Page 19 of Cage the Storm
I know this is a business agreement forged in blood, heightened by the dangers surrounding us. And whatever lies ahead, whatever battles or betrayals we face, we’ll do it together. At least for now, that’s enough.
The light spills softly through the curtains as morning creeps into the room, but it does little to ease the intimacy that remains from last night. I turn towards Nico, the cool sheets brushing against my skin, and find him already awake, his gaze fixed on something beyond the window. He’s here, but his mind is elsewhere—somewhere darker.
“You don’t get to disappear on me,” I say, as I lean on one elbow to face him. My words pull him back, his eyes skimming to mine with a bitterness that’s impossible to miss. “Whatever this is, Nico. Whatever it means. You don’t get to shut me out. Not after last night.”
My heartbeat quickens, but I don’t back down. I need him to hear me out. To understand that even if this is an arranged partnership, I’m still his wife, and I refuse to be left in the dark.
“We don’t have the luxury of pretending this changes anything,” he states without even an ounce of compassion. “You’re my wife, Luna. That’s not romance, it’s business.” The words hit harder than I expected, but I don’t show it.
I’ve had tons of practice at schooling my features with Giovanni.
I sit up slowly, letting the sheets fall away. I thought I knew him well enough to read between the lines. To recognize the things he’s locked behind those careful walls. Perhaps not, but I’m not ready to let him go without reminding him who he’s dealing with.
“You’re good at pretending you don’t feel anything,” I say. “But I know you, Nico. Last night meant something. To both of us.”
For a moment, I think he might look at me, might say something to counter my words, but he doesn’t. Instead, he holds perfectly still. I do catch the hesitation, however, and it’s enough to keep me from backing down. He doesn’t get to climbout of this bed without knowing I see more of him than he cares to admit. I’ve had lots of practice watching him over the years.
His jaw tightens, and I see how my words strike a chord within him. Nico isn’t the type to let someone push without pushing back.
“Be careful, Luna,” he snarls, his voice low and controlled. “You think you see more than I let you, but you forget. I get to choose what people see and what stays hidden.”
This sounds like a warning. It’s a reminder that nothing between us is simple. And as he stands, I don’t miss his lingering gaze before he strides into the en suite. Dismissing me. He doesn’t know me at all if he thinks I’ll back down.
The sound of running water ends, and when Nico emerges from the bathroom, he’s a changed man. No longer the man who held me in the quiet hours of the night, who whispered my name between kisses, who took me again and again until I forgot how to breathe—he’s the one who commands rooms. Makes calculated decisions and moves through this world with precision. He’s dressed and ready to return to business as if nothing has changed.
“You’re just going to walk out?” I say, pushing myself up against the pillows, watching him as he adjusts his cuffs. “Like nothing happened?”
Nico frowns, but his hands don’t pause. He finishes with his cuffs, smooths the lapel of his jacket, and then finally looks at me.
“What would you prefer?” he says. “That I stay and pretend that last night changes everything? That I let myself get tangled up in feelings, and now I’m madly in love with you?” Bastard, who said anything about love?
He steps back, finger cutting through the air between us. “And stop calling me Nico,” he berates. “My name is Nicolai.”
Of course it is. His name. His house and his damn rules.
It’s pointless. He won’t break, but he can’t hide his smoldering gaze. Confirming that last night wasn’t just about sex. He knows we have an explosive connection, but he’ll never admit it. He plays his part to perfection.
Nico strides out of the room without another glance. How dare he dismiss me, like I’m just another pawn? His footsteps leave me with a knot of anger that tightens in my chest. I throw off the sheets, rising quickly as frustration burns through my veins.
Nico is the king, and the rest of us are just pieces he moves at will.
I pace the room, trying to control my anger, but it only grows. Last night didn’t feel like business, no matter how much he tries to convince himself otherwise.
If he thinks he can brush me off as a business deal, he’s sadly mistaken. I didn’t marry him for romance or promises of forever; I married him for an alliance, for a partnership.
“You don’t get to play this game alone, Nico,” I say, the words bitter as they leave my lips. “Not with me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
NICOLAI
I stareout my office window and watch the streaks of orange and blue battle for dominance. Every morning, it’s a constant reminder that everything in life changes. Nothing ever stays the same. Just like the weather, life is out of our control.
Luna refuses to accept these subtle changes, but she’ll break if she doesn’t learn to bend. In our world, controlling our emotions isn’t just a strategy; it’s a matter of survival.
And yet, here I am, pacing the room, fists clenching and unclenching at my sides. I lied to her. Last night wasn’t a cold transaction. It was a match dropped into gasoline. Explosive. All-consuming, and it scorched my very soul.
I tried convincing myself it was just another necessary piece of our arrangement. But she admitted she felt it too. And that’s the problem. She’s dangerous because she makes me forget who I am, what I’ve done. What I still have to do.
