Page 9 of Lords of Ruin: Savage

She stares at me, her breath shaky, her hands fisting the fabric of my shirt. “I don’t want your protection, Cast,” she whispers. “I want my father back.”

"I know,mi amor," I say softly, pressing my forehead to hers. “But right now, we don’t have the luxury of what we want.”

Her laugh is sharp, bitter. “No, as always, Cast—you get the luxury of what you want.”

I tense, my hand stilling on her waist. “And what do I want?” I ask, my voice low, pulling her chin so she’s forced to meet my eyes.

She hesitates, her gaze flickering between defiance and a softer, more vulnerable expression. “Me,” she whispers finally.

The corner of my mouth lifts in a humorless sneer. “You think I want you?” I murmur, my thumb brushing over her jaw. “You’re wrong.”

Her lips part in surprise, but I don’t give her a chance to speak. I lean in closer, my voice rough and unrelenting. “I don’t justwantyou, Willow. I’veneededyou. Craved you. Do you know how hard it was to let you go when everything in me screamed to keep you locked away?”

Her breath catches, doubt flickering in her eyes—but then she shakes her head, her voice sharp, cutting. “You’re lying. You let me leave. You let me go, Cast.”

My grip tightens on her chin, and the fire in her gaze only fuels the inferno inside me. “You think Iletyou go?” My voice drops, lethal. “Because I didn’t drag you back kicking and screaming? Because I didn’t ruin you when I had every right to?”

“Yes!” she snaps, shoving against my chest, though she doesn’t pull away. “You let me leave. You let me live my life, butyou made damn sure I couldn’t have anyone else. You’ve been pulling strings from the shadows, haven’t you?”

I don’t deny it. I don’t need to. She already knows the truth.

“See?” she says, her voice trembling with anger. “You think you own me, Cast. That’s why you didn’t fight. Because as long as no one else touches me, you’re fine sitting back and watching from your throne.”

I exhale slowly, my jaw tight. “You don’t get it, do you?” I say, my voice dropping to a dangerous calm. “You think you’ve seen the worst of me, Willow, but you haven’t. Not even close. Youbring out the worst in me.You always have.”

She freezes, her defiance faltering as my words sink in. I let go of her chin, dragging my hand down to her throat, my fingers curling around the delicate curve of her neck. I don’t squeeze, but the threat is there, simmering beneath my skin.

“I’m not Vincent,” I growl, eyes boring into hers. “I’m not the man who will crush you to keep you. I’m the man who let you go because I love you too damn much to destroy you. But don’t mistake that for passivity. Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t burn the whole world down if someone tried to take you from me.”

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and for a moment, we just stare at each other, the air electric and I can’t breathe because I just said I fucking love you to her for the first time, andfuckI want her to say it back.

“You’re right,” she whispers finally, her voice trembling. “You’re not Vincent. You’re worse.”

The words cut sharper than expected, but I don’t let it show. I lean in, my lips brushing her ear as I speak. “Maybe. But you’re still here,mi amor.And that’s what matters.”

She shudders, her body betraying her even as she tries to hold on to her anger. “You can’t keep doing this,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “I am going to my father’s funeral and then I am going back to school. You can’t keep me at your beck and call, Cast.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I murmur, kissing her temple. “And neither do you. Without you, I will go mad, Cariña. Do you want to see how bad I can really get?”

“No,” she chokes out.

“So stop fighting it, Willow. You’re mine. You always have been. Always will be.”

Her voice is quiet, but the words slice through me like a blade. “And what if I don’t want to be yours anymore?”

The question hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. For a moment, all I can do is stare at her, the fire in her hazel eyes daring me to react. My grip on her throat loosens, but my hand stays where it is, my thumb brushing over her pulse—steady, defiant, alive.

“Then,” I say, my voice low and dangerous, “I would burn the world to the ground.”

Her lips part, shock flickering across her face, but I don’t stop. I lean closer, so close that the warmth of her breath mixes with mine, my gaze locked on hers. “I’d burn it all,Cariña,and then I’d make you and I choke on the smoke, together.”

Her breath catches, her body trembling slightly against mine, but her gaze doesn’t waver. “You’re insane,” she whispers, her voice unsteady.

“Maybe,” I admit, a dark smile tugging at my lips. “But you’ve always known that, haven’t you? You’ve always known what I’d do for you, what I’d destroy for you.”

Her chest heaves, and I see the conflict in her eyes—anger, fear, and a deeper emotion she doesn’t want to admit. A feeling vibrant with raw vulnerability. “You can’t just decide that, Cast. You can’t make me stay.”

“I’m not making you stay,” I say softly, tilting my head. “You’re here because you want to be. Even if you hate me for it, even if you want to run—you’re still here, Willow. And you’ll stay. Because deep down, you know you belong to me as much as I belong to you.”

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