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He was right and I knew it, but I was too angry to go down that path. If Vlas came after me without the approval of his boss, there was going to be hell to pay all across the board. But that didn’t matter, not yet at least.
I leaned forward and looked over at Aida. She was staring into space still and had barely moved since we got back to the house. I shifted my weight and grunted as a fresh stab of pain sliced through my side. Steven leaned forward and shook his head.
“Stay there. I’ll bring her over.”
I looked at him then nodded and leaned back. Steven got up and walked over to Aida. He said something to her then helped her to her feet and walked her over. She moved on autopilot, almost like a robot, and he guided her down into the chair he’d just left. He nodded at me and walked off, disappearing through the front hallway. I heard his footsteps echo on the stone, and I heard him speak softly with Gino out in the front foyer.
My eyes drifted over Aida. She wore a navy blue button-down shirt that showed just a hint of cleavage. It was splattered with bits of my blood. Her hair was a mess, half of it still up in a bun, the other half fallen down around her shoulders and back. I leaned toward her. “Hey,” I said.
She met my eyes. “My ears are still ringing,” she said.
I nodded and sighed. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Will it go away?”
“Probably,” I said. “But it might not.”
“Is my hearing damaged forever now?”
I just shrugged. “We should talk.”
“What about?” She frowned at me. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine.” I stared at her for a long moment. “Aida, you know what happened back there, right?”
“Some men tried to kill you.”
“Yes, they did,” I said, my voice soft. “They tried to kill you, too.”
“But they didn’t. You… you saved me.” She frowned and cocked her head. “You killed two of them.”
“I did,” I agreed.
“Left them in the street.”
“Couldn’t do anything for them.”
“Would you have?”
“No,” I said. “I would’ve left them to rot.”
“I thought so.” Her voiced sounded far away and she didn’t move a muscle. It was like she was a robot.
I leaned forward again and forced myself to my feet. I clenched my jaw as a fresh wave of pain hit me. She frowned and stared at me, her head tilted, concern in her expression. I moved over toward her and leaned forward, one hand supporting my weight on the arm of the chair, looming above her pretty face.
She didn’t move. I took her chin with my other hand and tilted her face up toward me. I stared into her eyes then licked my fingers. I used them to wipe the blood off her skin. It came off in small dabs and streaks. I wiped my fingers on my pants, licked them again, and tasted the copper and iron of my blood. I wiped her face until it was clean again. She stared into my eyes the whole time and didn’t move a muscle.
My heart was racing. Fuck, being close to her drove me wild. I didn’t know what that feeling was, where it came from, but it suffused my body with a deep longing glow. I killed her father, I murdered him in front of her, and yet I wanted to make her my own.
I wanted to take her dead father up on his offer and make her my bride.
I knew it was insane, but in the moment, I needed it.
“Are you mine, Aida?” I whispered.
She bit her lip. “I don’t know.”
“You’re going to be.” I moved closer, my hand sliding back along her cheek then grasping hard in her hair. I pulled it, made her gasp, her eyes widening and her body loosening. Maybe I woke her up, I couldn’t tell, but I leaned closer and pressed my lips to her ear. “You’re going to be mine, little Aida. Your father gave you to me as a gift, said you could be my bride. And I’m taking him up on it.”
She pressed her hands against my chest. For just a moment, I thought she might kiss me.
Instead, she pushed me back.
I released her hair and straightened. I winced again as pain flashed in my stitched side. She stared at me, mouth hanging open, breathing hard. “What the hell are you talking about?” she said.
“You heard me,” I growled. “You think this is a game? You were almost killed because of me. And I won’t let that happen again.” Anger ripped through me as I remembered throwing her down onto the floor of the car and covering her body with my own. My only thought in that moment was I had to save her, I had to keep her safe.
