Page 137 of Born in Depravity

Was he … was he talking about me?

I peered down at my lap. Was that why they’d taken me? That was a waste of effort.

I wrote in my notebook.

I’m not his greatest treasure. You guys messed up.

He didn’t say anything for a moment after he read that. Then he placed his fingers under my chin and lifted until I looked at him.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, princess, but no, you’re not his greatest treasure. A man like Angelo Agnello cares for no one but himself. You know that already.”

I nodded my head. Yeah, I did know.

“But taking you was an insult he couldn’t let go. It would make him seem weak.”

So he’d wage a war against these three over his own pride.

Right.

It wasn’t something I didn’t know. It just hurt to have it pointed out to me.

Damien didn’t say anything to that, but I felt him move his arms around me.

“Now, we’ve been hiding you in this room since the moment we arrived. The people in this house are starting to question it. So I need you to be a good girl for me tonight and do exactly as I say. And to not react to anything you might see. Can you do that for me?”

He was asking?

There was still a command in his tone, and I didn’t actually have a choice. I would be walking out of this room no matter what, but Damien was asking me to do this for him.

And like Mikhail, I wanted—

Fuck.

I wanted to please him.

I gave the tiniest nod, and one side of his lips curved up in the smallest smile. “Good girl.”

He grabbed the collar.

“This doesn’t say anything. It just lets everyone know you belong to me. And to make them think you don’t mean anything to me.”

To make themthinkthat?

Did that mean I was coming to mean something to him?

Did I want to mean something to a man everyone called the Russian

Psychopath?

Again I nodded, and he secured the collar around my neck.

I hated it right away, and I couldn’t tell what Damien thought, though his eyes darkened marginally as he took me in. And not in the way that told me he was aroused.

I shot him a questioning look, but he avoided my gaze and helped me off his lap.

He grabbed onto the leather string.

I looked down, unable to keep meeting his eyes.

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