Page 6 of Darkest Desire

“How do you get it? You’re a rich man. You’ve always had choices.”

He smirks. I hate how handsome he looks when he does it. Cheeky like he’s keeping a secret that makes me desperate to want to know what exactly he’s keeping from me. “True. I have always had choices. I’ve had the choice of any woman I could want. And right now, I want you.”

“Right now? So if we marry -,”

“Oncewe’re married.”

“- are you going to cheat on me? If you get tired of me that is.”

“Oh, Sasha.” His eyes rake me over head to toe. The summer dress I’m in barely offers me any protection. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of you.”

His compliments are unnerving. I feel thrown off my feet and I don’t know how to find steady ground again.

“I don’t want this,” I repeat.

“I know. I heard you.” He smiles down at me, knowing he has all the power here. “But this is going to happen. We’ll be married soon. Denis and I have been in talks about it for months now. I know he wants the wedding to happen by the end of the month.”

I practically gag on air. “By the end of the month?”

“Isn’t it better for you to just get it over with?”

“I’d rather not get it over with at all. I don’t want this to happen.”

He sighs, moving away from me, and shoving his hands in his pockets. “You can take it up with Denis. But I’m only agreeing to this alliance with him if I get you as a wife. And I will get you for my wife, Sasha.”

“Why?”

“You’re fascinating.”

Denis enters the living room. “How is everything going?”

“It’s going great,” Nico answers for the two of us. “Sasha and I are great fit. I can already tell.”

“That’s great,” he says, clapping his hands together.

Nico pats him on the back. “I should get going. Sasha, I’ll see you at the wedding.” There’s a dark sparkle to his eye that makes me want to punch him in his distractingly handsome face.

Before I can open my mouth to object, Nico leaves the house and Denis storms over to me.

“If you don’t go through with this wedding,” he says, “then I will not hesitate to hurt your sisters.”

I’ve seen him do it too many times to know that he’ll do it again.

My only choice is to marry Nico.

Unless… unless I had help. If I could escape and get to Mikhail, I’m sure he’d try to take Nico down. But it’s been a little less than a year since I’ve seen Natalya and Nico is still alive and I’m still stuck here. My older sister has abandoned me.

Even if she’s trying to get me back, she’s failed at it and I can’t help but feel all alone again.

I have to get to her and Mikhail. They’re my only chance out of this mess. Once I’m married to Nico, I’ll be on the opposite side of a war to Natalya and while we have our differences, that is the last thing I want.

“Fine,” I grit out, since Denis is still waiting for an answer from me. “I will marry Nico. Happy?”

“Yes. But don’t give me that attitude. Now go to your room.”

My eyes flick to the front door. Denis has a guard stationed there, making it impossible to leave. If I want a chance to escape, I have to wait until nightfall. The only problem is, my bedroom is on the second story.

Denis keeps his eyes on me as I head up the stairs. The guard stationed upstairs makes sure I get into my room. I hear the door lock from the outside. My family and I are truly prisoners here.This home used to be a safe space. Used to be full of love and laughter and fun, even when my father was being strict. He still loved us.