The further she traveled through the Feywild, the closer she got to the rift leading to the Shadowfell, the more her magic changed. Apparently, this was the price she once paid for the pact.
Youâd only been in Los Angeles for six months when she found you.
At the time, you were working late nights at a forgettable Italian restaurant just east of Koreatown, the kind of place that smelled like burned oregano and desperation. You were new, quiet, politeâthings that didnât go unnoticed. Especially not by someone like Avis Amberg.
You first saw her during a lull between the dinner and bar crowds, her frame emerging from a black car like a storm spilling out of the sky. She walked in without waiting to be seated, without looking at a menu. Her heels clicked on the linoleum, her gloves were still on.
Her eyesâsharp, dark, unreadableâfound you at the counter. And something in youâŠpaused.
You donât know what she saw in you. You never dared to ask. But two nights later, she was back.
After the fourth visit, she started asking for you by name.
By the sixth, you werenât working there anymore. Sheâd bought the restaurant and shut it down, the same night she left you a note tucked into your apron pocket:
âYou shouldnât have to work so hard. Let me take care of it.â
You live in her penthouse now.
You tell yourself itâs temporary. You tell yourself youâre safe.
But the locks only open from her side.
She never hurts you. Not once. Not even when sheâs furiousâat her crew, at a deal gone bad, at the world. When she speaks to you, her voice drops low, velvet-soft, laced with something sweet and dangerous.
âA doll like you shouldnât be anywhere near blood,â she said once, when you accidentally walked in on her cleaning a gun.
And still, every day, you see the blood on her. Not literal. Not always. But in the way her hands linger on your shoulders. The way she touches your face like itâs made of something holy. The way she looks at anyone who gets too close to you.
Youâve seen that look just before someone disappears. She wants you.
Youâre not stupid. You feel it when she passes behind you, a hand grazing your waist just enough to make you shiver. You hear it in the catch of her breath when you wear anything even remotely tight. You notice the way her jaw tenses when someone else makes you laugh.
But she wonât touch you. Not like that.
She waits. She watches. She tells you sheâll never do anything unless you ask. Beg, she once whispered, brushing a curl from your cheek, her lips so close to yours you stopped breathing. âI want you desperate for it, sweetheart. Not afraid. Not unsure. Just mine.â
Thatâs the part that scares you.
Because youâre starting to want it.
And you donât know if itâs you wanting her, or fear laced with fascination, longing twisted with survival. You lie awake most nights, heart pounding, heat curling low in your stomach, wondering what it would feel like to finally break.
And every time, you imagine her voice in your ear, saying:
âGood girl. Thatâs it. Iâve got you.â
It starts with the dress.
Youâre getting ready for one of her âbusiness dinners.â Thatâs what she calls themâeuphemisms for blood-and-smoke deals in candlelit lounges, where men try to act unbothered under her gaze and women try not to look too long at her red mouth.
She leaves a box on your bed.
Itâs black satin. Backless. Tight.
When you pull it out, your breath hitches in your throat. It looks like something meant to be torn off.
You hesitate.
Then you hear her heels clicking toward your room, unhurried. You donât have time to overthink itâjust enough to slip it on and smooth it down over your hips as the door opens.
She stops in the doorway.
Stares.
Something inside her stills, goes quiet, like a lion watching prey thatâs too beautiful to eatâyet.
âYou lookâŠâ Her voice is hoarse, low. âFuck. Turn around.â
You do.
She crosses the room slowly. Her hand skims your side. Not enough to satisfyânever enough. Just enough to make your stomach twist.
âYou know what that dress does to me?â she asks, quiet, close.
âI didnât pick it,â you murmur.
âI know. But you wore it anyway.â
Her knuckles ghost down your spine. You shiver.
She smilesâtight, unreadableâand steps back. âLetâs go.â
The dinner is at a rooftop club in West Hollywood. The kind of place where every laugh feels fake, every drink costs a fortune, and every powerful person is either owned by someoneâor owns someone.
Avis owns everyone in the room.
Including you.
You sit beside her, quiet, letting her hand rest on your knee while she negotiates in low tones with men whoâve killed for less than what theyâre offering tonight.
And then she disappears.
Just for a second. Bathroom, probably.
Thatâs when he sits beside you.
You donât know his name. Just that heâs tall, grinning, probably drunk. He says something about your dress. Then something about your face. He leans in too close.
You stiffen.
You donât have time to tell him off before she returns.
The silence that follows is violent.
Avis says nothing. Doesnât touch you. Doesnât acknowledge him. Just looks. Her eyes flick from his hand near your hip to your faceâand then back to him.
âMove,â she says softly.
He doesnât.
She laughs. Itâs cold.
âI said move.â Her tone sharpens. No anger. Just steel.
Heâs gone in seconds.
She sits. Leans in. Her voice brushes your ear like a razor wrapped in velvet.
âI told you, sweetheart. Youâre not theirs. Youâre mine.â
That night, in the elevator, she doesnât speak. You lean against the mirrored wall, heart racing. Sheâs standing beside you like a storm held in a wineglassâtight, controlled, on the verge of shattering.
âI didnât do anything,â you say quietly.
âI know.â Her eyes donât leave your reflection.
âI didnât flirt.â
âI know.â
âI didnât want him.â
Now she looks at you.
Thereâs something hungry in her stare. Something unholy. âThen why didnât you stop him touching you?â
You falter. You donât know. Or maybe you do. Maybe you wanted her to see. Her jaw clenches. âGo to bed.â
You step out of the elevator. She doesnât follow.
But laterâhours laterâyou wake to the sound of the door creaking open.
You donât turn. Just lie still.
Sheâs in the room. You feel it in your bones. Her steps are soft, slow.
You donât hear her undress. But when she slips into the bed beside you, the silk of her nightgown brushes your arm.
You donât move. Then you feel it. Her handâjust barelyâon your waist. A breath. Not yours. And then her whisper, right against your ear:
âYou have no idea what youâre doing to me.â
You donât sleep after she whispers it.
You just lie there, your breath held hostage in your throat, her hand still a ghost on your waist.
She doesnât move either.
You feel her heat behind you. The tight, restless stillness of a woman on the edge of a decision she knows she canât undo.
âAvisâŠâ you breathe.
Thatâs all it takes.
Suddenly, sheâs on youâpressing you down into the sheets, her body flush to yours, her mouth hovering a whisper from your lips.
âSay it again.â
You do. Softer this time.
Her lips crush yours like a punishment. Like sheâs angry she waited this long. Her kiss tastes like wine and violence, like every bit of control sheâs been holding back is gone now, finally gone.
She moans into your mouth like it hurts. Like sheâs starving.
âI tried to be gentle,â she rasps. Her hands are on your hips, holding you in place. âI tried to wait for you to be ready. I didnât want to break youââ
âThen do it,â you whisper. âBreak me.â
Thatâs when she snaps.
She flips you under her like it costs her something. Like sheâs been dying to ruin you and canât wait another second.
Her mouth drags down your throat, your chest, leaving marks. Claiming. Worshipping. Her hands are everywhere, pinning your thighs, sliding beneath your clothes, tearing at fabric like itâs in her way.
Sheâs frantic. But deliberate. Every move is designed to make you begâand you do.
You beg her.
âAvis, pleaseââ
âI know, baby. I know.â Her voice cracks. Her hands tremble as they slip between your legs, finally touching you like youâre something holy. âYou donât even know what youâre asking for, do you?â
You whimper.
She kisses you again, slower this time, possessive, as her fingers slide inside and your whole body arches.
âMine,â she growls against your mouth. âNo one else gets to have you. Say it.â
âIâm yoursââ Youâre already shaking.
âSay my name.â
âAvis.â
Her pace quickens. She kisses your throat, your collar, your jaw, working you open like sheâs memorizing the sound of you falling apart for her.
âIâm never letting you go,â she whispers. âEven if it kills us.â
You come apart gasping her name.
And when you collapse back into her arms, trembling and dazed, she wraps herself around you like armor. Like sheâs trying to keep you safe from the worldâor herself.
She doesnât sleep.
You do, eventuallyâexhausted, tangled in her sheets, breath still uneven from what she did to you. But Avis just watches. One hand under her cheek, the other splayed across your bare waist, fingers twitching every time you shift in your sleep like sheâs terrified youâll disappear.
She memorizes everything. The rise and fall of your chest. The curve of your mouth, still swollen. The marks on your skin that she leftâher initials, almost, if you squint. Her claim.
You belong to her now.
Sheâs not sure if thatâs a blessing or a curse.
By morning, you wake up to her still watching. Her stare is unreadable, but heavyâobsessive in a way that should unsettle you, but doesnât. Not really.
âDid I hurt you?â she murmurs, voice rough from lack of sleep.
âNo.â You stretch, and the soreness between your legs makes you winceâshe sees it, flinches like it stabs her. âYou didnât.â
Avis exhales slowly. You can tell she doesnât believe you.
But she leans forward anyway, brushes her lips over the bruise on your neck like an apology. âNext time,â she says lowly, âIâll go slower. If you let me.â
Your heart stutters. Next time. Thereâs going to be a next time.
She doesnât let you out of her sight that day.
You try to get dressed, but she stops youâher arms wrapping around your middle from behind, chin on your shoulder, bare chest pressed to your back.
âStay,â she whispers. âJust a little longer.â
You nod. You donât even hesitate.
When you finally do leave the bedroom, itâs like stepping into another life.
Avis calls off every meeting she has. Sends men away with a wave of her hand and a bite to her voice that tells them not to ask questions. You sit at her breakfast table in her oversized shirt while she takes a call with a gun on the counter and her hand resting on your thigh.
She doesnât care if they notice. In factâshe wants them to. Let them know who you belong to. Let them see who Avis Amberg would burn the whole world for.
Later that evening, she shows you a drawer.
Full of things you hadnât expected.
A necklace with your birthstone. An envelope with photos of youâold ones, some you didnât know existed. A sheet of paper with your signature traced over and over again in her handwriting. Your handwriting.
You look up at her, heart in your throat.
âIâve loved you,â she confesses, voice hoarse, âsince before I knew how to say it. I used to dream of keeping you in here. In this house. In that bed.â
Her jaw clenches.
âI still do.â
The silence was heavy when she told you.
Just a whisper, barely above a breath, but it was enough to cut through the air like a blade.
âI think I need space.â
Avis didnât respond at first. Her jaw clenched. You watched the faintest tremble travel through her hand where it gripped the edge of the kitchen counter. The tension in her shoulders gave her away more than any words would. And when she finally turned around, her eyes werenât soft like theyâd been last night.
They were wild.
âSpace?â she echoed, voice brittle. âFrom me?â
You nodded, arms crossed, trying to ground yourself. You werenât sure what had changedâbut the weight of her presence had been unbearable lately. She was always watching. Always planning. Always there.
âYes. Just⊠a few days to think. To breathe.â
She took a slow step toward you. âIs this because of what happened with that idiot guy?â she asked. Her voice had that dangerous stillness to it.
You blinked. âNo. Avis, I justââ
Her hand slammed against the wall beside your head. Not touching you. Not hurting you. Just close. Too close.
âYou belong to me,â she hissed. âYou think I donât see the way youâre slipping away? Every second youâre not in my arms, my mind goes placesâugly places. And now you want to leave?â
âAvisââ
âI gave you everything.â Her voice cracked. âI killed for you. I burned men alive for looking at you too long. I cleaned the blood off your hands before it could even dry. And now youâre whatâdone with me?â
You stared at her, stunned.
âYouâre scaring me,â you whispered. She flinched like youâd slapped her.
âNo,â she murmured. âNo, baby. Donât say that. I justâI canâtââ Her breath hitched. âI canât lose you.â
When she kissed you, it was a collision.
Teeth. Tongue. Desperation.
Her hands gripped your hips, tight enough to bruise, and when you gasped into her mouth, she pulled back only a moment to stare at you.
âI know I said the next time would be softer,â she growled. âBut with the way youâve actedâŠâ
Her eyes burned.
âIâm not sure you deserve it.â
You couldnât speak. Couldnât breathe. You should have been afraidâbut your heart was already pounding for a different reason. You were soaked with tension, aching in places you didnât want to admit.
Avis smirked as she felt your body tremble.
âThatâs what I thought.â
Your back hit the bedroom wall before you even realized sheâd pulled you there. You werenât sure whether youâd walked or been dragged, but now her mouth was on yours againâurgent, punishing.
Her hands roamed fast, rough, grabbing at your thighs and ass like she owned them. And in her mind, she did.
âI need to see you,â Avis growled against your lips. âAll of you. Now.â
She yanked your shirt up and off before you could respond, her hands already tugging down your pants. Her eyes drank you in like something holy and dangerous.
âYou think you get to say âspaceâ and then hide this from me?â She cupped between your legsâright thereâover your panties, and you gasped at the pressure. âNo, sweetheart. Thatâs not how this works.â
She pushed her hand beneath the fabric, and her fingers were already sliding between your folds, spreading the wetness with a quiet, sinful sound.
âOh my God,â she muttered. âYouâre soaked.â
Your legs nearly buckled.
âAvisââ
âWhat?â She pressed two fingers inside, slow and deliberate, watching your reaction. âWhat do you need, baby? You wanna tell me you hate me now?â
You moaned, eyes fluttering shut as her fingers curled just right.
âYou donât want space. You want this. You want me.â
Her other hand wrapped around your throatânot squeezing, just holding, reminding you of who was in control. Her grip was possessive, but her eyesâher eyes were something else. Desperate. Unhinged. Worshipful.
She fucked you slow at first, fingers pumping deep while she kissed your neck, your jaw, your shoulderâleaving marks like a brand. Then she sped up. You were gasping, trembling, holding onto her shoulders like a lifeline.
And when she pulled back, just to see your faceâruined, flushed, beggingâshe lost what little restraint she had.
Avis lifted you.
One fluid motion, throwing you onto the bed and crawling over you, yanking your panties off and tossing them somewhere forgotten.
She slid her fingers back inside you before you could even catch your breath, her thumb now circling your clit with a maddening rhythm.
âYouâre mine,â she hissed. âYou hear me? I donât care if I have to break you open every night to remind you. You belong to me.â
Your orgasm hit hard. Too hard. You cried out as you came on her fingers, thighs shaking, vision white at the edges.
But Avis wasnât done.
She leaned over you, kissed your tear-streaked cheeks, and whispered against your ear:
âAgain.â
You were still catching your breathâyour chest rising and falling fast, skin slick with sweat, thighs trembling. But Avis hadnât moved.
She hovered over you, braced on her forearms, lips ghosting across your collarbone. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, dark with want, but there was a crack beneath them. A tremor. A fault line.
âI should ruin you,â she whispered, almost tender. âI want to. But not this time.â
You opened your mouth to speak, but she cut you off, sliding two fingers along your jaw and turning your face to hers.
âNo,â she said lowly, âthis time, youâre going to take care of me.â
Her hand trailed down your body, slow and commanding. Then she moved, shifting onto her back beside you, spreading her legs with a shamelessness that made your pulse trip.
âShow me you still want this,â she said. âShow me you still want me.â
And you did.
You moved over her, kissing down her neck, taking your time with each new inch of skin. She was warm and firm beneath you, her body humming with the tension of someone always poised to snap.
But not now.
Now she let you touch her. Let you worship her.
When you slid your tongue along herâsoft, slow, savoring her tasteâher breath hitched. Her fingers tangled in your hair but didnât pull. She was letting go. Unraveling.
âOh, baby,â she moaned, arching up into your mouth. âFuckâ just like thatââ
You held her thighs apart, steady, watching her fall apart just for you. And when she came, shaking, swearing, her voice breaking on your nameâyou didnât stop until she was limp, blissed-out, completely undone.
You moved back up to her side, her arm pulling you in without hesitation.
The silence after was thick. Warm. Real.
Her breath still stuttered, but her hands were gentle nowâstroking your back, brushing hair from your face.
âI thought Iâd lose you,â she said quietly. âAnd I know I donât deserve to keep you. But I want to. I need to.â
You nestled closer to her chest, lips brushing the curve of her shoulder. âYou scare the hell out of me sometimes.â
Avis tensedâbut didnât pull away.
âBut I still choose you.â
That cracked her.
She kissed your temple, then your forehead, cradling you like you might disappear if she let go.
âIâll try to be softer,â she murmured. âEven if I never really learn how. Youâre the only thing that makes me want to try.â
You drifted off like thatâwrapped in her arms, wrapped in her ruinâand for once, it didnât feel like a trap.