.

Chapter 20

Carmie

Ican’t sleep that night. I just keep seeing the tip of my foil sink into his shoulder and the total lack of reaction in his eyes.

In public, Lev’s charming as hell. He’s constantly got that handsome smile on his face, and he makes people feel like they’re the center of the world.

But in private, it’s like that man slowly disappears, leaving a hollow void in his place.

I think I saw the real Lev. Not the mask he wears to hide what’s really inside of him, but the monster he keeps chained away.

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