Page 17 of Cruel Crypts

“You fucked up my evening. I haven’t fucked a girl in over a week, and you cockblocked me tonight.”

“That sounds like a you problem.” I was still seething, but I couldn’t resist riling him up. “It didn’t seem like she was into your creepy tombstone aesthetic either. Maybe you should consider redecorating.”

His lip curled. Ignoring my second comment, he snarled, “No, it’s ayouproblem. You shouldn’t even fucking be here. You don’t belong.”

“Then let me go, and I’ll leave.”

“I don’t think so.” Moving to the stone shelf, he dug through the contents, and I heard the clang of metal as he drew his hand back out. “You haven’t been punished enough yet.”

He held up what looked like a baton. “Do you know what this is?”

“No, but you’d better keep it away from me,” I hissed. “I don’t want any part in your sick games.”

“Too late.” With a sudden movement, he was on the floor, gripping me by my ankles and locking restraints around them. How did he move so fast?

I gasped when he did something that made the metal bar between the restraints widen, forcing my aching legs farther apart.

“This is a spreader bar.” Rising to his feet, he grinned at me. “It’ll stop those vicious little kicks you keep making.”

“Ihateyou.” My eyes filled with tears of frustration. He had me completely at his mercy now.

“I really don’t care.” Sliding his arms around me, he pinned my body in place against the cold stone wall. He took one of my wrists in a powerful, bruising grip, holding it in place while he undid the restraint, and then refastened it around my wrist. I was so immobile I couldn’t even struggle against him. “Time for the rest of your punishment.”

Then he picked me up, and it was only then that I realised he’d uncuffed me from the wall. My arms and legs ached so much that all I could do was slump against him, a dead weight in his arms. I felt so fucking drained now, all the fight had gone out of me, and all I had left was hopelessness.

A tear spilled from my lashes and trickled down my cheek as he laid me on the top of the tomb, my hands uncomfortably bound behind my back, scraping against the rough stone beneath me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep, shuddering breath and prepared for the worst.

“Hey.”

My eyes flew open. That tone…I’d never heard it before.

“Where’s your fight?” He almost sounded disappointed.

“You took it all away,” I whispered.

He rubbed his hand across his face, muttering some words I didn’t catch, and then began to pace the room. When he whirled on me, I steeled myself. His hand wrapped around my throat, his lips almost touching mine. “Fight, or I’ll leave you here all night.”

“Fuck you,” I bit out, blinking back the tears that wanted to escape.

“Elena. I fucking mean it.” His grip tightened. “Fight back.”

Instead of replying, I closed my eyes again, swallowing around his grip.

He swore under his breath and then yanked me into a seated position. His arms went around me again, his hands going to my wrists, but this time, he removed the restraints. As soon as I was free, he moved to my ankles and undid those restraints too.

Opening my eyes again, I fell back on the cool, solid stone, stretching out my arms and legs, relief filling me at finally being able to move again.

“Now you can fight.” His voice came out as a low rasp. “Show me your fire.”

My hopelessness was replaced by burning anger as everything he’d done tonight flashed through my mind in vivid relief. He wanted fire? He was going to get it.

Launching myself up to his level, I threw my arms around his neck and pulled down as hard as I could.

He fell, an “oof” punching from his chest as my back hit the tombstone and his body slammed into mine. It hurt, but I barely noticed the pain. Without waiting for him to recover, I wrapped my legs around him and dug in with my heels, hoping that I managed to spear a part of him. As I did so, I grabbed handfuls of his hair and yanked, and his howl of rage was better than anything I could have hoped for.

“You fucking—” His head snapped back, and his deep brown eyes had darkened so much they were almost black. Fuck, he looked so hot like this, and I hated him even more for it.

“You wanted my fire,” I panted. “You’ve got it.”

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