Chapter 11: Branded by Fire

  Kenji hesitated, rubbing his raw wrists, every instinct screaming at him to run. But where? And how? The heavily built bodyguard lingered near the door like a silent, muscle-bound statue, and Madame Leone radiated an intensity that felt like a physical barrier. Her extended hand waited, not patiently, but with the coiled readiness of a predator daring its prey to refuse. Her molten gold eyes burned with possessive certainty.

  Taking her hand felt less like a choice and more like an inevitability. Her grip was firm, warm, sending a jolt – not of fear this time, but of pure, arming heat – up his arm. It felt like being grasped by contained fire.

  "Wise decision," Leone purred, her voice a low rumble of satisfaction. She pulled him closer, easily maneuvering him until he stood directly before her. She didn't release his hand; instead, her other hand came up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing possessively across his lower lip. "So much more responsive than Katarina's ice. You were made for warmth, Kenji. For my warmth."

  Her gaze swept over him again, lingering on the silk robe – Kat's mark on him. A dangerous flicker ignited in her eyes. "First," she decred, her voice dropping, "we get rid of this… reminder." With a sudden, decisive movement, she gripped the front of the silk robe and ripped it open down the front with surprising strength. Buttons scattered, silk tore. Kenji flinched back, startled, now mostly bare-chested before her fiery scrutiny.

  "Much better," Leone murmured, her eyes drinking in the sight of his Adonis physique, now exposed to her proprietary gaze. "No more lingering frost." Her fingers traced the lines of his colrbone, then trailed lower, sketching patterns across his chest. Her touch wasn't tentative like Kat's initial explorations; it was bold, deliberate, branding him with her heat. "You feel that?" she whispered, leaning closer, her warm breath ghosting across his skin. "That's real passion. Something that Snow Leopard couldn't even comprehend, let alone offer."

  [System Warning: Possessive Marking Behavior Escated! Target establishing Dominance through Physical Assertion and Territorial Marking (Removal of Rival's Symbolism)! Yandere Intensity: 92%!]

  "Madame Leone, please—" Kenji started, trying to pull back slightly, utterly overwhelmed.

  "Isabel," she corrected him instantly, her voice sharp but threaded with possessive intimacy. "You will call me Isabel. Only my enemies and subordinates use 'Madame'." Her grip tightened on his hand, her gaze demanding compliance. "And you," she added, her voice softening into a possessive growl, "are neither."

  She released his hand only to slide her arm possessively around his waist, pulling his bare chest against the fine fabric of her bzer. He could feel the firm muscle beneath, the radiating heat of her body. It was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure. "Come," she commanded, turning and leading him towards a different door concealed within the wood paneling. "My private study. Far more comfortable. We have much to discuss… and even more to explore."

  The bodyguard remained impassively by the main door as Leone guided Kenji through the hidden panel. It opened into a space that was still luxurious but felt more personal – deep velvet armchairs, shelves lined with ancient-looking tomes alongside modern data stes, and a firepce where low fmes danced, casting flickering shadows. The room felt like the heart of her power, her personal den.

  She led him to one of the armchairs near the fire, gently pushing him down into it. Before he could react, she settled not opposite him, but gracefully onto the wide armrest beside him, her thigh pressing firmly against his shoulder, effectively pinning him again. She picked up a heavy crystal decanter from a nearby table – different from the one in the office, this one filled with a deep ruby liquid.

  "Forget that harsh brandy Volkov favors," Isabel murmured, pouring a generous measure into a single snifter. "This is Siren's Blood wine. Ancient vintage. Warms you from the inside out." She didn't offer him the gss. Instead, she took a slow, deliberate sip herself, her molten eyes locked on his over the rim. Then, she leaned down, her lips hovering just above his. The scent of the rich wine mingled with her own fiery perfume.

  "Taste," she commanded softly, her voice thick with implication.

  Before Kenji could process or refuse, she closed the distance, capturing his mouth in a kiss that was vastly different from Kat's demanding possessiveness. This was pure fire – hot, consuming, ciming him with an aggressive passion that left no room for thought, only reaction. She shared the taste of the wine, her tongue exploring his mouth with dominant confidence, demanding surrender, branding him with her heat, her taste, her presence.

  When she finally pulled back, leaving him breathless and reeling, her eyes bzed with triumphant possession. A single drop of the ruby wine glistened on her lower lip like a bead of blood.

  "You," she stated, her voice a low, possessive growl that vibrated through him, "belong in the fire, Kenji. Here. With me." She trailed a finger across his lips, wiping away the trace of wine, her touch lingering possessively. "And I assure you," her smile turned predatory, promising untold intensities, "I burn far hotter than any Snow Leopard could ever dream."

  He was trapped again, not by ice, but by inferno. And the Lioness holding him captive had just demonstrated she had every intention of consu

  ming him in her possessive fmes.