Adley's heart hammered against her ribs like a hummingbird trapped in a velvet cage. Betrayal, a cold, slithering snake, coiled tighter in her stomach with every passing second. She'd seen the fury in Lucifer's eyes – a dark storm that made the moonlight seem dim in their lavish bedroom. It was a fury with a red edge, and whether it was meant for her or someone else, it sent shivers dancing down her spine. Tonight was payback time.

She imagined punishments – all of them bad. But a different kind of shiver snaked down her spine when she heard footsteps. They were quiet, sneaky like a panther stalking its prey, and they sent a weird mix of fear and excitement tingling through her.

The bedroom door creaked open, a tiny squeak in the suffocating silence. A familiar scent, cologne that smelled like danger and bad decisions, flooded the room. She squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to sleep, even though her heart thumped like a bass drum solo.

The footsteps got closer, slow and deliberate, making her skin crawl. They stopped right beside the bed, and a heavy silence pressed down on them, broken only by her ragged breathing. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel his stare, hot and heavy like a summer sun.

Then, a touch. Light, almost like a butterfly landing, but it sent a jolt through her. His fingers grazed her bare arm, making goosebumps erupt across her skin. This touch – it was a betrayal in itself, a warm contrast to the fear that usually filled her. Her traitorous body remembered his touch, ached for it despite the anger bubbling inside her.

"Ugh," she muttered, trying to sound tough.

A sliver of moonlight peeked through the curtains, showing the devilishly handsome face hovering above her. His expression was hard to read, like a locked treasure chest, but something flickered in his dark eyes, something she couldn't quite understand.

He didn't say anything, but the air crackled with unspoken threats. Her defiance had come at a cost, and tonight, she'd face the consequences. He would make her pay for defying him, for the secrets she dared to steal, for the betrayal hanging heavy in the air. But most of all, he would make her pay for the undeniable fire that ignited within her every time he touched her.

This wasn't just punishment. This was a twisted game between a captive and her captor, a delicious agony that promised both pain and a forbidden pleasure. As his touch lingered, a single question echoed in the silence: Would she survive the night, or would she fall for the devil himself?