Caught

It opens, and he throws me inside. I slam into the wall, the breath knocked out of me as I turn to see him step inside before smashing his finger onto a button. We start to rise, and I watch him carefully. His eyes are dark, those emotions melting the ice there. His hands are shaking, balled into fists, and it's clear he's close to exploding.

So what do I do?

Push him.

Maybe it's because I've accepted that I'm going to die here and never be free again, and with that acceptance has come a certain bravery to see how far I can push them. It's crazy, but I can't seem to stop.

"Nice car." I smirk.

His movements are jerky, and I flinch back as he bangs his fist onto a stop button. We shudder to a halt, throwing me forward, right into him. He catches me, his hand going around my throat as he tosses me back into the elevator wall, making me cry out at the pain it causes.

"Do not push me, love," he snarls, right in my face. My heart is pounding, and he must feel it against his hand because he squeezes my throat, letting me feel all that power. The strength and emotions he hides behind the ice.

This man is deadly, a Cobra, and I just poked the snake, and now he's ready to strike.

To bite.

And I'm the mouse.

But yet again, my mouth opens. "Why not?"

He leans closer, letting me see those eyes which are now on fire. Fuck, how did I ever think he was cold? He's an inferno, a wildfire. It burns everything in its path, and right now, that's me. But the thing is, I would gladly burn, and I don't even know why.

"Because I won't be gentle like Jake. I won't even make sure you like it like Black. I will tan your ass so hard that you won't be able to walk, never mind sit. Then I'll leave you in this elevator for everybody to see just how much you want us. How much you don't hate us, even if you think so. You can fool yourself, but you can't fool me, love. I will rip those barriers to shreds, piece by fucking piece. I will have you on the edge, nearly coming from my punishment alone, and leave you for everyone to see…to see how much you want it. The very people you claim to hate."

"I don't want you," I snap, tipping my head back and meeting his eyes, but my thighs clench, betraying my truth, and he no doubt notices. Sylvester notices everything and uses it against me. And he's noticed something even I didn't want to. I'm attracted to them, to my kidnappers.

That's what stops me from speaking—the fact that he's right and I hate him. I hate them. I really do, but I want them so badly it's scary, and I've been trying to hide from it, taking it out on them. He smirks like he sees my battle and knows I won't fight him anymore. Stepping back, he straightens his suit, hiding behind that coolness again. His hands stop shaking as he presses the button to get us moving. "Last warning, Zamsii—do not push us. We have been kind so far, now? All bets are off, you are about to see what the Cobras are really like, and you only have yourself to blame. You're fair game now, little prey, better run." He winks. "You're a business deal, love, but now you're about to become our toy."

The door opens, and he steps out, meeting the eyes of the rest of the Cobras waiting there. Shit, how did they get up here so fast? He smirks at them, ignoring me still pressed against the wall, breathing heavily, hating him, hating myself. But at least the blood from my head has stopped.

"Black, she's yours for the rest of the day. Let's show our little brat here what happens to those who betray us, who test us," Sylvester orders, his icy eyes still locked on me. Only when he turns away do I start to breathe again.

Holy fuck.

I thought Sylvester was ice, an unfeeling snake. I was so wrong. Under it all is a swirling tornado of emotions barely being held in check. I glimpsed it in his eyes, felt it in his hands. He's so close to exploding and raining down destruction, I don't think he even knows how close.

The others currently don't, but I do now. He's ready to break, to snap, and when he does…who will be alive to tell the story?