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My throat was suddenly dry. I opened my mouth to speak, but my words didn’t come out. Instead, I snapped it shut again and nodded. Isaak stalked away, and Lena finally realized something wasn’t exactly right.
She looked back at me, and her brows furrowed in confusion. “Is Lyov mad?”
My fingers tightened around my shopping bags, and I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s waiting for me. I’ll go and talk to him.”
Lena pulled me back when I took a trembling step toward the stairs. She looked very displeased about the thought of Lyov being mad at me. Her voice dropped an octave when she spoke.
“Is he angry because we left without any protection? I know he expects us to take bodyguards with us every time we leave, but I didn’t think this would be an issue. If it is, I can talk to him and explain.”
My throat was dry, and I swallowed a few times before answering. “Lyov wants to see me. It will be okay.”
The frown on Lena’s face didn’t disappear. Instead, she looked aggravated and utterly saddened by the fact that Lyov and I could possibly have a problem between us. “But from Isaak’s words, I can tell Lyov is mad. And I don’t want you to face him like this, Maria. Lyov is a little…uncontrollable when he’s pissed off. When he’s like this, he’s not the man you’re accustomed to.”
I quickly pulled my hand away from her grasp, shocked and appalled by the meaning of her words. My heart thumped with the need to defend the man I had grown to love. “I’m not scared of Lyov. He will never hurt me.”
Her eyes widened, realizing her mistake, and she tried to reason with me. “I know. I didn’t say he would hurt you. But…”
I stopped her tirade of words with a shake of my head. “I know my Lyov. I know I can handle him when he’s like this.”
I appreciated Lena wanting to help, but Lyov could be a wild beast, and only I knew how to tame the monster if it really came to it.
Placing a hand on Lena’s shoulders, I gave her a comforting pat. “Don’t worry. Today was fun. Thank you for spending it with me.” She gave me a tight smile and watched me walk away.
Each step I took was hard. Lyov had come home early. And I wasn’t here. I wasn’t here to hug him or kiss him or welcome him home like every other time. My smiles were not the first thing he saw as soon as he stepped inside our home.
He always told me how he couldn’t wait to come back to me. How the only thing he cared about was to see me again…His Angel. He said I calmed him. Every time he was away from me, he said it was the hardest for him. And when I was in his embrace again, everything was right for him—for us.
But that wasn’t the worst part. Me not being home was not the problem. Lyov wouldn’t be angry about something like this. No. It was entirely something else that had me crippled with nervousness.
The rules. The rules that I had never once broken…but I did today.
Panic rose in my chest, and my breathing was ragged as I reached the door of our bedroom. I opened it with sweaty palms.
When I walked inside, my knees weakened. There was nothing warm or welcoming about our room. Not like always. This time, it was dark and brooding. A heavy air around us.
Darkness enveloped me, but I could still see him. My Lyov. My Master. He was standing by the large windows that overlooked the back garden, staring intently into the pitch-black night. The moon in the sky cast a small, soft glow on his hardened face.
Lyov looked vicious.
Cold sweat broke out across the skin of my neck, and my heart raced. I felt for the light switch across the wall beside the door. The room was finally illuminated, and I could see him better.
He was still dressed in his immaculate black suit. Lyov stood stoically, his arms behind his back, his fingers laced together. He looked in control and ready to take on the world.
“Lyov,” I whispered, taking a step toward him. He didn’t answer. He didn’t even turn around or acknowledge me. The only reaction I got was his body tightening at the sound of my voice.
There was a lump in my throat when I tried to speak. I said his name again, taking another step further inside the room.
Finally, he spoke. My heart clenched and then soared. But the bittersweet relief that had flooded through me disappeared just as quickly as I felt it, when I acknowledged his words.
Realization dawned to me, and tears sprung to my eyes.
“Go to bed.”
Three simple cold words.
“I…” I started but couldn’t formulate a correct sentence. I could only say his name. It was the only thing that made sense to me. The only thing that felt right. “Lyov.”
