Chapter 5 Dangerous Games

Sophia's dreams that night were jagged things half forgotten shadows of chains, soft lips burning her skin, and ocean blue eyes that watched her drown.

When she woke, her pulse was still a mess, the taste of that stolen kiss lingering like poison on her tongue. She touched her lips with shaking fingers, half-expecting to find bruises there.

You'll never run far enough to escape me.

Ethan's words echoed in her bones, vibrating through her veins with every heartbeat. He hadn't cuffed her to the bed again that alone was proof of something. Maybe trust. Maybe arrogance. Maybe he knew the cage was no longer metal but him.

Sophia sat up and forced her mind to clear. She wouldn't let that kiss mean more than it was: a power play. A reminder that her body didn't belong to her anymore that it never had.

But as she looked out at the dawn spilling across the rose gardens, something reckless sparked in her chest. She would not be the obedient doll he wanted. She'd survived the Stones. She'd survived being sold like cattle. She could survive him, too.

And if she had to bleed him from the inside out to win her freedom so be it.

Downstairs, the estate was strangely quiet. No sign of Ethan's guards lurking in the hallways, though she knew they watched. Always watched.

She found Lucas sprawled on the oversized couch in the living room, barefoot, hair a glorious mess. He was flicking through some mindless show on the huge flat screen, a plate of croissants balanced on his stomach.

Sophia crossed her arms, fighting a smile. "Is this your idea of security detail?"

Lucas jumped, nearly sending his breakfast flying. When he saw her, his grin bloomed - the kind that could warm even the coldest corner of her chest.

"Red! To what do I owe this honor? Come to join my noble quest of binge eating carbs?"

Sophia padded over and plopped down beside him, stealing a piece of croissant. "You're supposed to be guarding me."

Lucas leaned in, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Newsflash, butterfly you don't need guarding from me. Ethan, on the other hand"

Sophia's pulse skipped. She hated that Lucas could read her that easily that he knew exactly which name would twist her heart in ways she didn't want to admit.

"Don't start," she said, popping the croissant into her mouth. "I'm not talking about him."

Lucas tilted his head, eyes soft but sharp beneath his lashes. "He's not all ice, you know."

She shot him a flat look. "You two really need to get your stories straight. One day you're telling me to run, the next you're defending him."

Lucas barked a soft laugh, pushing his hair back from his eyes. "What can I say? I'm complex."

Sophia rolled her eyes, but the knot in her chest loosened. Lucas had that effect on her - like sunlight cracking through heavy clouds.

She studied him for a moment, tracing the faint lines of worry etched into the corners of his boyish smile. "Why do you care so much?"

His lashes lowered. "About what?"

"About me," she said softly. "You don't even know me."

Lucas was silent for a heartbeat. Then he reached out, brushing a stray crumb from her lip. His touch was feather light, but it made her breath catch all the same.

"Maybe I see someone worth caring about," he said. "Someone who doesn't deserve to be chained to my brother's monsters."

Sophia's throat tightened. She wanted to believe him she really did. But she'd learned the hard way that kindness always came with chains of its own.

Later, she found herself alone in the east wing, sketchbook tucked under her arm. She needed space needed air that didn't taste like Lucas's sweetness or Ethan's possessive fire.

She found it in the old library, a cavernous room that smelled of leather and secrets. She settled on the window seat, curling her legs beneath her as she let the pencil fly over the page.

She drew him. She hated herself for it, but she did.

Ethan's eyes, stormy and cold. His mouth, cruel but heartbreakingly beautiful. The scar on his jaw. The hands that caged her, protected her, ruined her.

She didn't notice the door open. Didn't notice the soft click of footsteps on the marble floor.

"What are you drawing?"

His voice was soft this time. Too soft.

Sophia's head snapped up. Ethan stood there, one hand braced on the tall bookshelf beside him. His sleeves were rolled up, suit jacket draped over his arm. There was a faint smear of blood on the cuff of his white shirt.

Sophia's gaze locked on the stain, her pulse jumping. "Is that"

"Not yours," he said flatly. He set the jacket down, moving closer.

She snapped the sketchbook shut, hugging it to her chest like a shield.

"Show me."

"No."

His eyes darkened. He crossed the room in two strides, grabbing the book from her grip before she could stop him. He flipped it open page after page of flowers, the sunroom, Lucas's lopsided grin until he found himself staring back at him from graphite lines.

Ethan's jaw ticked. "You drew me."

Sophia's cheeks burned. "I draw things that make me angry."

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips bitter, dangerous. "I make you angry?"

"Infuriated."

He dropped the sketchbook on the windowsill and leaned in, bracing one hand on either side of her. The window behind her pressed cold against her spine.

"Then draw more," he murmured, his mouth inches from hers. "Draw until you bleed the anger dry."

Sophia's breath tangled in her throat. He smelled of leather and rain and something darker something that made her thighs press together under her thin lounge pants.

"Why?" she rasped.

Ethan's gaze dipped to her mouth, then back to her eyes. "Because I'd rather have your rage than your silence."

She hated him for that for knowing her so well. For seeing the jagged edges no one else did.

Her fingers curled into his shirtfront, tugging him closer until their lips hovered, a heartbeat from ruin.

"Careful," she whispered. "One day, you'll wish you'd never chained me."

Ethan's eyes flashed. He dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers a ghost of a kiss, a promise of a thousand more.

"Good," he murmured. "Then you'll be exactly like me."

He claimed her mouth then, hot and demanding. Sophia arched into him, one hand fisting in his hair, nails scraping his scalp. He swallowed her gasp, his tongue teasing the seam of her lips until she opened for him.

It was fire and chains all at once a kiss that made her want to tear at his clothes, claw her way into his chest, burn him from the inside out.

When he pulled back, his eyes were blown wide, pupils dilated like a predator who'd tasted blood.

"You'll never leave me," he said, like a promise and a curse.

Sophia forced a mocking smile, even as her legs threatened to give out. "Watch me."