Page 13 of Tyrant (The Villetti Chronicles)

“I want you to be a good girl for me, but don’t think that means I won’t punish you when you fail. I have many ways to make you wish you behaved. You won’t enjoy them… but I will.”

“You know I’m going to fail,” I whispered.

He leant closer.

“I do, my sweet little fairy.”

For a moment, he did nothing but watch me attempt to compose myself. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, trying not to voice all the words rattling around in my brain. The thoughts telling me to rebel. To earn a punishment to see how bad they’d be. To see if I could endure them rather than obey this man I’d signed myself over to.

“Are those all the rules?”

He nodded slowly, releasing me again before he stood, cracking his neck in the process. His gaze fell on me again.

“Now, I want to know about your diet. What do you eat for breakfast?”

The sudden change in conversation had me frowning.

“What?”

“Breakfast, Arianna. You need to eat.”

I licked my lips before responding.

“Tea and toast. Don’t usually have time for anything else.”

I could tell it displeased him by the tiny furrow that appeared on his brow.

“Stay here.”

He left the room. I stared after him, wondering where he was going and what he was doing. Then I looked down at my lap, trying to convince myself this would be okay. His rules weren’t that bad… were they? I didn’t like the whole “getting his permission to talk to people” thing. It grated on my nerves, but I could do as he’d told me. It wouldn’t be difficult. At least, I hoped not.

Zayn appeared back in the office ten minutes later. His smile indicated he was pleased I’d stayed, but it dropped almost immediately.

“Come.”

I rose to my feet and followed after him. The kitchen at the back of the house was huge with light granite worktops and white wood doors on the cupboards. To the left was a dining area with a light wooden table. A place was set with a plate of eggs and toast, along with a pot of tea. Zayn walked right over to it, pulled out the chair, and sat down. He patted his leg a second later.

I hesitated in the doorway.

He wants me to sit in his lap? What the…

“Arianna.”

The stern note of his voice had me shivering and my feet moving towards him. I gingerly sat on his leg, allowing him to adjust me into the position he wanted.

“I expect you to eat everything I give you. You may start.”

He wrapped one hand around my waist, holding his phone in the other. I choked back a squeak when his palm flattened over my stomach. His touch was so casual as if it meant nothing to him, but this was new for me. To havehimbe the one laying his hands on my body in any capacity was blurring the lines between what we were before last night and now.

Zayn had kept me at a distance. Always polite whenever I was in his company. He was an intimidating person, but he never truly scared me. Maybe because he hadn’t given me the impression he might hurt me. Now he had me in his grasp, I didn’t know how to react. Especially not when he nudged my shoulder with his free hand, telling me to eat what he’d given me without words.

I leant forward, grabbed the teapot and smiled to myself as I poured it into the mug. After dumping in two sugars, I stirred the liquid and added milk. Then I took a sip, letting out a sigh of pleasure. Zayn’s hand around my stomach tightened at the sound. I ignored it as I set the mug down and started on the food. It didn’t take me long to demolish the plate, having not realised how hungry I’d been.

With the mug in my hands, I sat back against his chest and sipped. What I didn’t expect was for him to lean his cheek against my hair as he continued fiddling with his phone.

“Good girl,” he murmured.

I shivered at the praise, not knowing what to make of the butterflies swirling in my stomach.

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