Page 174 of The Owner's Temptation

I could almost see the map forming behind her eyes as she scanned the terrain—plotting her path, choosing her cover, preparing for the chase.

My little rabbit thinks she’s clever.

She is.

Which makes this even more fun.

Outside the control room, my club is emptying. Whispers and murmurs of “water main break” float up the hallways as the guests file out, their pleasures postponed. No one questions it. They know better. When I clear the floors, there’s always a reason.

And tonight, there’s only one thing I want in my kingdom.

Her.

I give her a few minutes—long enough to feel the rush of false confidence, to believe she’s making a plan to hide herself well.

Then I lean into the mic and give her my message.

“Run, little rabbit.”

Her reaction is instant.

I can’t hear it. But I see it. The monitor shows the sharp rise and fall of her chest, the tension in her thighs, the way her head snaps toward the sound like prey catching wind of its predator.

Perfect.

“Run as fast as you can. Because when I catch you…”

I pause. Let it breathe.

“I’m going to fuck you.”

And with that, I flip the switch. The entire floor plunges into darkness.

I pull my shirt off in one smooth motion, letting it fall behind me. The belt is next—slipping free of the loops with a snap and wound around my hand.

I grab my mask—the one I only wear when I’m ready to stop playing pretend and start hunting in earnest.

The Devil’s mask.

And then I’m on my way to my angel.

No footsteps. No quick breath.

Just a silent descent intoWrath.

The floor yawns wide beneath me as I quietly open the door and enter the floor. Shadows curl as the light from the stairwell disappears with the closing door.

My feet are silent on the steps as I descend into the level of madness. The cold of the metal rail biting into my hand. The silence is total—except for the low hum of the lights preparing to come back on.

In a moment,Wrathwill awaken again—bathed in low, pulsing red light. Just enough to see shapes. Movement. The glint of a bare shoulder or the curve of a thigh disappearing into a corner.

Just enough tofind her.

At the base of the stairs, I reach the center platform—the raised stage that overlooks the entire floor like a throne over the kingdom. I pause. Let the darkness settle around me.

With a click the lights return, blood-red and pulsing.

A heartbeat for hell.

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