[Alfio's Pov]
"Do something that pleases me," he said.
Just six words. Six brutal, merciless words that coiled around my spine like a noose made of iron and silk. They hadn't stopped echoing in my mind since—like a vulture circling a carcass, stripping me thought by thought, bone by bone. Ripping into pride. Feeding on fear.
Convince me. Amuse me. Perform, like the good little pet you are, Alfio.
I swallowed the panic clawing its way up my throat. My tongue felt thick. My mouth, dry as ash. "…What do you want me to do, sir?" My voice cracked at the edges. I hated that.
Salvo didn't answer immediately. He just stared.
No—not stared. He devoured. With eyes sharp enough to peel skin from soul. A smirk etched across his face, that cruel little curl at the corner of his mouth, as though it had been stitched there by something inhuman.
