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“And he was following me. He dropped a gift off at a little coffee shop. I know it was him, although he’s entirely different than he was eight years ago.” I could feel Alexei seething, his anger reaching the boiling point.
“We are finished talking, Stephanie. We’re leaving. Now.”
I took a long stride away, shaking my head. There was such cruelty in the man, a total relentlessness that I’d ignored. “No, Alexei. I’m not your property. I need to talk to the police. I need to help the investigation so that bastard can be hunted down like the animal he is.”
When he grabbed my arm, yanking me closer, I struggled to no avail. “It’s interesting,l’vitsa, that you consider me an animal as well. Do you fully understand what that man is capable of? Did you hear the gory details about his talent for gutting a man within thirty seconds, my sweet? Did you learn what he does to beautiful women who’ve betrayed him, the disfigurement he causes?”
I couldn’t stop shivering. “If you trying to scare me any more than I already am, don’t bother. I know exactly what that son of a bitch is capable of. I also know what you’re capable of. And yes, he wants to destroy me for what I did to him. He blames me. He cravesme.”
“Well, he’ll be required to come through me. My mark is a clear warning.”
“I’m not going with you, Alexei. I can’t. Just because you had me inked doesn’t mean I’m now some possession.”
“Forgive me, my lioness, but I don’t remember forcing you into that chair or handcuffing you either. You wanted to be a part of my world. You craved then as you do now what only I can offer you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Passion as well as protection.”
“You’re a fucking son of a bitch,” I spat off, every emotion running the gamut. Anger. Self-loathing. Desire. Goddamn the intensity of longing I felt by being in the same room with the man.
“But that only makes you want me more.”
“You killed that man in St. Martin. Didn’t you?” I demanded. He huffed instead of answering me. “Didn’t you?”
He pulled me onto my toes, the subtle glimmer of moon managing to highlight his eyes. “I’ve told you that in my world, I do what’s necessary to keep order. It would seem you’ve been keeping secrets from me.”
“What are you talking about? Let me go.”
“No, we’re leaving now. Our further discussion will be on my terms. You have two minutes to get your things together. That’s all the time I’m willing to give you.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“Then I will be forced to expose the side of me that you so seem to fear.” There was a darkness in his tone that I didn’t understand, as if I’d done something wrong.
“Why are you doing this? Why? You were almost sweet in St. Martin, acting as if you didn’t have a care in the world. You were kind and full of life and laughter. We were close and not just when you were fucking me. Were you just using me? Deceiving me?”
I was shocked when he wrapped his fingers around my throat, lowering his head. “It would seem, my little lioness, that you’re the one who’s been hiding behind a veil of deception. As of now that ends. Make no mistake, Stephanie. I meant what I said. You now belong to me. You thought you were only sleeping with the enemy. Now you’re going to know what it feels like to fuck a monster.”
CHAPTER14
Alexei
I’d shocked her, insulted her.
I’d finally helped her to fully appreciate the situation she was in, the danger level we were both facing. In doing so, I’d terrified her.
And I’d broken her trust.
While that hadn’t been my intention, I couldn’t get past the fury that she’d been deceiving me all along. Had she hungered for power to the point she’d sold her soul? I couldn’t get the ugly thought from my mind even as I’d studied her in the darkness, allowing the shadows to hide a good portion of my anger.
But as she’d done from the beginning, she’d managed to get under my skin with the temptation of her body, her sweet scent. I’d come here to offer protection, but things had changed. I’d made good on my claim of owning her and there was no going back.
Even if she’d lied to me, I wouldn’t be able to get her out of my system, even if it was my responsibility to eliminate every enemy who dared cross our path.
Gregory had all but implicated her, his snide remarks reeking of fear, yet he wanted me to believe that the woman I’d slept with was the bad seed. Too many things weren’t adding up. One way or the other, I would determine the truth.
Stephanie remained defiant, the glassiness of her eyes accentuated in the strip of moonlight. She remained unflinching, refusing to succumb to her fears even though my hand remained firmly wrapped around her lovely throat. She’d been the only real representation of light to my darkness, good to my evil, and the hunger for her had only increased in the few hours I’d been separated from her.
