The room seemed to pulse with shadows, candlelight flickering against dark wood and iron.

Chloe's breath came shallow and fast as Valerius guided her toward the looming cross in the center. Her wrists were bound first, then her ankles, each leather strap pulled snug until she could no longer shift without feeling his control. The cold of the restraints sank into her skin, yet heat coiled low in her belly. She stood bound to the cross, her bare skin illuminated by the flickering candlelight that ...