Page 51 of His Temptation

Daragh's gaze snapped to Siobhan. Her silence spoke volumes.

Sebastian laughed softly. "But they underestimated me, didn’t they, darling? They thought you’d destroy me, but instead, I made you mine. And now, well… we both know you belong to me."

Siobhan’s body trembled, her breath coming faster. Daragh had heard enough. His knife was in his hand before he even registered the movement. He threw it, the blade slicing through the air, embedding itself into the wall just inches from Sebastian’s head.

The smug bastard barely flinched. "Ever the dramatic one," Sebastian mused.

Daragh took a step forward, his voice cold. "You won’t leave this room alive."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "Won’t I?"

Siobhan sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers twitching at her sides. Sebastian noticed. And then, faster than Daragh expected, he moved. He yanked Siobhan against him, his arm wrapping around her waist, his other hand pressing a knife to her throat.

Daragh’s entire body went rigid.

Sebastian’s breath ghosted over Siobhan’s ear. "See, the thing is, O’Neill, you’re predictable. You think you’re in control, but you’re not. You never were." His grip tightened. "I don’t need to kill her. I just need to remind her who she belongs to."

Daragh’s hands fisted. "If you hurt her, I will carve you apart, piece by piece, and feed you to my panther."

Sebastian smiled. "Then I suppose we’re at an impasse."

Daragh forced his breathing steady, his vision narrowing to a single point—Sebastian’s throat. He could kill him now. Could end this with a single movement. But he needed Sebastian alive. For now. But before he could formulate a plan, the room erupted into a sea of chaos—men, guns, smoke bombs. The attack was vicious and meant to disorient and provide cover.

Daragh had just enough time to see men in gas masks make their way to Sebastian and Siobhan. They placed a mask over Sebastian’s face as Siobhan went limp in his arms. Daragh tried to shift, but his panther was inert and as he tried to get to her the blackness enveloped him.

Some time later, he stirred. It took him a while to realize he was on the floor of the pub, and only he and his men remained. He staggered to his feet, shaking his head. Siobhan was out there somewhere and he would find her. This wasn’t over, it was the beginning of the end.

SIOBHAN

The warehouse smelled of damp metal and rot, the air was thick with oil, mildew and mold. Siobhan’s wrists ached from the zip ties biting into her skin, the plastic cutting into her flesh asshe twisted against them. She had been here before—not in this exact place, but in places like it. Cold, dark rooms where men thought they held the power, where she had learned to play the role they expected. Helpless. Weak.

She wasn’t that girl anymore.

Sebastian sat in a chair across from her, legs crossed, his fingers idly tapping against his knee. He looked entirely too pleased with himself, as if he had already won. As if he thought he could still own her. His men—half a dozen of them—hovered near the edges of the room, all armed, all watching her like she was some docile thing to be caged.

“Did you really think running to the O’Neills would save you?” Sebastian’s voice was silk and venom, a practiced blend of aristocratic arrogance and cruelty. “Did you think Daragh would be your knight in shining armor?”

Siobhan met his gaze, her lips curling in something close to amusement. “He’s not a knight,” she said. “If I’m the damsel in the story, he’s the dragon—a lethal predator.”

Sebastian chuckled, shaking his head. “And yet, here you are. Caught. Alone. Again.” He tsked, leaning forward. “Tell me, darling, was it worth it? Did you really think you could be more than a pawn?”

Siobhan shrugged, ignoring the pain that flared at the movement. She needed time, just a little more time. Daragh was coming. She knew that with the same certainty that she knew her own name. He would never let her be taken from him.

Sebastian sighed, as if disappointed. “It doesn’t matter now. In a few hours, MI5 will have you on a private jet, and we’ll be on our way back to London. They get their prize, and I get mine.”

Siobhan stilled. “What are you talking about?”

Sebastian smiled, the kind that made her stomach twist in disgust. “Did you really think MI5 wanted you for protection?That they wanted to keep you safe? Oh, love, you’re valuable because of what you know. Because of what you are.”

Her pulse spiked.

Sebastian leaned in. “They don’t care if you want to go back. They only care that you’re a weapon. And if you don’t cooperate? Well… we both know MI5 has ways of making people compliant.”

A sick feeling settled in her gut. She had known MI5 wanted her, but she hadn’t thought they would work with him to get her.

Sebastian’s grin widened, seeing her realization dawn. “That’s right. We have an understanding, they and I. You, my dear, were never meant to be free. You were meant to be used.”

Siobhan forced herself to remain still, to keep the rising fury in check. Let him think he still had control. Let him believe she was his captive. Because he had made a mistake—he had underestimated her.

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