Page 493 of Hate Mates

Our chests heaved against each other, and the sound of our panting filled my ears. “I warned you to let me go. But instead, you kept me here like an animal against my will,” I hissed.

He had left me with no choice. It was his life for my freedom.

“You’re right.” His voice was as steady as his pulse, even with the blade pressed against it.

His calmness kindled doubt inside of me. “What?”

No trace of surprise or fear registered on his face. Instead, it was intense and schooled.

“I shouldn’t have kept you, but I couldn’t let you go.”

“For God’s sake, I told you I didn’t try to kill you! I don’t know how that detonator ended up in my hands. I really wish I had been the one to press it because then at least I could have given you the information you wanted!” My hand shook, and the knife pierced his skin. Dark red trickled down his neck.

His purposeful gaze drew my eyes back to his. “That’s not why I wanted to keep you. You were the greatest challenge I had ever come across. I wanted to break you. Toownyou.”

“You could never own me,” I spat. “I would never give you the satisfaction.”

“I already do,” he murmured as his focus skimmed down the side of my neck. “If you kill me, then I would be the one who made you a killer. I would be cemented in your memory of this night forever. No matter what you do, or where you go from this moment on, I’m already imprinted on your soul.”

“No!” I shouted, shivers wracking my body. More blood spurted under my erratic hand. I’d already started this, and there was no going back. If I didn’t kill him now, he’d kill me.

“Do it,” he ordered, his voice gripping my chest. “Bind us forever. And when, finally, you meet your end, I’ll be waiting for you in hell. You’re mine for eternity, Antonella.”

Tears burned my eyes. I was doing this to escape him, but I never could. To pay him back for all the suffering he had caused me. I’d always be under his grip, even if he wasn’t alive.

My shoulders sagged from exhaustion, surrendering to the lack of choice that faced me. I had no say in my destiny. Lazaro had already branded his name onto it. I was his property in this life and in whatever awaited me after death.

Hot tears fell from my eyes, burning my cheeks. I would forever be his prisoner.

He pried the hilt of the knife out of my hand, and I immediately covered my face in shame. I had stayed strong through everything, and in this moment, I finally felt weak.

The knife clattered on the floor.

Lazaro didn’t say a word. He could have yelled at me or even punished me for the stunt that I had just pulled. Instead, he pulled me into his arms and allowed me to release all of the emotions I had stowed away for so long. Some of his warm blood dripped onto my shoulder.

I hated crying in front of anyone, least of all him. It wasn’t that I deemed it a sign of feebleness, but I found that it was often used by others to their advantage. I couldn’t trust others with something as precious as my emotions.

He took my lips again, kissing me deeper than last time. I tasted my tears between us, and I was certain he could, too. Our tongues stroked each other.

It should have felt strange—out of place. One minute, I had held a knife against his neck, and the next, we were joined by the lips in perhaps the most erotic kiss of my life.

With the first kiss, I had taken the lead, but this time, it was his turn. His tongue trailed down my neck, tasting my skin, and I melted into his touch.

“Are you going to hurt me?” I whispered.

It was futile to offer an apology for attempting to end him, because I would have done it again in a heartbeat if I had thought my plan would work out—kill him and then escape when the staff were too preoccupied discovering his body.

“Yes,” he answered, flicking my nipple with his tongue over my lingerie.

I moaned, arching my back to give him more access. “What if I can’t handle it?”

He backed me up until my legs hit the bed, and then he pushed me flat on the mattress. “I’ve seen how much you can withstand, and you haven’t broken yet. You will endure what I dole out, because I know you can take it.”

How could he be so confident in my capabilities when even I wasn’t sure of them?

Suddenly, he flipped me over onto all fours and spanked my bare ass. The material of the thong-style teddy rubbed against my core as I jolted forward, pain flooding my skin.

“I’ve dreamed of this ass. Watching you prance around here, swaying your hips for every man to see. Do you like the attention, Antonella?” His fingers possessively kneaded the tender flesh he had just lashed, soothing the remnants of the sting. I moaned from how intense it felt.

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