Scars and shadows

The gunfire has stopped, but the silence that follows is somehow worse. I grip the gun tighter, my palms sweaty against the cold metal. The desk offers little protection, and every shadow makes my heart race.

A scream echoes through the building, followed by what sounds like begging. Then comes Ren's voice, cold and clear: "Cut off his fingers. One by one."

More screaming. I feel bile rise in my throat, but something else too .. a desperate determination. This is my chance. While they're distracted, I can escape.

I ease toward the door, gun still ready. The handle turns smoothly, and I slip into the hallway. The screams are louder here, coming from somewhere below. I move in the opposite direction, remembering the layout from when they brought me in.

"Going somewhere, little mouse?"

Victoria's voice freezes me in place. She stands at the end of the hallway, blood splattered across her black dress like abstract art. There's a wild gleam in her eyes that wasn't there before.

"I need air," I lie, trying to keep my voice steady.

She laughs, the sound sharp and unhinged. "Oh, you need more than that. You need a miracle." She starts walking toward me, her heels clicking on the marble floor.

Another scream from below makes me jump. Victoria doesn't even blink.

"You don't understand what my brother is," she says, her voice almost gentle. "What we are. We were born in blood, little Elena."

My back hits a wall.

Victoria is still advancing.

A door opens somewhere, and I hear footsteps. Victoria's smile turns predatory.

"Run," she whispers. "It's more fun when they run."

I bolt, my bare feet silent on the floor. Behind me, Victoria's laughter echoes off the walls. I take corners randomly, trying to find stairs, an elevator, anything.

My lungs burn, and the gun feels heavier with each step.

I round another corner and slam straight into a hard chest. Strong hands grip my arms, and I look up into Ren's ice,blue eyes. Blood stains his white shirt, and there's a fresh cut on his cheek.

"Elena," he says my name like a prayer and a curse combined. "Leaving so soon?"

I try to break free, but his grip is iron. He towers over me, his frame making me feel tiny in comparison. There's blood on his hands ..fresh blood .. and his short blonde hair is messed up like he's been running his fingers through it.

"Please," I whisper, hating how weak I sound. "Just let me go."

He pulls me closer, one hand moving to grip my hair. "No" he growls.

"I saved your life," I remind him, finding a spark of defiance. "You owe me."

His laugh is dark and cruel. "Is that what you think? That saving me gives you power over me?" His grip tightens painfully. "Let me explain something, Elena. I own everything in this city. Including you."

Ren starts dragging me down the hallway, ignoring my struggles. We pass doors marked with numbers until we reach one at the end.

Inside is a bedroom, luxurious but sparse. The wall of windows shows the city sprawling below us, lights twinkling like stars.

Ren throws me onto the bed, then locks the door. When he turns back to me, there's something different in his eyes – something hungry and dangerous.

"Strip," he commands.

"What? No!"

He unbuttons his bloody shirt slowly, revealing a torso marked with scars. Some are surgical, precise lines. Others are messy, angry things that speak of torture and pain.

He lets the shirt fall. "Here I am, Elena. The monster you saved."

He stalks toward the bed, and I scramble backward until I hit the headboard. He moves like a predator, all controlled power and lethal grace.

"You're afraid," he observes, reaching for me. "Good."

His hand slides up my leg, he grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. " why did you save me? Why haven't you used that gun you're still holding?"

I look down, suddenly remembering the weapon in my hand. Before I can raise it, he snatches it away, tossing it aside.

"You had your chance," he says, pushing me down onto the mattress. "Now you'll learn what it means to belong to me."

My hands trace his scars as his teeth mark my neck.

He pulls back, his blue eyes almost black with desire and rage.

I'm alone with a monster,

His weight pins me to the mattress, his hands possessive and demanding.

But a knock at the door interrupts us.

"What?" Ren snarls, his grip on my wrists tightening.

"Sir," Max's voice comes through. "The Kazanov situation is escalating. They've taken the shipyard."

Ren's eyes darken with rage.

He looks down at me, seeming to make a decision. "Prepare the helicopter. And call ahead to the estate."

"Yes, sir."

Ren rises smoothly, pulling me up with him. "Change of plans, little dove. We're going somewhere more... private."

"What? No, I.." My protest is cut off by his hand around my throat.

"That wasn't a request." His thumb caresses my pulse point. "I've indulged your defiance long enough. It's time you learned your place."

He hold my hand tightly as we went through the building to a waiting helicopter on the roof. Victoria stands by the door, that wild gleam still in her eyes.

"Taking her to the mansion?" she asks, smirking.

"Handle things here," Ren commands.

Victoria's smile turns feral. "With pleasure, brother." She leans close to me, whispering, "Have fun in the woods, little mouse."

The helicopter ride is a blur of city lights fading into darkness. Ren keeps me pressed against him, one hand stroking my thigh while he makes calls about business matters .. casual discussions about territory and revenge that make my blood run cold.

When we land, I'm struck by the sheer size of the mansion. It looms against the starlit sky, all shadowed windows. The surrounding woods are dense and dark, promising no escape.

"Welcome home," Ren says, his voice rich with dark promise. He lifts me into his arms from the helicopter.

The interior is all marble and mahogany, old money and power in every detail. Ren carries me up a grand staircase, past priceless artwork and antiques.

The walls seem to hold secrets, and I swear I can hear screams echoing from somewhere deep below.

"This place has been in my family for generations," he explains, his voice casual as if he's not holding me captive. "After I escaped, I spent years making it mine."

He looks down at me, his blue eyes glinting.

"You're insane," I whisper.

"No, I'm practical." He kicks open a door, revealing a luxurious bedroom.

"This is where you'll sleep." He drops me onto a massive four poster bed.

He straightens up, moving toward the door. "Get some rest. It was a long day."

The door locks behind him, leaving me alone.

Through the windows, I can see nothing but trees and darkness. The bed is the softest I've ever felt, the room more luxurious than anything I've known in my waitressing life.

But as I curl up in the middle of the massive bed, I know the truth .. I'm not a guest here.

I'm a possession. And Ren Valenti, the scarred, beautiful monster who claims to own me, is going to break me or remake me into something as dark as he is.

I tried to open the door, find any way to escape, for almost two hours i spent it trying to break free .. but it was no use.

I sat next to the big bed, hugging myself until my eyes slowly shut close.