Axel kept his hand on the small of Chloe's back as he guided her out of the bedroom. They walked down the long corridor to the dining room.
Charles Sullivan, the head butler, stood by the mahogany table. He had already set out plates of eggs benedict and fresh fruit.
When Charles saw Axel's hand resting on Chloe's waist, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He immediately bowed his head and stared at the floor.
Axel pulled out a custom leather chair for Chloe. She sat down. Axel took the seat directly next to her, ignoring his usual place at the head of the table.
Chloe picked up her knife and fork. She cut into the poached egg. The yolk spilled over the muffin. She took a bite and chewed slowly.
Axel watched her throat swallow. The rigid line of his jaw relaxed. He picked up the silver carafe and poured black coffee into her cup.
"Get dressed," Axel said, setting the carafe down. "We are leaving."
Chloe wiped her mouth with a linen napkin. She did not ask where they were going. She nodded, stood up, and walked back toward the bedroom.
Axel tracked her every movement, his eyes burning holes into her back.
Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the private elevator into the underground garage. Axel bypassed the driver. He opened the passenger door of a bulletproof Maybach for Chloe, then got behind the wheel.
He drove out of Manhattan, merging onto the highway toward the Bronx.
Low cello music played through the speakers. Axel drove with his left hand. His right hand reached across the center console and locked his fingers with hers. His grip was tight, almost painful.
The Maybach pulled into a secluded private estate. Axel parked in front of a massive glass dome structure.
He got out and opened her door. A cold wind whipped across the driveway. Axel took off his suit jacket and draped it over Chloe's shoulders. The fabric was heavy and smelled of cedar and gunpowder.
They walked to the glass doors. Axel scanned his iris. The doors slid open.
A wave of humid, tropical air hit Chloe's face. The smell of damp earth and vegetation filled her lungs. This was Axel's private reptile greenhouse.
Huge reinforced glass enclosures lined the walls. Thick coils of scales moved in the shadows of the artificial foliage.
Axel walked to a standalone enclosure in the center of the room. He stared at the thick black snake inside.
He turned to Chloe. "Black mamba. The venom stops a human heart in twenty minutes."
Axel punched a code into the keypad. The glass lid unlocked. He reached to the side and grabbed a long metal snake hook.
He slid the hook into the tank, pinned the snake mid-body, and lifted it out.
The black mamba hissed. Its mouth opened, revealing the ink-black interior. The fangs dripped clear liquid.
Axel stepped toward Chloe. He held the hook steady. He watched her face, waiting for the mask to slip, waiting for the screaming to start.
Chloe stood perfectly still. Her breathing did not speed up. Her eyes remained dead calm.
The snake's head swayed ten inches from her nose. She could feel the displacement of air as it hissed.
Axel frowned. The muscle in his jaw ticked.
Chloe raised her right hand. She did not swat at the snake. She wrapped her fingers around Axel's hand holding the metal hook.
She looked past the snake, straight into Axel's eyes.
"As long as I am with you, I am not afraid of hell," she said.
Axel's pupils dilated. The suspicion in his eyes shattered.
He swung the hook over the tank, dropped the snake in, and slammed the lid shut. The lock clicked.
He spun around, grabbed Chloe by the waist, and slammed her back against the glass wall of the enclosure.
He crashed his mouth down on hers. His teeth scraped against her bottom lip. He forced her mouth open, kissing her with a violent, consuming hunger.
Chloe opened her mouth wider. She slid her hands up his chest and gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer.
Axel broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers. His chest heaved.
"You are mine," he rasped. "No one takes you from me."
Chloe smiled.
Axel's expression hardened. "Prove it. Call Julian."
Chloe reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out her iPhone and unlocked the screen.
