Page 96 of An Heir to Blood and Power

But he didn’t.

He said, “You don’t have to trust me.”

“I don’t trustanyone.And I won’t ever again. Nothing matters.”

“Yes, that’s quite a refrain. ‘Nothing matters.’ Did you say that before that fool left you at the altar?”

No.“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”

He nodded. “You didn’t, then. You don’t have to trust me because we’re already married. We’ll have a post-nup contract soon enough. First thing in the morning, if you like. It will state that I cannot leave you or attempt a divorce for one year.”

“Yeah, or else, what? That Ueli guy will spank you?”

His quick glance at me had amused crinkles at the corners of his eyes and a pressed smile. “Or else I’ll pay you triple.”

The insanity ofthatshook me like an earthquake. “Holy Christ on a cracker, Nicolai.No!”

“You’re right. It’s not enough. Let’s say, five times. You’re a very good negotiator, you know.”

I started backpedaling like I was on a unicycle heading for a cliff edge. “You don’t have to do that. No,don’tdo that. I don’t want you to.”

“I’m glad we took this time to think the contract through,” he said, looking up at the chandelier on the ceiling and nodding. “Yes, five times is a proper round amount. During this year, I will be financially responsible for your expenses, and I will be at your beck and call.”

“That sounds like you’re my secretary.”

He turned like a panther and stalked me as he crawled across the bed to where I was sitting up against the headboard. “I’m not your secretary.”

SEC-ruh-tree.Oh, his cute little English accent.

“I’m your lover, Empress.”

Nicolai was obviously messing with me. “Oh, comeon.”

His blue eyes were bright as sapphires as he crawled across the comforter to stare directly into my eyes. “You do realize that being married to me makes you the Empress of Russia insome circles, even though we willnotacknowledge that. You’re not a princess. You’re a queen. Now stop being worried about me leaving you, because Ican’t.That’s why we need the annulment.Because I can’t.”

Now I was worried about him not beingable to.“I don’t like the thought that youcan’t.”

His arms pinned the comforter around my hips, pressing my thighs into the mattress. “We will sign the marriage contract tomorrow morning, likely against the strenuous advice of counsel.” He chuckled to himself. “I can hardly wait to see my lawyers’ faces when they see the quintuple-or-nothing clause.”

Wait a gol-danged minute.“Or nothing?”

He tilted his head. “That’s only fair. If you leave me in a way that breaks the contract, then it’s nothing.”

“In a way that breaks the contract,” I repeated.

His eyes creased with a suppressed smile. “We’ll define the terms, but there’s always the option of an attic on the moors.”

I was never going to live that down. “Oh my God! Stop!”

“Well then, I guess we’re stuck together.”

Stuck together for a year.

I could put up with almost anything for the kind of money he was offering.

Change-my-life-forever money.

The unreality of the way he threw money around like sparkling fairy dust is what made me believe for a few drunken moments that Nicolai and his friends might be fae folk from beyond the Wall again. “Nicolai, why are youdoing this?”