Owned by the Enemy

Bound by his Rules

Chapter 6: Bound by His Rules

ELISA

The air in the hallway was colder than the living room, but Alessio’s presence burned hotter than fire beside me.

He didn’t say a word as we climbed the stairs, and that silence was worse than his sharpest threats.

Every step reminded me of the last time I’d been upstairs — the golden cage he called “our room,” the heavy door that locked from the outside, the intoxicating mix of safety and captivity.

I wanted to hate it. I should hate it.

But there was a twisted part of me that felt something else.

We reached the door. He unlocked it without hesitation and stepped aside for me to enter first.

“Inside.”

I crossed my arms. “What if I say no?”

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes darkening. “Then I carry you inside, and I promise you won’t like how I do it.”

I hated that my pulse betrayed me, hammering at the threat.

With a sharp exhale, I walked in.

The door clicked shut behind me.

---

ALESSIO

She was baiting me. She knew exactly how far she could push — and she loved to dance right on the edge of that line.

That was the thing about Elisa… her defiance wasn’t just rebellion. It was a dare.

I let her take a few steps toward the bed before I spoke.

“Take off the earrings.”

She froze, her hand instinctively going to the small gold hoops she’d worn tonight. “Why?”

“Because another man saw you in them,” I said simply, “and I don’t like my things seen by other men.”

Her laugh was soft, incredulous. “Your things?”

“Yes.” I closed the distance between us. “You.”

---

ELISA

My breath caught before I could stop it.

The way he said it — without hesitation, without apology — sent a dangerous warmth crawling up my neck.

“You don’t own me, Alessio.”

He smiled faintly, like I’d told a child there was no such thing as monsters under the bed.

“I don’t?” His voice was low, almost gentle. “Then walk out the door.”

I turned toward it. My feet… didn’t move.

And he knew it.

---

The Game

Alessio stepped closer until my back was almost against the wall.

He reached up slowly, deliberately, and unhooked one earring, letting it drop into his palm. Then the other.

“Better,” he murmured. “Now you’re only mine tonight.”

I wanted to tell him I hated his arrogance, his possessiveness.

But the truth was… a part of me was drowning in it.

---

ALESSIO

She didn’t understand — or maybe she did — that in my world, possession wasn’t weakness. It was survival.

And Elisa had no idea how many eyes were already on her.

Enemies didn’t just want me dead; they wanted the people I couldn’t afford to lose.

I wasn’t going to let her become one of those names.

Even if it meant keeping her exactly where she didn’t want to be.

---

ELISA

“You’re impossible,” I whispered.

“And you’re staying,” he replied, brushing past me to lock the door.

The sound of that lock clicking was the loudest thing in the room.

And in that moment, I realized I wasn’t sure whether I wanted the key… or wanted him to keep it forever.