Chapter 6 006

Rayna

The door has clicked shut behind me a long time ago, the latch echoing like a gunshot, but still rhe Mistress’s words still reverberated in my skull.

“Fail… and you’re his. Every pleasure, every pain… must be your choice.”

I glanced at Zero. I had no idea how much time had passed between us, but he was really living up to his name as the man who didn’t speak, didn’t move, didn’t breathe like the rest of the world. He sat perfectly still on the edge of that throne like bed, eyes like frozen glaciers, staring past me, or through me, I couldn’t tell which.

I swallowed, trying to steady the pulse hammering in my ears. This was it. Thirty nights, one room, with one man I wasn’t even sure existed beyond myth and fear.

“Fine,” I muttered, brushing a hand over my hair, “if you’re going to ignore me, I’ll just… make myself comfortable.”

I perched on the chaise across the room, letting my legs curl under me. The silk of my dress whispered as I shifted as I sipped from the crystal glass of water someone had left on the table, though it didn’t soothe my nerves.

And still, he didn’t move.

I tried clearing my throat. “You do know I’m here, right?”

No response, bot even a flicker.

“So this is how it’s going to be.” I let out a short, bitter laugh. “Okay, fine. I can play your little silent game.”

I stood slowly, letting my gaze wander over him. Every detail burned into my memory, the faint scar slicing through his eyebrow, the ink curling up his neck, the black sleeve that disappeared into shadows. I could see the sharp angles of his jaw, the cold line of his mouth.

He was simply dangerous, untouchable, and tempting.

I took a step closer, then another. He remained perfectly still. My pulse picked up, the air thickening between us.

“You know,” I whispered, barely loud enough to hear, “if you don’t react at all, I might have to teach you.”

I let my fingers trail along the back of a chair as I passed, deliberately slow, deliberate, because I wanted him to notice me. My heels clicked softly against the floor as I circled him, letting my scent brush across his space.

Nothing.

I paused behind the chair, leaning down, and letting the curve of my chest brush the air near his ear.

“You know… I’ve been told I’m persuasive,” I murmured. My breath ghosted across the skin at the base of his neck.

Still nothing.

I swallowed hard, irritation and desire twisting together in my stomach.

“Fine,” I muttered, straightening. “You want to ignore me? I’ll see how far I can push.”

I approached the bed, letting my hand graze his shoulder, lightly. A test. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even twitch. So, I let my fingers slide down the length of his arm, brushing the warm skin under the fabric.

“You do feel something, right?” I whispered, letting the tip of my finger trace a line along the inner crease of his wrist. “I know you do. You’re just… stubborn.”

Still nothing.

I let out a frustrated laugh, leaning closer, pressing a hand to the side of his thigh, not enough to touch anything intimate, but close enough to let the intention linger. His gaze locked on me then, ice against fire, and I felt the pull in my chest tighten.

“You’re infuriating,” I muttered, voice low, almost a growl. “You know that? Not talking, not moving… and yet you make it impossible to look away.”

His jaw shifted just slightly. A movement so small it might have been imagined. But I saw it. That tiny crack in his perfect mask sent a thrill shooting through me, sharp and dangerous.

I pressed a knee against the bed, leaning forward, letting my lips hover dangerously close to his ear.

“You’re going to regret ignoring me, Zero,” I whispered. “I don’t break easily. And I don’t give up.”

He didn’t move, didn’t flinch, and didn’t even exhale.

I backed away slightly, hands curling into fists at my sides. Rage and desire mingled, twisting tight in my chest. I wanted to scream, to shake him, to make him feel, something. Anything.

I sank back to the chaise, letting my legs drape over the armrest. I rested my chin on my knees, staring at him.

“You think sitting there like a statue makes you untouchable?” I asked softly, more to myself than him. “I’ll find a way. I always do.”

And even as I said it, even as I promised myself I wouldn’t, a small, unbidden shiver ran down my spine. The man didn’t speak, and yet, every instinct I had screamed that he was already winning.

The first night would end like this: me restless, teasing, pushing. Him silent, untouchable, unbroken.

And somewhere deep down, I knew, the game had only just begun.