Page 75 of Born for Silk

I hear my growl as I kick the door open, splintering it against the inside wall.

My chest heaves as I search the room, finding my sweet Aster sitting on the examination table naked and him— I see red. I don’t see anything else.

He holds his palms up like that will slow me as I lung at him, but before I have his head in my hands, two Guards grip my arms, holding me back.

I slide their feet along the floor as I take another step.

“Sire,” a Guard behind me calls. “Stop.”

Growling, I jolt my shoulders and throw the Guards from my arms. I prowl forward again and, again, two more men grab hold of me from behind.

More hands.

More men.

Four fucking fully-grown Xin De Guards claw at me as I growl and hiss and reach to get my bare hands around The Trade Master’s pretty fucking head.

“Easy, boy,” I hear Kong’s voice behind me. “Take a moment before you do something you’ll regret.”

“Sire,” Cairo says from the other side of the room, seemingly un-fucking-bothered.

I want him, want to feel his head slowly cave in, feel the moment it gives way, the bone compressing his brain, his eyeballs popping from their sockets.

“Tell the king you are okay, Aster,” Cairo orders.

“Sire.” She slides from the bed, dropping to the ground—so tiny—and completely fucking naked.

I growl louder. “Why the fuck are you naked!”

“I was examining her. I did nothing improper. I assure you.” He smiles. “I did not touch a single hair on her head.”

My lips sneer.

Done with this. I take the fuckers behind me by surprise when I spin around and grab hold of their heads, playing their skulls like cymbals and smashing them together. The other two back away with their hands up—they even close their eyes, because they know they aren’t allowed to look at the Silk Girls.

As I turn back to Cairo, hatred in my eyes, he softens his smooth smile and says, “If you kill me, the Shadows in The Estate will be activated, and they will kill your Collective.” I don’t give a fuck about anyone. I stalk toward him. “The first casualty will be your sister.”

I stop midstride.

“Boy,” Kong warns.

My blood is volcanic, and my fingers are curled and raised at his head, shaking with fury and ready to tear his fucking skull and spine from his body. My hands vibrate. Just inches away from him. Just right there. Fuck.

“Tell the king you are well, Aster,” Cairo repeats.

“I’m well.” I hear her soft voice, drawing my gaze to her as she pulls her dress over her head, the silky black material falling down her lithe body.

I still.

Stare at her.

What has she done to me?

It hits me like a bullet right in the chest. A bullet I’ll keep with the others. I don’t want her to be a piece of The Trade. I want her. I don’t want to share her. It’s not simply about preserving her—the manifestation of my last act of human kindness—I want her.

I’ve been bored, playing the same game of chess to bring The Trade and The Cradle a state of compliance. Each piece with its place, with its Purpose, including her, and I dug my fingers into the guts of what that meant.

I adhere to my vows, create an aura of fear around myself, but I do not want her to follow the rules or behave for them! Not for them. For me.