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“I want one hundred days of your life. To control you, to educate you, and to seduce you. I want to teach you how the world can be a beautiful place, full of wondrous experiences and happiness. Not the evil place you have inhabited until now and not the dark, twisted hell you have lived in. I want you, Lilli flower, until my obsession fades.”
CHAPTER 25
MIKHAIL
Iwatch the shock deepen in her eyes with every word I speak. I feel her tremble under my brutal hands as she learns her fate, and I love watching the blood drain from her face when she discovers the high price she will pay. I also note the lust flare in her eyes. The excitement and, dare I say it, relief. Yes, for all her words to the contrary, Lilli is scared of her freedom.
She is afraid of being sent out into the cold world that hasn’t done her any favors so far. She has no one looking out for her and as fucked up as this is; I am her knight in deepening shadows and without me, she is unsure how to proceed. She came to me with nothing but also holds something money can’t buy. A priceless object that may hold many secrets, ones I’m sure she doesn’t realize the importance of.
She will hand over her sister’s diary and her life to me and I will take them both in my hands and use them to get what I want, as always.
For some reason, what I want most in life is her, and I stare with smug satisfaction at the relief in her eyes as her words say something else entirely.
“You’re not really selling this, Mikhail.” Her lips twitch, betraying her words.
“I’m not a salesman, Lilli. I state fact.”
My thumb rubs across her lower lip, and I have an overwhelming urge to bite down on it hard. There is so much I want to do to this woman, but she requires careful handling. I will not be like those other men and take without care. I want my flower to open to me and blossom before my eyes. She must crave me so much she loses her mind and when I’ve dealt with my obsession with her, I will send her away with enough money to start again. She is my project, my gift to society because I am taking an injured, broken soul and caressing it back to magnificence.
“What is your answer?”
She exhales roughly and pulls away from me, confusion darkening her eyes as she drags in rough breaths. She stands and moves across to the window, the soft lighting touching her curves as the thin dress moves fluidly around her body.
“I don’t understand, Mikhail. What is the trade?”
I lean back against the couch and admire the view and say casually, “I am your revenge against your enemies. Your weapon of destruction. I finish what you started, and your sister’s death will count for something.”
“By killing the men responsible. How does that count for anything?”
She sounds so sad, and I say evenly, “That is up to you to decide. You see, you think you want revenge. To hurt those who ruined your life. At least that’s how you see it. You want to hit out, strike them hard, and you think it will give you closure. It won’t.”
I stand and move toward her slowly and love how she meets my gaze with an interest that settles my heart.
I reach for her hand and as it slips into mine, I draw her over to the window and we stare down at the bright lights below.
“Unspeakable things are happening right now, stuff that goes against humanity. You think punishing them is the answer. Removing them from life, or inflicting harm on them will be enough. You have so much hatred burning inside you become just like them, but if you walk away, it’s admitting defeat. They have won.”
“So, what’s the answer, Mikhail? How can I live with the pain?”
She sounds so forlorn it makes me smile because my little assassin doesn’t really have a bad bone in her body, despite what she thinks.
“Be better than them, Lilli. Use your strengths to your advantage and beat them at their own game.”
“But how?” Her fingers grip mine and I physically long to experience the whole of her right now. To slip that dress from her shoulder and watch it pool at her feet. To gaze at her shivering body and spend the entire night exploring every inch of it. I want her so badly I will do anything to make that happen and one hundred days is a start at least, but I’m not convinced it will be enough.
Her eyes sparkle against the dusky light, and I reach up and cup her beautiful face in my rough tattooed hands and whisper darkly, “Me Lilli. You have me. Your dark angel of retribution and if revenge is what you seek, I am the best man for the job. In return, I get one hundred days of your life and save you from yourself.”
“Myself?”
Her lips tremble and I whisper against them, “Your soul will remain pure as I punish those who hurt you. You will walk away to a new life, leaving the pain behind, knowing your own conscience is clear. Money can’t buy that, Lilli, and what I’m offering you is priceless.”
“But you want my soul, Mikhail.”
She sighs against my lips. “You want the whole of me in return.”
I stare deep into her eyes and say huskily, “We both know I already have it.”
I crush my lips to hers in defiance. I know she wants this—wants me. It’s like a written invitation in her eyes as she stares at me with longing. She hates that she wants me and is terrified of her darkest thoughts, but we both know she is not going anywhere.
