Page 20 of Chased & Bred by the BRATVA
I let him Let him beg and whimper and offer apologies. I don’t need their words. I need their blood.
But not yet.
Not until she sees them.
Not until she understands.
I leave them down there and head upstairs, my footsteps echoing with purpose.
She’s curled up on the chaise near the window, sunlight painting her skin gold as she watches the garden sway in the breeze. She turns and offers me a small smile, and my fucking heart lurches at the sight of her like it’s trying to claw its way out of my chest.
There’s a flicker of something soft in her gaze. Something she tries to tuck away before I see it. But I always see it.
“Hey,” she says, setting the empty teacup aside.
I reach into my jacket pocket and hold out the box. Small. Black. Velvet.
Her brows knit, curious. She accepts it with both hands like she already knows it’s more than it looks.
“What is it?”
“A gift,” I murmur. “I know it’s not your birthday anymore, but I wanted to mark it with something, since it was also the night we…met.”
When she lifts the lid, her lips part. Nestled inside, on a fine gold chain, is a delicate charm shaped like a rabbit mid sprint. Delicate but powerful. Unmistakably her.
Her fingers hover over it, then trace the curve of its ears, the stretch of its legs. “It’s beautiful,” she whispers.
I take it from the box and motion for her to turn. She does so without hesitation. I fasten the clasp, letting my fingers linger atthe nape of her neck before dropping a kiss there and turning her back around.
“It’s not just for show,” I say quietly. “It means something.”
She angles her face back toward me. “What does it mean?”
“That you ran for me, not from me. And I caught you. And now you’ll never have to run from anyone again.”
A flush rises in her cheeks. Her hand lifts to touch the charm where it rests just above her sternum. “You called me ‘little rabbit.’”
There’s silence between us, but it isn’t uncomfortable. It’s charged. Thick with something electric that neither of us wants to name yet.
Then I step back.
“I have something else for you.”
Her brow furrows, but I don’t give her time to question it. I offer my hand. She hesitates only a second before slipping hers into mine.
“This way.”
We descend the hallway in silence, past the gilded frames and cold stone. Deeper. Below.
I don’t speak again until we’re outside the heavy door.
“What you see down there,” I warn softly, “might scare you. But I want you to know, nothing happens without your say so. You can leave at any time. I won’t stop you. You are safe.”
She looks up at me, eyes wide and unblinking. “Why are you showing me?”
“Because they took something from you,” I say. “And I want you to have it back.”
She doesn’t ask what. She already knows.
