Mated to the Mad Lord-Chapter 48: I’m not scared of you

The intensity of his anger made the air thick, and the tension between them seemed almost palpable. Violet looked at him, her confusion evident, as her mind scrambled to process the accusation. Flirting? What does that even mean? she wondered, but the thought was cut short when Cain’s looming figure drew closer, his simmering rage apparent in every step.

"I wasn’t flirting with Nathan!" she said firmly, her voice tinged with a mix of fear and defiance. "He’s just a friend!"

Her attempt to explain was met with fury. Cain’s hand shot out, slamming into the other side of the door beside her head. The metallic clang made her flinch as she stared at the new dent, her pulse racing. His glare burned into her as he leaned closer.

"It didn’t look like it!" Cain snarled. "You avoid me, but you have no problem leaning into him?" he asked, his anger building up as he recalled the way Viole smiled and allowed the young man to lean against him. He had giving him space as he tried to also sort out his feelings after finding out that his mate was a male only to be betrayed.

On the other hand, Violet’s own anger, buried under layers of fear for so long, began to surface. "I sleep with you every night! There’s no way I can avoid you!" Violet shot back, her voice rising as frustration replaced her usual timidness.

Cain’s expression shifted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his features, but it was fleeting. Violet could feel her courage building, born from exhaustion and the realization that Cain, for all his power, couldn’t outright kill her.

"You should stop yelling at me! Just because I’m your servant doesn’t mean you get to treat me like trash!" she declared, satisfaction flaring briefly as Cain stepped back, caught off guard.

"What?" he asked, his lips curving into a sly, almost mocking smile. "You’re no longer scared of me?"

For a moment, the cruel amusement in his tone threatened to chip away at her resolve, but Violet held her ground. "I know you can’t kill me! You need me!" she pressed, her voice steady as her mind raced ahead.

Cain’s eyebrows shot up at her boldness, but she continued undeterred. "The medicine is supposed to help you with your beast, but somehow staying near me works better, doesn’t it?" A smug smile tugged at her lips as she revealed what she had pieced together from the many nights they’d shared and her research in the library.

Cain’s sharp gaze darkened. He leaned in, towering over her once more. "...You think you’re irreplaceable?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"I think if I weren’t, you would have replaced me already!" she shot back, fierce determination gleaming in her eyes.

Before she could process his next move, Cain’s hand darted out, gripping her jaw firmly. Her breath hitched as she froze, his face mere inches from hers.

"Just because I can’t kill you doesn’t mean I can’t make you wish you were dead," Cain said, his voice low and laced with menace. "I need your body, but that doesn’t mean your mind has to stay intact."

A shiver ran down her spine at the weight of his words. His grip tightened just enough to remind her of his strength as his eyes glowed with something primal, animalistic.

"I could cut your fingers off, one by one," he continued, his tone slow and deliberate. "Grind them into dust and feed them to you."

Violet’s eyes widened in horror, her entire body trembling.

"I can tie you to the wall of my room and leave you there for days, and no one would question me," he growled, his bloodthirsty aura wrapping around her like a suffocating blanket.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Even as terror gripped her, she kept her gaze on him, trying to mask the fear clawing at her insides.

Cain abruptly released her, stepping back with an almost casual grace that contrasted the violence of his words. He turned away, leaning once more against the table, though his anger still simmered beneath the surface.

"Of course, there’s no need to hurt you," he said coldly. "Especially when Nathan’s body is still mostly intact."

The implication hit her like a physical blow, her face draining of color.

"I’ll tear off pieces of his—"

"He’s done nothing wrong!" Violet blurted out, her desperation making her voice crack. She quickly corrected herself, stammering, "Lo-lord Cain! He did nothing! If you’d like, I won’t meet with him again!" She bowed low, her fear evident in the trembling of her voice.

"I don’t care if you meet him again," Cain replied sharply. "Forget pleading on his behalf. It’s already a mercy that he’s still alive."

His eyes met hers, unrelenting and filled with dark intent. "I hate the idea of others touching things I touch," he added, his words like a dagger.

Things.

The word stung, but Violet swallowed her pride. Compared to Cain’s power, she was, indeed, a "thing."

"Lo-lord Cain!" Violet’s voice wavered as she decided to take a bold risk. "I lied!"

Cain’s gaze sharpened, curiosity flickering in his darkened expression as she moved closer, stopping just a foot away.

"My heart doesn’t beat fast because I’m scared of you!" she declared, her words tumbling out in an attempt to distract him from the idea of hurting Nathan.

Cain’s eyes bore into hers, his head tilting slightly as if he were trying to decipher her intent. "...And why does it?"

The question carried a note of impatience, his tone daring her to answer. Violet hesitated, her throat dry as the weight of his presence bore down on her. She broke eye contact, shaking her head slightly.

"I don’t know!" she admitted, her voice small.

The slight twitch of his lips told her he wasn’t satisfied with her answer. Cain pushed off the table, closing the distance between them until his shadow enveloped her.

"Not good enough," he said, his voice a low growl as he stared her down, waiting for her to continue.