Chapter four: Bound by fire
451 Words
Eleanor’s breath felt trapped in her lungs. The walls of the car, the dark sky outside, even the man beside her—it all felt like a cage closing in.
You work for me. You do exactly as I say. And in return, I’ll keep you safe.
Safe.
That word was a cruel joke. Safety was a fantasy. A lie she had told herself over and over until it shattered in her hands.
She forced a laugh, sharp and bitter. “You think I’m just going to agree to this? Without knowing who you really are?”
The man beside her smiled, slow and deliberate, like he enjoyed this game. Like he knew she was already caught in his web.
“You can call me Lucian.”
The name settled in the air like smoke—dark, intoxicating, impossible to ignore.
Lucian.
It didn’t suit a normal man. It suited him.
A name that dripped with power. A name that tasted like sin.
Eleanor inhaled deeply, willing herself to focus. “Lucian what?”
“Just Lucian,” he said smoothly. “For now.”
She narrowed her eyes. Lies. All of it.
Lucian leaned closer, golden eyes glinting in the dim light. “You don’t have many choices, Eleanor.”
She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. “And if I refuse?”
Lucian exhaled, a sound almost like a laugh. Then, without warning, he reached into his jacket and pulled something out.
A photograph.
He flipped it toward her.
Eleanor’s heart stopped.
It was a picture of her. But not just her.
A woman stood beside her in the image. Lena.
Her sister.
Eleanor’s blood turned to ice. “You son of a—”
Lucian caught her wrist before she could move, his grip firm but not bruising. “Careful, sweetheart.”
Her vision blurred with fury. “If you touch her—”
“I won’t,” Lucian said smoothly. “As long as you don’t make me.”
Eleanor trembled, rage and terror crashing inside her like a storm.
Lena had nothing to do with this. She was innocent. Untouchable.
Or so Eleanor had thought.
Lucian released her wrist and leaned back, casual as ever. “Now, are you ready to listen?”
Eleanor forced herself to breathe, to push back the panic clawing at her throat. She had no leverage. No way out.
She was trapped.
With a man who knew her secrets. With a man who played games with lives.
She swallowed hard. “What do you want me to do?”
Lucian’s lips curved slightly. “That’s more like it.”
He lifted his hand and tapped twice on the glass
- Writer
