Beneath The Gun

Chapter Five

Noah woke up to the taste of regret. His lips still tingled from Viktor's kiss rough, searing, full of something twisted and hungry. He rolled onto his side, heart thudding. The room was too quiet, too expensive, too unfamiliar. Just like everything Viktor touched. Cold luxury. His stomach twisted. What the hell had he done? The memories came in flashes: the confrontation in the study, the truth about his parents, Viktor's confession-and then the kiss. He'd been the one to initiate it, hadn't he? He was the one who leaned in. Like some desperate i***t starving for the man who had destroyed his world. Noah sat up and let out a hollow, bitter laugh.

Kissing Viktor Mikhailov felt like spitting on his mother's grave.

Downstairs, Viktor stood in the kitchen, dressed in black, sleeves rolled up. He moved quietly, pouring coffee like it was just another morning. But he felt it the shift. The storm building in the walls of his house. Noah entered slowly, not saying a word. He looked different. Distant. The softness from the night before was gone. His jaw was tight. His eyes guarded. "You didn't sleep," Viktor said. Noah ignored the statement. "I want to leave." Viktor didn't flinch. "That's not happening." "I didn't ask for permission." "I don't give it." Noah's lips curved into a cold smile. "That kiss meant nothing. It was a mistake." Viktor's eyes darkened. "You didn't treat it like a mistake last night." "I was confused. Angry. And maybe I needed to feel something anything to block out what you told me. But it's over." Noah turned toward the door. Viktor moved faster than Noah expected.

He grabbed his arm not rough, but firm. Unyielding. "You're not leaving." Noah yanked his arm free. "You don't own me." "I do now." The silence that followed that statement wasn't just thick it was poisonous. Noah stared at him, stunned. "Is that what this is? Possession? Am I just another trophy on your shelf of sins?" Viktor's expression remained calm, but his voice dropped dangerously low. "You think this is a game, Noah? That I'll let you walk out and live a quiet little life again?" Noah's eyes narrowed. "I'd rather die than stay here with you." Viktor's mask cracked just slightly. "Don't say that." "Why not? Because it hurts your pride?" Noah snapped. "You killed my parents. You watched me from a distance like some sick guardian demon, then you kissed me like none of that mattered." "I didn't mean for it to happen like this" "Bullshit!" Noah's voice rose. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You wanted to control me. Keep me close. You made me feel something for the same man who ruined everything." Viktor stared at him with a look Noah couldn't name. Not anger. Not sadness. Something colder. More dangerous. "You won't leave," Viktor repeated. "Watch me." Noah turned again but this time, Viktor stepped in front of the door, blocking his way completely. "Then I'll make you stay." Noah's heart pounded, but he didn't back down. "You going to kill me like you killed them?" "No," Viktor said quietly. "You don't get to die. Not yet. Not until I decide you're mine." And then he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and dropped it on the table. Noah froze. "What is that?" Viktor opened the box. Inside was a ring. Simple. Elegant. And wrong in every possible way. "A proposal," he said darkly. "You want freedom? You want to walk away from this house? Fine. But only if you marry me first." Noah blinked, stunned. "You're insane." Viktor's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Probably. But at least I'm honest." "I'm not marrying you." "You will." "You killed my family, Viktor." "And I'm offering you a way to survive what comes next," Viktor said, stepping closer. "You think those men in the alley were the last? You think no one noticed I've been keeping you alive all these years? There's a price on your head now. They know you're important to me. That makes you a target." Noah backed away. "Then let me go and deal with them myself." "You wouldn't last a week." "I'd rather die free than live caged." Viktor's voice turned ice. "Then I'll break your legs and lock you in a room until you agree." Noah's mouth parted, disbelief washing over him. "You're serious." Viktor stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Dead serious. I gave you a chance, Noah. I let you yell. I let you hate me. I even let you pretend the kiss was a mistake. But now I'm done pretending." He grabbed Noah's wrist again, this time tighter, pulling him close until their faces were inches apart. "You want to fight me? Fight me. You want to hate me? Do it every damn day. But you're going to do it here. With me. Wearing my ring." Noah wrenched free, fury in his voice. "I will never belong to you." "Too late," Viktor growled. "You already do."

For the next three days, Noah barely spoke. He refused the ring. Refused the proposal. Refused to sleep in the master suite Viktor offered. But Viktor didn't back down. He kept the ring on the table, like a silent threat. Like a promise carved in blood. He moved through the house like a predator, silent and watchful. Every time Noah passed him, he felt his skin burn. Not from fear something worse. Want. And he hated it. Hated himself for it. He began to test the boundaries sneaking toward exits, trying doors, looking for weaknesses in the penthouse's security. Viktor always caught him. Every time. "I can't breathe in here," Noah said one night, pacing in the hallway.

"Then suffocate," Viktor replied. Noah shoved him. "You're disgusting." Viktor didn't move. "And you're addicted." "I'm not!"

Viktor grabbed him by the throat not too tight enough to choke, just enough to dominate. "You kissed me like you needed it to survive." "That was a mistake," Noah hissed, tears in his eyes. "Then make another one." Their faces were close again. Too close. But this time, Noah turned away. "No. You don't get to use my pain to control me."

Viktor released him slowly, eyes never leaving his face. "Then marry me." "Why? So I can sleep in a golden cage while you keep lying to me?" "Because it's the only way you'll survive." Noah's breath caught. Because deep down, he knew Viktor was right.