The knock came at the worst possible moment. As if someone just threw a glass against the concrete.
Judas froze above me, his hand still caressing my face but the one down there stopped. The pleasure I was feeling turned into a twisted knot in my stomach as it slowly diminished and I was finally able to make sense of it all.
The knock came again, louder this time, followed by a voice muffled through the thick door.
It took me a second to react. All while Judas was fixated on the door, I crawled away from me even though he sent me a glare. As if it would stop me. I quickly pulled down my dress. Where was my underwear? Did he tear it? No, please. What if they come-
“Open up, or I swear I’ll break this damn door down.”
Anya. Of course, it was Anya.
Judas growled lowly and I jumped as he grabbed my ankle before dragging me under him. I slammed my fists against his broad chest.
“Stop, it’s your sister!” I hissed but he looked unbothered. Instead, he embedded his face into my neck and my anxiousness only grew.
“What the hell do you want, Anya?” he barked. Like literally. As if he was annoyed and possessed by a need to kill.
“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” came her biting response. “I couldn’t care less about what you’re doing. But Mother’s asking for you. Something about dinner and you not being a complete disappointment for once.”
I bit my lip, suddenly hyperaware of how dishevelled I looked-of the fact that Judas had been pressed against me just moments ago, his hands mapping every inch of my skin. My flushed skin. Heaving chest. Almost torn dress and without underwear. Under him.
“Get lost,” Judas snapped standing and adjusting his shirt. I almost sighed in relief. I thought… he’d take me.
“What’re you even doing, Satan?” And that snapped something in him. He strode to the door before swinging it open.
I quickly pulled sheets over me.
“I’m warning you. Don’t test me right now.”
It bothered me how amused she looked. Her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe. “Oh, relax. I’m just here to deliver a message, not to get into one of our delightful conversations. Though judging by that look on your face, I might make an exception.”
“Anya,” he said again and I knew his patience was fraying. “Leave.”
But she didn’t. Instead, her gaze flicked past him, landing on me. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face and my heart raced. “Well, now this makes sense. Tell me, darling, how do you put up with him?”
I flushed, my eyes darting to Judas. He stepped in front of me, blocking Anya’s view with a protective possessiveness that both startled and confused me.
“Enough,” he said. “Go downstairs. Now.”
She tilted her head, clearly enjoying herself. “Fine,” she said, pushing off the doorframe. “But don’t keep us waiting too long.”
Before she turned to leave, she shot me one last smirk. “Don’t let him bite, little girl. He’s mostly bark.”
“Out,” Judas snarled, and she laughed as she sauntered away. She clearly enjoyed provoking him.
He turned back to me with his jaw clenched. “Ignore her. She’s just insufferable.”
I nodded, still too flustered to speak.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Go wash up and change.”
I bit on my lips still feeling the touch of his fingers inside me. I didn’t… finish. And my core was… etching. Damn.
Slipping past him and into the adjoining bathroom. The cool water against my skin was a welcome reprieve, but it did little to calm the storm of thoughts swirling in my head. Changing into a silk ankle-length skirt and matching beige blouse, I pulled my hair into a bun though I hated how flushed I still looked.
By the time I came downstairs, the dining room was already full. Anya was seated with her usual smugness, Rara was inspecting the table making sure there was everything, and Judas was leaning back in his chair, clearly bored. And it did things to me how dangerously menacing he looked. Like a fallen star.
As if the world were beneath him. One arm draped casually over the backrest and the other holding a glass of wine, I guess. The veins on his forearm stood out like rivers carved by darkness. He swirled the drink lazily, and I blushed recalling where those fingers had been just moments ago.
His shirt was unbuttoned just enough to tease the sharp cut of his collarbone and the faint tattoo that curved wickedly toward his chest. And my eyes travelled along the fabric clung where it shouldn’t. His muscles were taut and his jaw clenched. Pissed. That’s what he was.
I made my way to the table, smiling at Rara momentarily and sitting beside Krystina though my eyes sought him.
His gaze instantly found mine. And my breath hitched. And his eyes… God, those eyes. Pale and intense holding something dark. The kind of darkness that didn’t just beckon you-it consumed you, devoured you whole, leaving nothing but a trembling shadow of who you were.
I couldn’t look away.
My pulse quickened, heat coiling low in my belly like a traitorous little thing. My skin prickled and a shiver ran down my spine as if his gaze had found me even when it hadn’t. My palms dampened, my breath hitched, and I felt utterly bare, as though I was stripped naked only with his eyes.
He shifted slightly and the faintest smirk played at his lips, as if he knew the effect had on me.
A fallen star, yes, but one that still burned, still scorched, still left destruction in its wake.
I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms to keep me tethered. But it was futile. Judas wasn’t just a man; he was a force of nature. And I was caught in his orbit, helpless to the pull.
My attention was stolen when Rara placed the plate full of food in front of me. I smiled gratefully and she… patted my back. For a moment I just stared at the plate unsure of what this feeling was. She was kind enough to make me doubt if any of her children were the same as her, except Krystina though, who kept fidgeting with her fingers beside me.
She did mention something about her husbands not attending dinner since they were busy with some work.
Now that at mentioned her, I was instantly struck with realisation. Massimo. Shit. How did I forget it so soon? See, that was the power Judas had. He could make me forget this world with one kiss. I wonder what he’d do if I submit fully. Would there be anything left of me after that? Or just him.
Krystina’s soft voice once again reminded me of the reality at hand. “I’ll be staying over at a friend’s place tonight. We have a project to finish.”
I glanced at her as my instincts immediately sky-rocketed on edge. She wasn’t looking at anyone directly, only focusing on her plate.
Judas raised an eyebrow. “Which friend?”
She hesitated for the briefest of moments before answering. “…Maria.”
He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Maria lives on the other side of town. You’re going all the way there for a project?”
“Yes,” Krystina said keeping her tone light and soft. “She has all the materials we need.”
I knew she was lying. It wasn’t Maria she was going to see. It was him-Massimo, or whatever his name was. The thought sent a shiver of unease down my spine. Should I say something? Should I tell her parents? Or Judas?
But I didn’t want to seem nosy or overstep. Besides, it wasn’t my place.
Rara’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Anya, make sure you call Kyle. He must be feeling lonely in that compound. I’ve told him a dozen times to move in here, but that boy is so stubborn.”
Anya snorted. “Molotov? Lonely? Please. He’s counting his money or polishing his guns or whatever it is he does when he’s not being an ass.”
Rara shot her a disapproving look. “Anya-”
But before she could finish, a loud crash echoed from somewhere outside. Everyone froze. It was sharp. Violent. Like the world itself had fractured. The fork slipped from the fingers and so did Krystina’s as she stared wide-eyed at the window.
“What the hell?” Anya’s smirk faltered and her hand tightened around her glass.
Glass? Metal? It was impossible to tell. My breath hitched, and so did Rara’s.
Rara straightened her sharp eyes wide with unease.
Judas didn’t flinch as he pushed the chair back and pulled out a gun I didn’t know he had. I watched wide-eyed as he unloaded the gun and looked at Anya. “Call Molotov.”
Anya would’ve given him a snarky response, but she knew it was vital, so she just nodded.
My eyes followed Judas as he disappeared through the main doors, and my heart wouldn’t stop flip-flopping. He said this mansion was secured and highly guarded, so how could someone attack, right?
“What was that?” Krystina whispered, her wide eyes meeting mine.
I didn’t have an answer.
Krystina fidgeted in her seat, her fingers clutching the table’s edge. “Do you think it’s-”
“It’s nothing,” Anya interrupted. “Don’t start imagining things.”
But I could tell she was uneasy too.
I hope it wasn’t something life-threatening, because if it was, I didn’t know what I’d do.