Page 14 of Fall of Snow

“I can see we’re getting off on the wrong foot here, Snow, so let me spell this out for you, so you understand. I know everything there is to know about you. Your favorite food, the shampoo you use, the flavor of ice cream you reach for after a bad day. I’ve been getting to know you from the shadows since the day I laid eyes on you.”

I stare up at him for long moments, completely immobilized by the way he’s handling me. His torso reaches over mine, and even with all the strength in my legs, I wouldn’t be able to throw him off. I think back to the self-defense classes Wynter dragged me to and almost sigh out loud. This position right here, this is the position they told us never to allow ourselves to get into, because it’s not as simple as throwing your assailant off you. It’s so much more complicated than that. Even if I were able to get out from under him, and that’s a very big if, what then? There’s nowhere to run. I’m locked in this house, this prison, and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I’m in a lot more trouble than I’ve ever been before.

Elijah sighs at my silence, annoyance flickering across the green of his eyes, but words escape me. What do you say to a man holding you against your will? One who is so clearly unhinged and obsessed with you at that?

“Why me?” I whisper without thinking. It’s not the first time the question has flitted through my mind since I woke up here, but it’s the first time I’ve thought to ask the man holding me captive.

A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “The first night I saw you, I thought you were an angel,” he muses as he softens his hold on my wrists, not so much I can escape, but just enough to make me more comfortable. “It was right around the time Everett moved in with your family. I was always so jealous he got away from them and I didn’t, but he never belonged there. We’d grown up as enemies of sorts, despite being cousins. We were constantly reminded that one of us would take over for Angelo one day, and we were always in competition for who that would be, even when we were children and didn’t understand what our uncle did.

All night I was looking for him, my father wanted me to hurt him for abandoning the family in favor of the enemy, and I would have done it, but then I saw you. You were so beautiful, so carefree and happy, and I was fascinated by you. I followed you around all night, completely forgetting about what my father had asked me to do, completely oblivious to every other person at that party except for you. For the first time in my life, there was light in the darkness I called home, and when the night was over, and you left with your family, I knew I couldn’t return to the dark, somehow I had to have your light in my life, even if I had to steal it.”

This time when my mouth drops open, it’s in surprise rather than horror. His words are almost poetic, the way he speaks about me like I’m the only good he’s ever known, but surely that’s not the case. Even though Rayne and Storm grew up in a Mafia family, they’ve always been loved, and there’s always been some light in their hearts. But then, I can’t imagine any of the Russo men had an ounce of good in them.

“I want you to want to be here, Snow. I’ve done everything I can to make sure you’re comfortable, but you’re staying here even if you don’t want to. This is happening, we are happening, and there’s nothing you can say or do that’s going to change that reality.”

“How long?”

“How long what?”

“Am I here? I assume you’re going to get bored and send me back at some stage. So how long? Or will you kill me and dispose of me the way your father and uncles used to when they were done with women?” Even as the words fall from my lips, I regret them, but I’ve never been that good at restraining myself and the things I say.

16

Elijah

There was a moment while I told her about the first time I saw her that I thought I was finally making some progress with Snow. At no point did I think this was going to be easy. I was, after all, stealing her from her life and everything she loves, but what I didn’t prepare myself for was the fact that she sees me as nothing more than another Russo man, and the anger beating through my blood right now is barely contained. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact her body is pressed against mine and the soft skin of her wrists are bundled in my hands, I would be tearing apart this whole fucking house.

“Come again,” I growl.

“At the end of this, are you going to let me go, or are you going to dispose of me like yesterday’s trash like your family is so good at?” Snow asks calmly, like she doesn’t realize she’s poking a bear who could easily snap at any moment. But she knows. There’s no doubt in my mind that my little Snowflake is testing the waters and how much she can get away with before I’ll snap, how much I’ll let her push me before I’ll push back, and she’s reaching that limit very fucking rapidly.

I close my eyes and let out a breath, trying to contain the angry beast pushing against my chest to be let out. The one I was trained to be, the one I am in every other part of my life but this one, the one I can never allow Snow to see. She’s trying to make me snap. She wants me to be the monster in her closet at night, but I’m not, and at some point, she’s going to have to accept that. Before I register my own movements, I’m tearing the blanket down between us, her hands still held in one of mine as I flip her onto her stomach.

The hitch in her breath tells me she’s scared, but she makes no attempt to throw me off. She could escape if she really wanted to. I’ve seen Snow fight, seen her and her sister spar when Wynter forced her to go to self-defense classes a few years back. But even though she’s scared, even though her pulse beats quickly against my fingers, she doesn’t fight. I’m not sure what to make of it, to be honest. I’ve stolen her from everything she loves and locked her up in what even I can admit is a creepy duplicate of her childhood bedroom, she should be making every attempt to rid herself of me, but each time I’ve touched her, each time I’ve pressed my body to hers, she’s stilled and allowed it to happen. Does my Snowflake feel it too? Does she feel the pull I felt all those years ago? The invisible tether that held us together even when she had no idea I existed in the shadows.

I settle my weight across her back, my legs straddling her perfect ass, and my cock immediately hardens at its proximity to her tight holes. But it’s not time yet. Not until she begs for my cock. I lean down until my lips brush the shell of her ear and she shivers at the touch.

“Let’s get something clear, Snowflake. This arrangement is not temporary. When I took you, it was with the intention of keeping you. Not for a few days, or a few weeks, or even a few years. No, the intention is to keep you forever. You and I will get married, sooner rather than later if I get my way. So no, I will not be killing you and disposing of your body like trash. Because you are the greatest treasure I’ve ever had. I am not my father, and I am not my uncles. I will not treat you like all your worth lives between your legs, but I would suggest you stop comparing me to them because you will not like the consequences if you keep that shit up. Do you understand?”

Snow nods against the pillow, her breath coming in hard and fast.

I grind my hard cock against her ass, making sure she feels every inch of hardness. “I need your words, Snow.”

“Yes, I understand,” she pants, the slightest edge of lust masked just beneath the fear.

“Good girl,” I rumble.

Being so close to her, having her addictively sweet scent so close, it’s almost impossible for me to drag myself from her warmth, but I meant when I said I wouldn’t force myself on her. Slowly, I drag my body from hers before pushing myself off the bed and taking a few steps to where her French toast is getting cold. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Snow hasn’t picked up anything heavy to hit me with. I find her sitting up with her knees pressed to her chest and her eyes darting around the room, still trying to find an escape from her new reality.

Once I’m sure she’s not going to attack me from behind, I busy myself with preparing her plate and bringing it to the bed. I expect her to flinch away from me when I kneel on the edge of the mattress, but she remains perfectly still, her eyes tracking each of my movements. I place the tray down beside her and sit back against the headboard.

“What are you doing?” Snow whispers.

“Making sure you eat.” I nod toward the untouched food.

She sighs loudly and unfolds herself, making sure to inch farther across the bed away from me. The movement is so slight I’m sure she doesn’t think I would have noticed, but soon she’ll see that every move she makes is one I see. There’s nothing she can do without my knowledge. She watches me closely as she reaches for the knife and fork and tentatively cuts off a piece and brings it to her lips.

The moment the food passes through her lips, she lets out a groan of appreciation and my cock reacts immediately to the sound.

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