3 – The Temptation of Obedience

Ava's POV

I didn’t sleep infact I couldn't sleep.

Not because of what I had seen. Not because of the woman, pale and limp in his arms. Not even because of the warning in his voice, the way he pinned me to the wall and told me I belonged to him.

No, I couldn’t sleep because when I closed my eyes, I wanted more.

The way his fingers ghosted over my skin without fully touching me. The hunger in his voice, the restraint he fought to keep in check. The power he held over me—dark, consuming, undeniable.

I should have been terrified. I should have felt disgusted by the sight of him feeding on her, by the way his body had thrived in the act.

Instead, I was burning for him.

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Morning Temptations

The city was still waking when I stepped into the dining hall of the penthouse. The air was laced with the scent of fresh coffee and something richer—a trace of his cologne, dark spice and heat. The room itself was sleek, lined with black marble countertops and floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched across the skyline, the morning light casting golden hues over the space.

Dante was already there.

Sitting at the head of the long table, legs spread in a position of dominance, fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. The black silk of his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, exposing the smooth, chiseled lines of his throat.

His ice-blue gaze lifted to mine, and just like that, my body remembered everything.

The way he had trapped me against the wall. The whisper of his breath against my throat. The unfulfilled promise in his touch.

My face burned as I swallowed hard. “Morning.”

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he gestured to the seat beside him. A silent command. A challenge.

I hesitated for only a second before crossing the room, feeling the weight of his stare like a caress against my skin. Every step I took toward him felt heavier, as if I were stepping into something inescapable.

I lowered myself into the chair, my fingers grazing the smooth tabletop, pulse thrumming.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, voice low and controlled, but I could hear the amusement in it.

He was mocking me. He knew I hadn’t slept. He could probably hear every restless toss and turn, every whispered sigh of frustration through the walls.

I lifted my chin, refusing to let him see how much he affected me. “I would have, if someone wasn’t making strange noises in the middle of the night.”

A slow, wicked smirk tugged at his lips.

“Strange noises?” He leaned back, fingers tapping the rim of his coffee mug. “Do you mean the ones that made you open my door?”

Heat crawled up my throat. I couldn’t answer because we both knew the truth.

His voice dropped lower, silk and steel. “You broke a rule, Ava.”

I licked my lips, suddenly unable to sit still. “I—”

“Stand up.”

I froze.

His tone had shifted. Firm. Commanding. Leaving no room for argument.

I swallowed and rose from my chair, the air between us crackling with unspoken tension.

Dante stood as well, towering over me. He moved with deliberate slowness, circling behind me, his presence coiling around me like a predator closing in on its prey.

“You broke a rule,” he murmured, voice like velvet-wrapped danger. “And in my world, breaking rules comes with consequences.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I felt his fingers brush over the back of my neck. Light. Teasing. A warning.

I sucked in a sharp breath. “I—I didn’t mean to—”

He gripped my chin, tilting my face up until I was forced to look into those merciless eyes.

“You knew exactly what you were doing.”

His gaze dropped to my lips, and suddenly, the air between us was suffocating. My pulse skittered. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. I could only wait.

Wait for him to close the distance. Wait for his mouth to claim mine.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of my ear.

“If I kissed you right now,” he whispered, “you’d fall apart in my hands.”

A whimper escaped me.

He pulled back slightly, studying my reaction. Like he was testing me. Like he was enjoying this too much.

I clenched my fists. “You seem awfully confident.”

His lips curled into a smirk.

“Prove me wrong.”

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The Test

Dante took his seat again, spreading his legs slightly, his posture lazy and controlled.

“Come here.”

My pulse pounded as I took a slow step forward. Then another.

“On your knees.”

A breath hitched in my throat. My knees?

The challenge burned in his gaze, daring me to obey.

Heat pooled low in my stomach as I lowered myself to the floor, my palms pressing against my thighs. My heart pounded as the moment stretched, his approval palpable in the way he studied me.

“Good,” he murmured, reaching out to trace a slow, torturous path down my jawline.

The anticipation was unbearable. Would he touch me? Would he finally give me what I craved?

Then, just as suddenly, he pulled his hand away.

“Go back to your room.”

Shock crashed through me.

“What?” My voice was hoarse, my body aching with unsatisfied need.

He tilted his head, studying me like a predator amused by its prey.

“I told you,” he murmured. “If you were mine, I’d ruin you.”

He leaned in, his lips a breath away from mine.

“But you’re not ready for that yet, little one.”

Then, without another word, he turned back to his coffee. Dismissing me.

As if I wasn’t burning alive in front of him.

I should have hated him.

I should have stormed out of the room and sworn never to play his games again.

Instead, I walked away with one thought consuming me.

I will make him lose control.

Let the game begin...