Page 108 of Devil's Vows

“Breathe,moya ptichka.”

“Ivan—”

“Shh.” I take my time to untie and tie the knot again, making sure she’s as decent as she’s going to be in a sexy-as-fuck robe like this. “It’s cold out, too cold for this flimsy fabric.”

It’s a diluted reprimand from the one that came to mind the moment I saw her, but that’s because my men—without a doubt a bunch of perverts—were still around. Now it’s just us, and Yuri is standing a yard behind her, respectfully not watching.

“Ona govorít po-russki, Pakhan,” Yuri says, breaking the silence.

She speaks Russian.

I let go, the whole exercise a test of my control. I really want to press her against the wall, tear open the robe, and pound into her.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” I answer in Russian. “She’s full of secrets, but we’ll unravel them all, won’t we,my little bird?”

“I’ll tell you everything,” she whispers, and I smirk.

She really does speak Russian. Not great, but Russian all the same. No wonder she never asked me whatmoya ptichkameans. And to think that’s been bugging me.Always trust your instincts.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Gabriella,” I say with a sigh. “Yuri is going to raid your room to find every single thing you’ve brought from home. Check every pill and every powder for poison.” I cut him a glance. “You saw the clip? There’s a burner phone in the bathroom, in a box of sanitary napkins.”

Yuri nods.

Gabriella blinks, and all color drains from her face. “I can explain?—”

“I hope you can, because right now, things look rather bleak for you.” But I can’t do this here. Not like this. Not in the fucking barracks. I’m still sweat-drenched and in my wedding trousers. “I’m going to shower, and check in on my girls, since clearly, nobody is currently close to them.”

“I called Kostya as soon as Igor let me know shit was going down,” Yuri says. “He’s with the girls.”

“Good. Best give him a raise. The man is multitasking beyond the scope of his job description.”

Yuri nods and walks off, leaving me alone with my wife.

We stare at each other. She doesn’t look down; she doesn’t step away and bolt. She just nervously chews her bottom lip, making it wet and plump, ripe for kissing.

“Don’t do that,” I grunt. For all that’s transpired, I still want her.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.” She blows out a breath. “I-I?—”

“Need a drink?” I suggest, because this is becoming a long night for all the wrong reasons. “Save the explanations for now, until you’ve ordered your thoughts. I want bullet points, so I don’t need to torture the truth from you in a way that makes logical sense.”

“Don’t you dare?—”

I grab her wrist, and she strains against my easy hold, gaze flashing. “Don’t I dare what?”

“Hurt me. My brothers have Milana?—”

Oh, boy.“And anybody who hurts a hair on my sister’s body will reap my vengeance in return.”

As if the past few hours have taught her nothing. As if the few times we’ve pushed her boundaries, I haven’t been the most considerate fucking man on the planet, so patient with my sweet virgin.As if I would hurt a woman,but I don’t spell that out for her.

The fire in her eyes screams that for all Gabriella pretendsto be a docile, timid convent girl, there is a little devil rattling its cage inside of her, one she’s locked up for far too long.

“And what about Darya? How she died? Are you going to make mecommit suicide,too? Now that you’ve labeled me aspy.”

Fuck me. This is totally uncalled for. To imagine she has this intel is too much, but it seems she knows already that I kill gently when it comes to the opposite sex.

“Now you’re fucking with the wrong side of this Russian,” I hiss, and she jerks against my firm hold on her wrist, ready to make a run for it, but lessons will be learnt tonight.