Page 102 of Dual

I roll my eyes, some of my fear giving way to irritation. “Fine. Then what the fuck does he want me to do?”

“Easy.” Pavel waves a hand dismissively. “You marrying into fancy new family is your lucky day. Get your sister-in-law to break up with her new boyfriend.”

I startle, genuinely confused. “Moira?”

“Da. Moira. This is the girl. She breaks up with Bane Blackwolf—” Pavel kisses the tips of his fingers theatrically. “Voila. Chef’s kiss. Everything goes back to normal for you. You get married. Shit out some kids.” He makes a motion of wiping his hands together. “All is done.”

My mind races a thousand miles an hour. Who the fuck isMoira’s new boyfriend?Bane who?Blackwolf. Why does that name feel familiar? And who the fuck gives a shit if they break up with each other?

I haven’t even seen Moira in... I scramble to remember, trying to sort through Anna’s memories, which is always a tangled process. Since the fucking Christmas party, maybe? She did have a man with her then. Was that this Bane guy?

“But if you do not do what I say, big boss man will be very...” Pavel tilts his head back and forth as if trying to think of the appropriate word before finally grinning at me with yellowed teeth. “Displeased.”

He brings the knife back up and starts sharpening a nail, his grin growing even more sinister. “And he says if he is displeased by you, then I can do all the things I want to you and your pretty fiancé.” His eyes glitter with malice in the dim light. “You know how Mikalai loves to play with pretty men when he gets his hands on them.”

Something in me snaps at the threat to Domhnall. I move before thinking, elbowing the knife out of Pavel’s hand and immediately going for his throat with it, my body operating on pure instinct honed by years of survival.

The car careens to a stop, knocking me into the seat well. Still, it’s only the driver jumping back and restraining me that keeps me from snuffing out Pavel’s life then and there. I thrash against his grip, wild with rage.

“Don’t you dare fucking threaten Domhnall like that,” I spit, “or I’ll fucking disembowel you while you’re still alive to watch!”

Pavel just laughs, wiping away blood from where I nicked him before the driver got me under control. He licks the blood off his thumb, the gesture deliberately provocative.

“I truly do hope you fail,Pcholka. Little bee,” he says, his voice dropping to a purr. “I’ll make you regret your sting.” His nostrils flare. “And, oh, how I’ll enjoy making you scream.”

“So, you take deal?” asks the man from the front seat, finally letting me go, though he keeps one hand hovering near my shoulder.

I breathe hard, weighing my options, my mind calculating angles and consequences with cold precision.

It’s not like there’s really a choice.

So I nod once, sharply.

“Yes, fine. I take the deal.” Then I shove out the door and into the dry, cool desert air. The night spreads around me, vast and indifferent, the stars watching like distant, dispassionate observers.

“We’ll be watching your every step,” Pavel calls after me. “There is no running away from us, Pcholka. You cannot hide from my boss. So be a good little bee and do as you’re told.”

I shoot him the bird as I walk back toward the front of the luxury establishment, but inside, I’m ice cold with calculation. There’s always a way out. There’s always an angle to play. I just have to find it before Pavel’s boss loses patience.

Domhnall barely stirs as I slip back into bed after cleaning the sand and dirt off of me, my mind still racing with how the fuck I’m going to get us out of this. He mumbles something in his sleep, and his arm slides around my waist,pulling me against his chest. I let myself melt into his warmth for just a moment, allowing the solid reality of him to ground me.

Tomorrow, I’ll figure out who the fuck this Bane is and why he’s so important. Tomorrow, I’ll start putting together a plan. Tomorrow, I’ll find a way to keep Domhnall safe without him ever knowing he was in danger.

But tonight, I let myself have this—his breath against my neck, his heart beating steady against my back. I memorize every sensation of the feel of his big, warm body against mine, storing it away like something precious.

Because no matter what happens next, no matter what I have to do to end this, I’ll always have tonight.

THIRTY-TWO

April, back in Dallas

MADS

"I thinkwe should have Moira over," I say, after we've gotten home, unpacked our bags, and eaten an early lunch. The words taste strange in my mouth, like I'm speaking a foreign language. The house feels both familiar and alien---like everything I touch has been shifted slightly to the left while we were gone. But then,Ihaven't been here since January, have I? My hand trails over the kitchen counter, the soft back of the couch, and then, as always, Donny.

Domhnall's shoulders tense at my suggestion, muscles bunching beneath his shirt. "Where is this coming from?" His voice is suspicious, blue eyes narrowing as he turns to face me. The perfect mouth I was kissing at the luxury resort just yesterday now twists with mistrust.

I shrug, feigning a casualness I don't feel. It hurts, having him so close but feeling so far from him. Always secrets between us now. I free myself of one only to be anchored down with another, worse one. It was better when he had me in his dungeon, even though I was shut in Anna's box. I could see out, and we were safe. We were with Donny finally, and we were safe to finally justbe.