a P

remain a passive tool, a living poultice for his pain. I nee

to the manor's vast back garden. I began to practice the basic

hment and the lingering effects of the poison I now knew I'd be

, you couldn't even

rus was standing there, dressed in black workout clothes, his h

rept up my neck. I felt like a

ronger?" he asked,

ared back at him, my jaw

nt defiance. A corner of his m

derground, opening into a space that looked like a high-security training center. There was a firing rang

of pride in his voice. "From now on, you will mee

o train me? The man who suspected I was

weak any Rogue could snap your neck. As my property, you need to have at lea

ty. The word stung, but I

," I

and-to-hand combat. He

ith contemptuous ease, twisted, and in a blur of motion, I

d, his breath ghosting over my e

ine in a shockingly intimate position. His chest was pre

k my hand, guiding my body through the motion of a punch, starting from the

uscles with every movement. When he spoke, the vibration of his chest

ivers running down my spine, to focus on the mechani

ected it with precise, hands-on adjustments. Under his guidance, I felt a dormant s

ually broke his hold. It was only for a second-he had me controlled again in

ssive," he said, his voice tight,

t a exhilarating sense of accomplishment. For the firs

esting pet. He was looking at me like... an equal. A prey that was proving to

to be warring with a raw, primal

stepped back, putting a de

curtly, turning his back on me an

y lips. His plan to control me through training seemed t