Chapter Six – The Devil’s Leash
1012 Words
I should have known there was no escaping him.
Leo isn’t the kind of man you run from. He’s the kind that haunts you, that owns you the second he decides you belong to him.
And tonight, he reminds me exactly why.
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The door slams behind me, the sound like a final nail in my coffin.
I don’t even get the chance to process before I’m thrown forward. My knees slam against the cold marble of Leo’s bedroom floor, a sharp pain shooting up my legs.
I barely manage to lift my head before I hear it—
A slow, measured set of footsteps approaching from behind me.
I know who it is before I even turn.
Leo.
His presence is suffocating, the weight of it pressing against my spine like an invisible leash, dragging me into submission.
"That was quite the little scene you caused back there," he muses, his tone almost amused. Almost.
I don’t respond. My breath is unsteady, my body still trembling from the fight.
Leo moves closer, and I feel the heat of him before his fingers trail over my shoulder, slow, deliberate.
“Matteo,” I whisper.
Leo chuckles darkly, crouching in front of me. His fingers find my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“Still thinking about my brother?” His voice is deceptively soft. “How sweet.”
I glare at him, but my defiance only seems to amuse him more.
“Don’t worry,” he murmurs. “He’s still alive. For now.”
A shiver runs through me.
Leo’s gaze flickers down my body, his grip on my chin tightening just slightly. His thumb brushes over my lower lip, and I flinch.
His smirk widens.
“You’re shaking, little dove.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I hate that he sees it.
“You can fight me all you want,” he murmurs, voice dropping to something almost tender. “But in the end, you’ll always come back to me.”
I force myself to breathe. “You think you own me?”
Leo tilts his head, pretending to think. “Not yet.” His fingers trail down my throat, slow, as if memorizing the way my pulse hammers beneath his touch. “But we’ll get there.”
My stomach twists. “I’ll never be yours.”
Leo exhales, as if he finds my resistance adorable.
Then he stands, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“You seem so sure,” he muses, dialing a number. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”
I frown, my heartbeat picking up. “What are you doing?”
Leo doesn’t answer. The line rings once—twice—then someone picks up.
A muffled voice comes through the speaker. A familiar voice.
My sister.
My breath catches.
Leo’s smirk is razor-sharp. He watches me, drinking in every flicker of emotion on my face.
“Say hello, sweetheart.” His voice is gentle, taunting.
My body goes rigid.
“Ellie?” My voice comes out as a whisper, raw and desperate.
My sister’s breath stutters through the phone. “W-what’s going on?” she murmurs, her voice shaking. “Where are you? Who is this?”
Leo presses the phone closer to my ear, his free hand brushing my hair back in a sick parody of affection.
“I told you,” he whispers. “You’re mine.”
Terror grips me. My vision blurs. My whole world shatters.
I shake my head, voice breaking. “Leo, please—”
He hums. “So polite, all of a sudden.”
He pulls the phone away, turning his attention back to the call. “Ellie, was it?” His voice is mockingly pleasant. “I have to say, your sister has been a very bad girl.”
Ellie gasps. “Who the hell are you?”
Leo ignores her. His gaze is locked onto me, predatory and knowing.
“Now, I don’t usually let disobedience go unpunished,” he continues, his tone so calm it makes my stomach turn. “But I’m a fair man, so I’ll give her a choice.”
His fingers trail down my arm, slow, possessive.
My breath hitches.
Leo smiles.
“Tell me, little dove.” His voice is a whisper, just for me. “Do you still want to leave?”
A lump forms in my throat.
I barely manage to shake my head. “Leo, please, don’t—”
His thumb presses against my pulse, feeling the rapid beat beneath his touch. “One word,” he murmurs. “And she’s safe.”
Tears burn my eyes.
Leo’s gaze darkens. “Say it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. My whole body trembles.
I have no choice.
I open my mouth—
And the word destroys me.
“…Yours.”
The second the word leaves my lips, I know I’m done for.
Leo hums, satisfied. He pulls the phone back up to his ear.
“Ellie,” he purrs. “Your sister just made the right choice.”
Her voice is small, scared. “What did you do to her?”
Leo chuckles, slipping the phone back into his pocket. “Oh, nothing yet.” His hand cups my jaw, forcing my tear-streaked face up toward him. “But soon, she’ll come to love me for it.”
I tremble beneath his touch.
Leo’s thumb brushes my lip, his gaze flickering between my mouth and my eyes. He leans in, his breath warm against my cheek.
I go still.
“Good girl,” he murmurs.
Then he kisses me.
It’s not soft. It’s not sweet. It’s ownership.
By the time he pulls away, I’m gasping for air, my whole body betraying me. My lips sting. My heart shatters.
Leo watches me, his smirk slow and victorious.
“No chains,” he murmurs, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “And yet, you’ll never leave.”
I hate that he’s right.
Because with Ellie in his hands—
Leo Moretti just became my entire world.
- Writer
