Page 12 of Darkest Sin

“I’m a thirty-five year old boy then.” I pat him on the back hard, which makes him flinch. “If you don’t give me Natalya, then you’ll have a war on your hands. Think about it.”

I give him a wink then walk away. This time, he doesn’t follow me.

Natalya

I watch as Mikhail leaves the house. The fact that I’mdisappointed means something.

The way he just touched my face and told me he would make me his sends a shiver down my spine. It’s both terrifying and exciting. To have a man as powerful as him want to claim me is something I never thought would happen.

A part of me wants to be the black swan and say yes. Let him take me. Let him seduce me.

But I’ve always been the white swan, playing by the rules. Innocent. Afraid to go after what I want.

I see Antoni talking to Denis across the room. After my conversation with Mikhail, Antoni tried touching my leg without my consent, just like he did to my mom. I sought safety around my mom and sisters so he couldn’t try anything but I’ve been watching him eye me over all night. He wants me and I know he’s not going to wait for me to give permission for him to touch me.

It's nothimI want touching me anyway.

The simple touch Mikhail gave to my face was more powerful than any touch I received as a ballet dancer. Jake, my fellow dancer has touched my inner thighs and back whenever he’s lifted me up. But Jake, being gay, has never lit my body on fire. Those touches were innocent. They were done in the name of dance.

But Mikhail’s touch to my face was not innocent. It was his way of saying I’m his.

And I don’t think I’ll be able to stop him. Nor do I want to.

Chapter Three

Natalya

Uncle Denis makes it clear the day after the funeral that he’s moving in.

It doesn’t matter that my mom stands in the doorway with her gun drawn. Denis brushes right past her into the house.

“You’re not going to shoot me, Tatiana,” he says, handing her his coat like she’s the maid.

“I might.”

“If you were going to do it, you would have done it already. Put the gun down.”

“Mom,” I say, standing on the stairwell with my sisters. I don’t want to risk losing my mom too.

Slowly, she lowers the gun with a sigh. “I said I didn’t want you moving in here.”

“And I said that you don’t get a choice. This is Lev’s home, which means it’s my home now.”

“You did not buy this place. Your name is not on the lease. Mine is. I raised Lev’s children in this house. You have no claim to it.”

Denis only shrugs. “I’ll make sure to get my name on the lease. Don’t you worry.” He nods at his coat in her hand. “Aren’t you going to hang that up for me?”

With a grumble, she tosses the coat onto the coat rack. “There. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.” His eyes find mine. “Natalya, you’ll be meeting with Antoni later today. We’re going to discuss wedding plans.”

I shiver. Marrying Antoni is not what I want but my only other choice is Mikhail, who I’m not sure I want to be with either. Yes, Mikhail is disarmingly handsome. Yes, he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

But that doesn’t mean I trust him. Will he take care of my sisters? He’s only made it clear he wants me. He’s never said anything about wanting my family too.

And right now, I need to do everything I can to protect my sisters. If I marry a man Denis doesn’t approve of, he just might force Sasha into a marriage as soon as possible. She might even have to marry Antoni. She’s nineteen, so legally she’s an adult. Old enough to get married.

“I have to run by the theater first,” I tell him. “I left some of my things behind and I want to retrieve them. Some of my fellow dancers wanted to see me and wish me condolences.”