RUTHLESS POSSESSION

CHAPTER 9

Killian set me down gently onto the massive king-sized bed, the plush mattress giving way beneath my exhausted frame. The heavy silk sheets felt cool against my flushed skin, a stark contrast to the burning heat that still lingered between my thighs.

He didn't immediately join me. Instead, he stood at the foot of the bed, wearing only a low-slung pair of dark sweatpants, his broad chest bare and dripping with stray droplets of water. The dim light from the city skyline filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting sharp shadows over the defined lines of his body and the faint, jagged scars carved into his ribs.

"Rest, Elena," he said, his baritone voice quiet, carrying a rare thread of gentleness beneath its usual steel.

"I don't want to sleep," I whispered, sitting up slightly, pulling the thick duvet around my chest. "If I close my eyes, it feels like I'll wake up back in that cramped apartment, waiting for her to sell me off again."

Killian moved with silent, predatory grace, climbing onto the bed and pulling me against his side. His arm wrapped around my waist like an iron band, tucking my head directly beneath his chin. The broad warmth of his chest rose and fell in a steady, reassuring rhythm against my cheek.

"That life died tonight," Killian growled softly, his fingers threading through my damp hair, massaging my scalp with slow, possessive strokes. "No one takes what belongs to Killian Vance. Not the syndicates, not the loan sharks, and certainly not your mother."

A quiet knock echoed at the heavy bedroom door. Killian didn't shift an inch, keeping me securely pinned under his weight.

"Speak," he barked toward the entrance.

Viktor’s voice came through the thick wood, muffled but clear. "Boss. We tracked her mother's location. She tried to catch a red-eye flight out of the city using the cash she thought cleared her debt. We have her at the safe house."

I froze, my heart giving a sudden, sharp thud against my ribs.

Killian felt the tension ripple through my body. His grip on my waist tightened, his thumb stroking the bare skin of my hip beneath the sheets.

"What do you want to do with her, Elena?" Killian murmured against my crown, leaving the choice entirely in my hands for the first time in my life. "Say the word, and I'll make sure she disappears permanently."

I stared into the shadows of the room, feeling the shift of power settling deep into my marrow. For twenty one years, I had been the victim. Now, I had the deadliest man in the city waiting on my command.

"Don't kill her," I said, my voice cold, sharp, and steady. "Not yet. I want her to see who I became first."

A dark, low chuckle reverberated through Killian's chest. He leaned down, pressing a hard, lingering kiss to my temple.

"That's my girl," he whispered.