CHAPTER 10: YOU ARE MINE
1113 Words
DAPHNE
My heart stopped at his words.
You have no idea what price you've just named.
His words echoed in my ears like a curse. His breath was still hot against my ear, the darkness in his voice coiling around me tighter than his presence.
I had spoken without thinking. Offered myself like a fool. I thought it would move him, soften him, but instead, I had placed myself right inside his trap.
His silence was worse than his rage.
Slowly, he pulled back, and I dared to glance over my shoulders. His eyes, God…those eyes–dark as midninght, unreadable but burning. My lips quivered.
“What–what do you mean?” My voice cracked, small and broken.
Cassius tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all. It was dangerous–deadly. “You want them spared? Then you pay the cost, not with money, not with words. But with–” He paused, his gaze darkening. “Yourself.”
The words lodged at my throat, my chest tightening. Myself?
I shook my head instinctively, but he crouched slightly, so his gaze locked directly with mine. “You said it yourself. Nothing here is free. You stay under my roof, you eat my food, you breathe under my protection, I spare your parents,..…you pay.” His voice was calm, steady, each word digging into my chest.
My heart hammered as I swallowed hard. “How?” The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
His smile widened, cold and dangerous. “That's for me to decide. And for you to obey.”
My knees weakened, and Aunt Nancy's gasp filled the silence, but Cassius didn’t even spare her a glance. His burning gaze was trained on me alone.
Obey. The word felt like chains tightening around my throat.
“I..” I stuttered, but no words followed. What could I possibly say? That I was terrified? That I regretted my foolish mouth? That I would rather starve than give myself to him?
His voice cut through my thoughts. “So?..Do you still wish to pay the price? Or should I make the call–” He tapped his phone on the table lightly, the unspoken threat loud enough.
My eyes widened.“No!” I blurted, breath hitching. “No, don't.”
He leaned closer, hovering over me. “Then say it.” He murmured. “Say you’ll pay.”
I froze, trembling so hard that I thought my bones might break. My lips parted but refused a sound. Aunt Nancy eyes met mine, soft but disapproving.
“Say it..” He repeated, slower this time, his tone commanding.
My chest heaved, air escaping my lungs as I struggled to breathe well. “I'll pay.” The words finally slipped out my lips, barely audible.
The silence that followed was suffocating. His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes–satisfaction, maybe or something far more dangerous.
“Good girl.” His voice was a low rumble, dark approval lacing each word. “Then from this moment onward, your life belongs to me. Every breath, every step, and every choice. You don’t move without my permission. You don’t speak against my orders. You are mine.”
The final word crashed over me like a heavy stone.
Mine.
I blinked, tears threatening to spill again. My life–the only thing I had left–was no longer mine. I had traded one prison for another.
But at least….my family would be spared.
He straightened, his tall figure towering above me like a shadow I could never escape. His lips curved faintly as he whisphered. “Welcome to your new cage.”
And with that, he should have left, but he didn't.
Instead, he spun my chair around as he moved closer, his aura filling every breath I tried to take in. His hands came to rest on my shoulders, his fingers brushing my skin lightly.
My body stiffened.
“You've made your offer. Yourself! ” He began softly. “Now, you need to know what it really means.”
I shook beneath his grip, but I couldn't look away. His gaze pinned me like a dagger to the wall.
“But–” I tried to speak, but his hands pressed down harder, silencing me instantly.
“I'm not finished.” He growled as my lips sealed shut.
He leaned closer, his lips grazing my ear. “And when I want you,” he whisphered, his tone laced with poison mixed in honey. “You won't deny me.”
My eyes widened as air left my lungs in a rugged gasp. Heat rushed to my face, shame and terror twisting violently in my stomach.
“No–”
“Yes.” His interruption was sharp, final. His thumb trailed dangerously towards my collarbone, steady but firm. “That is the price you offered, Daphne.”
My name on his tongue felt like possession itself.
Tears stung my eyes, shame flooding my cheeks, but I couldn’t move. His presence caged me. My body betrayed me further, trembling not just in fear but in something I couldn’t name—something I hated myself for.
A sob clawed at my throat, but I swallowed it back, forcing myself to speak through trembling lips. “If I…If I obey, you will leave them alone?”
His eyes narrowed. For a moment, silence stretched between us. Then, slowly, his lips parted. “For as long as you keep your end of the bargain.”
I had no choice.
“I'll do it.” I mumbled. It took all willpower in me to force those words out.
His hand lifted to my cheek, brushing away a tear with shocking tenderness. His touch burned, leaving me more shaken than his threats.
“Good girl.” He murmured again, his voice low and approving.
I hated the sound. I hated the way my heart faltered, just by hearing it.
“From this day on, you are mine. Don't forget it.” He growled possesively.
Aunt Nancy gasped once more, and this time, he turned his gaze to her sharply. “Leave us–” He said calmly, leaving no room for opposition.
She shook her head, her eyes wet with tears as she clasped her palms together, ready to plead on my behalf. His cold gaze only narrowed at her as she swallowed hard. Finally, she bowed her head and slowly walked out, closing the heavy doors behind her with a loud thud that echoed louder than my own heartbeat.
Now, it was just him. And me.
- Writer
