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We walk to the door at the end of the hallway. The plaque readsThe Bridal Suite. I hadn’t been expecting to spend the night here. But I don’t ask any moresillyquestions as we walk into the room. In seconds, my bridesmaids are surrounding me. They must know what almost happened. Inessa’s eyes never meet mine as she patiently helps me out of my dress.
I gasp when I see a splatter of blood on the hem. It takes me a second to realize that it belongs to the man who attacked me. Wordlessly, Inessa balls up the dress tightly and leaves the room with it.
I’m guided to a chair in front of a vanity. Katerina brushes the tangles out of my hair, and Natasha wraps a robe around me.
“Shall I wait with you?” asks Natasha. Her eyes are soft though her tone is stern. “Andrei Vasilyevich will be back soon.”
I shake my head. “No, thank you, Natasha.”
The corner of her mouth lifts. “You did well, Paige Geraldovna. A pakhan may cheat on his wife, but a wife must always remain loyal. You fought fiercely. You fought bravely. Above all, you fought loyally.”
“I didn’t want him to touch me.” I glare at the simpering smirk on her face.
Why would she think Iwantedthat? These people are not my friends, I remind myself. And I won’t ever make that mistake again. I stand up, matching her gaze with the nastiest look I can summon.
“Thank you, Natasha.” My voice finds a new strength. “But as your pakhan’s wife, I think it’s time that you all get the fuck out while I wait for my husband.”
Chapter 25
Andrei
“I didn’t know the pakhanwantedthe girl.” Seryozha sits on a patch of pine needles in the forest, pleading pathetically for his life. His hands are bound behind him with a ribbon from a bridesmaid’s dress. “I didn’t know she was really his wife.”
The bridal party stands in a circle before him. We’re far away from the castle, where no one can see. Angry eyes are trained on him. Natasha and Katerina have kicked off their shoes and pace around him like sharks, eyes shining in anticipation of violence. Barefoot, they resemble psycho wood nymphs howling for blood.
“She is not yours to touch,durak!” Natasha hits him on the back of the head. “She screamed no, but you didn’t stop.”
“I didn’t know,” he pleads. “She’s not one of us. I thought—”
“Thought?” Katerina hisses. “You are not asked to think. Did your pakhan order you to touch her?”
“You know she cannot defend herself.” Natasha pulls his hair. “You took advantage,mudak.”
I turn my back on them and listen to him yelp after another hard crack. The men step back, watching as the women teach Seryozha a painful lesson on boundaries. They taunt him, digging nails into him, slapping him. He’s lucky the men are here to stop it if things go too far.
Seryozha spent a lot of time as my father’s lapdog. When Father was murdered, Seryozha questioned my ability to lead. He said I was only a faint copy of the original. My father was the true pakhan.
Now, he pleads for my attention. “Andrei Vasilyevich, I didn’t know. I swear it. I thought the wedding was fake. I thought she was just a …”
He stops himself, realizing that the next word could very well be his last.
“Just a what, Seryozha?” I ask softly.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters. “I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”
He knows once the women are finished, the men will beat him, and then he will be shot. No one tolerates the rape of a Bratva woman. Especially by one of our own.
My hands ball into fists, but I don’t turn around.
“Your pakhan asked you a question!” Katerina slaps him.
“I thought she was just bait!” he shouts back. “I thought she was nothing and nobody!”
I spin around. Bleeding scratches and red marks in the shape of hands show where fists have beaten his broken face.
Seryozha continues to shout. “Her purpose was to lure them out, was it not, Andrei Vasilyevich? I thought you hired her to play a part and didn’t care if she died or not.”
I hold myself still while I catch my breath. A visceral image of Paige in her wedding dress, being shot, plays in my mind. Her mouth opens and those crystal blue eyes stare lifelessly. I don’t know why I care now, but I do.
