She held up a hand like a stop sign. "Look. I need time. Time to think about... all this."
Her voice had steadied, but her pupils were still dilated. I wasn't going to push her yet. I'd play the long game. I'd burn the whole world down for her, but I'd give her space first.
So instead of pressing my body against hers and letting all this tension erupt into something that could only birth moans and sensational sweat mixing, I bent to meet her height and brushed my lips against her cheek.
She gasped yet again, but she didn't protest. No, she froze like the world had stopped again, and for a second, all she could hear was the whisper of my breath.
"Go take a bath," I murmured against her skin.
Her eyes flew to mine.
"I'll have your closet filled," I said, stepping back before I lost my fucking mind. "Silk. Satin. Cocktail gowns. Dresses. Skirts. Jeans. Jewels. All fitting for a Luna."
She looked confused. Beautifully confused.
I walked toward the door, shaking out my shoulders as if I hadn't just restrained every primal instinct in my body. My cock was already the synonym of a rock hard fireman pole, and it was excruciating fighting back the pressure bulging and threatening to tear through the fabric of my pants.
"I'll also be sending your personal maid," I added, pausing with my hand on the doorknob. "She'll get you cleaned up, dressed, and explain how to survive this hellhole."
"Hey, what's a Luna?" she called after me.
I glanced back, smirking. "You."
Her eyes went round.
"A Luna is you. Congratulations. Promotion effective immediately. No HR paperwork required." I finished with a wink, reveling in being her pain in the ass.
And then I laughed and stepped out into the hall. In this cursed mansion, I was always on my guard. However, women were weaknesses. Especially the ones with a god body like Rose.
Too caught up in the causality of the moment, I had lowered my guard. Because waiting for me outside, arms crossed, jaw tight, and eyes like a pair of divine death sentences… was Ciro.
Before I could even get a grip, his hand shot out, grabbed me by the collar, and slammed me against the wall hard enough to make my teeth rattle.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, you filthy son of a whore?!" he growled, face inches from mine.
I blinked innocently, letting my head flounder a little against the marble. I tasted blood in my mouth. Might've bit my cheek. Eh.
"Doing? What do you mean, Ciro?" I asked sweetly, blinking like a stupid puppy. "Is this about your guard? The one whose jaw I ruined last week? I swear I had no idea that…"
"Don't you dare! Don't play dumb with me." He growled, slamming me back again. My spine sang.
Ah. So we were skipping the passive-aggressive dance today. Good. I was in no mood for samba.
"Are you talking about the human?" I asked slowly, cocking my head like I needed confirmation. "The one I bought for a small fortune. You know—the pretty one with the perfect hips and the mouth made for moaning?"
His whole body snapped taut.
"The one I fully intend to fuck day in and day out until she's carrying a litter?"
The short tempered son of a bitch punched me faster than a lightning strike.
My head whipped sideways as his fist cracked across my jaw. There was the taste of metal again, flooding my mouth like a rude guest. I let out a low chuckle, flexing my jaw as the pain pulsed. I spit out blood onto the floor between us.
"If you do that again, Ciro, hundreds of souls will pay for it."
"She's mine," Ciro snarled, grabbing me by the front of my shirt again. "You knew. Don't pretend you didn't. You bought her just to spite me."
"Oh, wow. You wound me. You think I'd go through all that effort, risk my reputation, blow that much cash, threaten an entire convent of holy whores—just to hurt your pretty little feelings?"
"Yes!" he roared, the veins in his neck bulging like they were trying to escape.
"You son of a bitch! You're insane if you think I'm going to sit here and watch you paw at my mate!"
I tilted my head again and let out a fake gasp. "Wait—Rose is your mate?" I widened my eyes dramatically. "Ciro, I had no idea. None. Zip. Nada. Wow. You should've told me. We could've thrown her a Luna gala."
His fist came up again, but I caught it this time. My fingers curled around his wrist like iron. He tried to shove me off, but I was stronger. Always had been. He was the golden son, the prince, the polished blade. I was the blunt weapon forged in the dark.
"Cut the crap! You know. You've always known. You hate me so damn much you bought her just to break me."
I gave a sharp intake of breath. Oh, yes. There it was. That delicious little ache that came with long-buried rage finally stretching its limbs.
"You think this…" I gestured toward the room behind me with my chin, "…is about you? Oh, Ciro. You perfect little angel. Everything's always about you, isn't it?"
I threw his hand off aggressively, and he winced, rubbing it. "Let her go. Don't drag her into our war."
That? That pissed me off. I didn't even feel my hands move.
One second, I was about to walk away, and the next, he was on the ground, flat on his back, wind knocked out of his lungs as I loomed over him. My boot pinned his chest to the cold marble. My breath came hard like I'd finally stopped pretending.
Because I had.
I crouched down until our faces were inches apart. "Let her go where, Ciro? Hmm? Want me to let her go? Let her go where, brother? Back to the fucking convent you helped toss her in? Sixteen to twenty—you took four years of her life away! Stripped her of the dignity of growing and maturing like girls her age!"
That crazy egocentric bastard, I'm going to kill him if he ever steps into my wing again.