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“And Zakhar knew that your brother would naturally wish to take your place.” Gunsyn’s voice is low and dark. “No matter who accepted the hit, the result would have been the same. A dead son.”
“I wish you would’ve told me these things sooner.” I pick up my glass and sip the wine to keep my hand steady at the revelation. “And not held such secrets so close to your chest.”
He nods in a salute as he stands to leave. “I do too. But you never want to listen, Nikolai Gennadyevich.”
The door closes behind him. A moment later, the elevator chimes. But Gunsyn’s words remain with me long after he’s gone. The ugly truth hangs in the air.
Eden may be innocent, but she will always be a threat. Despite our shared losses, she cannot be trusted.How convenient that Zakhar’s daughter emerged immediately after my coronation.
It’s as if this is a plan almost twenty years in the making. How long has Zakhar been plotting this? Was Eden’s mother involved as well? How deep does this conspiracy go?
Alone, I sit down at the table and close my eyes as I run through the possibilities in my head. Each one ends the same way: each one ends at the same conclusion.
I cannot protect her and the Bratva at once. Eden was born to treachery, and loving her is an act of betrayal to the Bratva that I vowed in front of others to protect. How can I explain my own duplicity by loving her? How can I get rid of Zakhar Budanov and allow her to live?
A dark thought flits across my mind—one that ends with my hands wrapped around her delicate throat and squeezing until the light in her golden hazel eyes is blotted out.
My hands tremble at the thought. My heart races.
Can I?
“Nikolai.” Eden’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and she’s standing in the doorway—still in that tantalizing red dress. She takes a few steps forward, and her gaze locks on mine. “What did Gunsyn want?” she asks quietly. “What did he tell you?”
I sit up in my chair and glare at Eden as if my blood has been replaced with venom. “I told you to go.”
Eden swallows hard as a frail courage makes her stand firm. “Did he say anything about my father?”
I stand, moving toward her, my mind screaming at me to stop. “Go.”
Eden backs away. “If you talked to my father … I promise?—”
“Promise? You?” I snap, grabbing her by the shoulders and squeezing tight. “It doesn’t bother you that your father is a traitor to the Bratva, a traitor who’s responsible for my brother’s death?”
“That’s not true!” Her eyes widen.
“And how are you so sure of it?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer and instead only challenges me with a hard look. My grip tightens slightly, but I refuse to go further. There’s still something in me that holds back, something that stops me from becoming the monster I can be.
… the monster that Ineedto be.
Eden shakes my grip off and sprints toward the stairs. She starts to ascend, her feet racing in the direction of her room. She pauses for a second to see if I’m following. A foolish mistake. I bolt toward her, sprinting faster than she can climb. With a whimper, Eden rushes up the stairs, her hands desperately clawing at the handrail with each step. When she reaches the top, she takes off running down the hallway. But it’s impossible to run away from me.
She gasps as I press her into the door, and we tumble into the room onto the floor. Eden struggles to stand up, but I keep her down easily, rolling her onto her back and trapping her body underneath mine.
She struggles harder, and the movement of her body makes me rock hard.
“Get off me!” she shouts. “Get off me!”
I’m losing control, and closing my eyes, I desperately try to regain it. I grasp Eden’s wrists to subdue her, but it only makes matters worse. I exhale slowly and create a slight gap between us to ease the pressure.
Eden’s face is covered with tears, but she’s not afraid. I can tell. She hates me too much to be afraid anymore.
“Isn’t this what you want?” I whisper. “Don’t you want to kill me?”
Eden stares into my eyes, biting her lip hard before she gasps greedily for air. “I don’t want anyone to die.” Eden’s body vibrates against my chest, and my hold loosens as I reach for her head.
I hold her tightly, forcefully kissing her mouth. She can’t break away no matter how hard she fights. She tries to turn her head, but I yank it back, roughly clasping my fingertips around her cheeks to keep her in place. I shove my tongue into her mouth. Eden tries to push me off her, but she can’t.
