‘Dress and get thefokkout of here,’ he ground out.
Chapter 18
SABA
She jolted, startled at Mak’s sudden reticence, glacial iciness, and the cruel darkness dancing in his eyes.
She scrambled to her feet, her movements as frenzied as her thoughts.
Her heart pounded, her pussy still throbbing, humiliation and desire mingling with confusion.
She reached for her clothes, trembling hands struggling to pull them on.
Mak glared at her with a cold detachment, his eyes never leaving her face.
His stare was a palpable force that made Saba’s skin crawl. The air between them was thick with unspoken words, emotions left unsaid.
Now covered, she stumbled towards the door, her legs weak and shaky.
He didn’t move, didn’t say a word. He gazed at her, his expression unreadable.
Saba reached for the handle to his door, her hand shaking as she turned it. It slid open, revealing the hallway beyond.
She took a step, then swiveled back.
‘I think you achieved what you wanted,’ she muttered, her voice strained. ‘You just won in your pain and humiliation stakes.’
‘Fairs’ fair, Saba,’ he rasped with icy scorn. ‘You thought you might manipulate me, but you’ve only proven your powerlessness. Your deceit, your desire to destroy.’
‘You don’t trust me,’ she whispered, the words just audible in the charged silence that enveloped them. Her heart ached at the thought of Mak doubting her intentions and questioning her loyalty.
She also promised her sister she wouldn’t say anything about her beloved. Not sharing the truth was killing her.
He let out a bitter laugh that held no humor. ‘How can I? Faith is earned, Saba,’ he replied, this time weary and resigned. ‘And with every turn, you seem determined to erode whatever little I have left for you.’
His words were like shards of glass, cutting deep into her already wounded heart.
‘I never meant to betray your faith in me,’ she whispered as she fought the tears threatening to spill over.
He remained still, unloving, his disappointment heavy in the air.
The silence was deafening, broken only by the muffled sound of her ragged breathing.
‘There was never any,’ he scoffed. ‘Leave me now! Before I give in to the darkness that consumes me andfokkyou against my will.’
She flinched, knowing that Mak’s words contained a crude yet profound truth. His body wanted her; this fact was evident; however, his heart loathed her.
Saba gave him another glance, which he met with a frigid chin raise.
The raw intensity in his gaze sent shivers down her spine.
She recognized the sorrow and the pain he was holding back, the memories of past torments hidden behind his cold demeanor.
Then she fled, lost in a whirlpool of emotions. His accusations hung heavy on her shoulders, a burden she didn’t know how to shake off.
MAK
At Mak’s request, and with Xander’s approval, a few days later, Kaal, their Signet, and the Sauvage strongmen swooped in on a swathe of Sidani supply ships. They arrested dozens in an operation aimed at dismantling the Sidanis’ influence in the flotilla.
