Elodie gulped, heart thumping away in her chest.

"You-you paid for me?"

He tilted his head this way and that, working through the material of her panties until he'd cut through the other edge and the scrap of material covered just her privates.

"You know, it isn't easy doing the things I do," he said, eyes drawn to the apex between her thighs. He seemed to not want to pursue that line of conversation. "I have emotions, too, but I just feel differently than you do. For instance, I don't care about those children Luca trafficked, but how bad it'd look to others if I let people run business in my territory without my knowledge. It'd make me seem weak."

"But—"

"My father's father was a very weak man. One who allowed people walk all over him, threading upon his authority, and he almost cost us our legacy." Angelo remained fixated on that spot as he spoke, as though unaware about how Elodie was now staring at him and holding her breath. "Luckily, my father stepped in by putting a bullet between his eyes. Then, I did the same thing to my senile father, too. Do you know what they call me back in Italy?"

She shook her head.

"Arcangelo della morte."

"That means?"

"Archangel of death."

Elodie sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. "Huh..."

"Remember how I kissed you in the elevator?"

The sudden change of topic threw Elodie for a second, and she could almost feel the gears in the brain tripping and faltering.

"You moaned so prettily when I slid my hands up your thighs." Angelo rested a palm over her left knee and slowly eased his way up her thigh. "How I sucked on your sweet tongue. Remember how you rubbed your little nipples against me? How it felt to have me cage you against the wall?"

"Enough." Elodie's breath caught as the tips of his fingers finally made it to the top of her thigh, and then brushed beneath the filmsy material, just barely grazing her clit. She tried to make her body stiff, but her hips jerked at the contact, completely out of her control.

Because she did remember, damn it, even as she desperately tried to block it out. It had felt good in the moment, letting him taste her lips, press against her, while ravishing her where others could be watching.

God, was that just yesterday?

Angelo lifted the scrap of cloth away and Elodie squeezed her eyes shut.

She needed to concentrate on other parts of this conversation.

The one with buying her from Boss. Was she worth that much?

The one where he also said he killed his father. Did that also mean his own son would put a bullet between his own eyes too?

Plus, anyone who went by his moniker couldn't be someone who killed sparsely. He must be an experienced killer, and some lord of the underworld.

Wait. He did say he was the most powerful man on earth, didn't he?

The image of Luca's cut flesh and blood filled her mind. Her stomach flipped a little, but it was nowhere the reaction she'd been originally been thinking when she first saw him on the table.

Bile rose up the back of her throat and she focused on that, on the disgusting taste, and the way it burned—

Elodie gasped when Angelo's hand suddenly shot out to close around her neck, slamming her into the wall, knocking out her breath.

At the same moment, he brought the sharp edge of the knife to her vagina, placing it on the V between her legs.

His fingers pressed in around her neck, cutting off her air supply, and she fought for a second, kicking out her legs, hoping to hit him somewhere vital, but the press of the knife had her freezing like a deer caught in headlights.

"I kept a tally earlier, Strega, remember?" He asked low and sultry, tipping the blade so that the underside of it stroked against her shaved public bone as he dragged it down. "You made me bleed. It's only fair that I return the favour, don't you think?"

Elodie shook her head without thinking, though she barely managed the action with his fingers holding her neck still.

"No?" He taunted, raising a dark brow. "I want you to think long and hard about how to answer. Anything you say will be used against you later. So, I'll ask you again, don't you think it's fair I take a blood for another one?"

Elodie almost whimpered when she felt the blade move down to rest against her left labia. It was cold, and she felt the threat.

Her heart pounded in its confines, threatening to explode out of her chest. She shook her head again, breath escaping her parted lips in short, sharp bursts.

To her surprise, the maniac grinned, and withdrew the weapon, tossing it by her feet on the mattress. It was close enough that he could reach for it anytime, but it was thankfully far away enough not to touch her.

"That's alright," he saidd smoothly, "I don't like playing fair, remember that." He shifted closer, dropping his knees on either side of her hips. "You'll pay me back anyway. Do you remember the number I told you when you headbutted me?"

Elodie licked her lips, frowning. "One."

"Well then, let's see if you'll last that long without passing out." He leaned into her space, sticking out his tongue and dragging it up the side of her face. "Hmm. You taste so good."

This was insane.

He was insane.

It was also all happening too fast.

Only yesterday night she'd been dreaming of just how much she'd get from staying with this psychopath for just four days, and it was back to business as usual.

And now, she was chained to the wall, bruised, and being threatened with a knife by a man whom she'd been hoping to have a fun time with.

How had she missed the signs?

There'd been signs, right?

Surely one of those signs was the sudden switch to English with his business associates...only now did she think that those people were killers like him.

It was just her luck that her first kiss had to be with a killer.

Why kiss a prince when you had a frog, huh?

She was a moron. A fool. An idiot to have taken this—

"Hey," Angelo narrowed his gaze, "no self-hate here. If you need someone too hate, I'm here, Strega. Hate me."

That was about as much warning she got before his fingers tightened, closing in harder than before, constricting her airflow, pressing against her lungs.

Elodie clenched her fists, kicked her legs out wildly, arching her back in hopes of getting him off. The metal of her bond scratched against her wrists, the metal digging into her flesh, but she hardly noticed it.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes, and her eyes bulged. Choking sounds escaped her lips as saliva trailed down the sides of her open mouth, dripping onto the sheets below.

The entire time, Angelo watched her, eyes shinning, mouth slightly parted. A blissful sigh escaped his lips.

He looked...like someone having a climax.

"You look so beautiful. The color draining out of your face reminds me of the sky when the storm's rolling in. It's so volatile and beautiful."

It hurt a lot.. like her lungs were on fire and her head pounding like someone hitting it with a bat. It felt as though she was going to explode.

The thought of her brother never seeing her again made her fight harder. Mace had no one but her. He'd be so confused and worried.

Would they keep taking care of him or would they turn him aawaay, giving him to the state?

And Jean...she'd be so worried, not knowing what happened to her.

Dark spots began to dance in her vision, and her limbs got weaker as her mind became fogged.

What...who was I think about?

Oh, death.

Maybe, just maybe, she'd finally rest now.

She could stop worrying about everything and everyone but herself.

She would finally rest.

No more pain and tears.

"Eyes on me, Strega," Angelo ordered. "I like the way you look gasping for air. It's so sexy. Raw. So real. I've had the pleasure of choking so many, but none comes close to you."

What the fuck was the maniac going on about?

He chuckled. "Ah, yes, there it is. Get angry. Are you mad about how right my hand feels around your neck? Angry that you love it secretly even though you're thinking about how you could die at anytime? Or," he leaned in and brought his mouth to the curve of her ear, "are you mad because I put my fingers here instead of inside that tight pussy of yours?"

Just as Elodie was about to give into the darkness, Angelo loosened his hold. He didn't let go, kept his hand around her neck, palm resting lightly against her chest.

"Good job, Strega." He turned his wrist and stroked her jawline reverently. "You did so well."

Tiny pin needles stabbed at her lungs and throat as she gulped in as much air as she could through her open mouth and nostrils.

Her throat felt raw and her neck pulsed, aftershocks of pain racking through her body as she coughed and coughed.

There was something else though.

It was lower, a sensation her jumbled mind couldn't fathom.

Then, just as her mind began to clear and breathing felt less painful, it hit her like a ten foot Mack Truck.

She inhaled sharply in horror.

At some point, while she caught her breath, Angelo had removed the scrap of clothing from her and had begun to stroke her clit.

It took all of her strength to force herself to look down and see the horrendous truth for herself.

She had just been choked to the point of loosing consciousness by a crazy, rich and powerful killer who'd threatened to cut her with a knife less than five minutes ago.

And yet, Elodie was wet.

*

The sun was bright and high in the sky now, casting the room into a bright glow despite the lights overhead, and soft breeze wafted in through the opened French doors.

Occasionally, in-discernable voices drifted up from below, and the sound of cars driving off tickled her ears, but Elodie remained in the same fetal position she'd curled up in ever since he left.

She felt so ashamed and embarrassed.

The dark spool of hatred unflured in her belly, tightening as seconds ticked by.

Her mind couldn't stop playing the awful reels from moments earlier.

Angelo continued to stroke her with expert fingers, working her like a finely-tuned guitar, smirking at the look of mortification on her face.

She'd been powerless to stop him, and he'd continued to work her, until her hips began to dance to his tunes like a charmed cobra. And then...

Elodie closed her eyes, sucking her lower lip between her teeth, clenching her fingers into a ball.

He'd simply got off of her, grabbing his knife as his went.

Then, he'd laughed.

Laughed.

She moaned, rolling over slowly, wincing when the bed sheet scratched against the bruise on her neck.

It was a sensation foreign to her, and her body had betrayed her so horribly.

Angelo must be so smug about how he'd unraveled her within the space of a second.

Who was she even?

The sound of the door being unlocked had her sitting upright in bed.

Every bone in her body locked together in anticipation of what was to come.

There was no way she'd let her guard down around him again.

But to her shock, a woman of medium height and small build walked into the room pushing in a trolley covered with white clothes. Her thin blonde hair was pulled back into a severe bun, and her bright eyes was lined with dark khol, emphasizing how large they were. She was also dressed in dark brown leggings, flat shoes and cable knit sweater.

Elodie watched as she rolled the trolley to a stop by the foot of the bed.

Then, the woman bowed slightly at the waist. "Buenas tardes, señora."

Great.

First she'd met the Italians, and now she was meeting the spanish.

When the woman's eyes dropped below her neck, Elodie suddenly remembered her lack of panties, and scrambled to cover herself with the sheets.

Color climbed onto her cheeks. "Um...Hola...Mi numbre et Elodie. C-can you help me?"

The woman tilted her head. "Y mi nombre es Mercedes."

Elodie perked up at that. "Please. I need your help. Umm...Help?" She shaped her right hand into a phone receiver and pressed it to her ear. "Call the police."

Mercedes tilted her head. "Qué?"

"What's the word again..." She tapped her chin, rolling her eyes heavenward.

Then, snapped her fingers when she remembered. "Policía. Call the Policía. Please, Mercedes. Favor."

The other woman simply turned to the trolley.

Elodie watched, frustration mounting, as Mercedes made a quick work of removing the cloth, revealing a tray of covered dishes underneath.

She removed each cover, unveiling an assortment of dishes that made her stomach growl. She'd last eaten a day ago, and was running low on energy, but she refused to eat a bite of whatever Angelo sent her.

If he thought he could bribe her with food after what he'd put her through, then he had another thing coming.

Mercedes set the tray on the bed by her feet, and Elodie wasn't surprised to see that there was only a plastic spoon as cutlery for her.

Smart man.

"I'm not eating," she told the other woman, flopping back onto the bed. "Take it away."

For a few minutes, neither of them moved. In fact, Mercedes stopped making any altogether.

Unable to take it anymore, Elodie raised her head to peek, and squealed when she saw that sharp gaze trained on her. "Holy shit, what are you still doing here? Take this shit away from me!"

She shot out her foot to kick the tray, but was stalled when a hand clamped down on her ankle, pressing it down into the mattress.

Elodie gasped, more out of surprise than pain, as her eyes met Mercedes'. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Listen here, you bitch. Don Arcangelo worked hard to put this food on your table," her words were coated with venom, each one spat like a disgusting, thick phelgm, "and you'd do your best to be grateful for it."

Elodie blinked at her. "You speak English."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know what he sees in a skinny thing like yourself, but just know that I'll be watching you."

"Is that a threat?"

Mercedes merely scoffed as she flung the leg in her grip hard enough to push Elodie up the bed, pulling her chains. "I'll be back in ten minutes for the plates. You better be done by then."

Elodie could only gape as the woman left just as quickly as she'd arrived.

What was it with everyone in this place and violence?

*

A/N:

Ooohh, another spicy, violence filled encounter.

Angelo seemed to be really the devil in disguise.

How many of you guessed that he was going to choke her?

Did you think Elodie was strong for that passing ouut?

Also, what do we think of her getting aroused from getting strangled?

Who's Mercedes?

Don't forget to vote andd share?

And guess what?

I love comments!

So, please, hit me with them (I'll reply,, I swear it), but I just want to know your thoughts.