Page 109 of His Darkest Obsession

"I'm scared," she finally admits, her voice small.

"I know. That's why I'm bringing you here to me." I clutch the phone tighter. "Look for a woman named Svetlana. Tall, black hair, blue eyes. Hard to miss her, if I'm being honest."

"Svetlana?" Amara repeats. "That's kind of a weird name."

Despite everything, I almost laugh. "Yeah, well, things have gotten a little weird lately."

Amara doesn't sound fully convinced, but she finally agrees. "Okay. I'll wait for her."

"Pack light. Just essentials. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise," I say, meaning it more than anything I've said in days.

I hang up, my heart pounding. I throw on the first things I can find. Nothing but a simple robe from the bathroom. I don't even bother with my hair, just running my fingers through the tangled blue mess.

When I step into the hallway, I spot Svetlana standing at the end of the corridor. Her back is straight as always, and her eyes immediately find me like she's been waiting for me.

"I need you to go get my sister," I blurt out before she can say anything. "She's being followed. She's at her friend's house in the Bronx. You know which one."

"Demaris Lewis?" is all she asks.

I expect some other questions, or even some resistance. But all Svetlana does is look at me with those knowing eyes of hers. After what happened at the gala last night, maybe she understands better than most why I'm suddenly desperate to have Amara here.

I nod.

"I'll bring her safely," she says. "You have my word."

An hour later,I hear voices in the foyer. My heart leaps into my throat as I rush toward the sound, practically flying down the grand staircase.

And there she is.

"Miels!" Amara cries, dropping her backpack and rushing toward me.

We collide in the middle of the marble entryway, and I wrap my arms around her so tightly that I'm afraid that I might be hurting her. But I don't care. Relief washes over me, threatening to drown me completely.

This is the first time I've held my sister since being taken to this mansion, and it feels like coming up for air after days underwater.

"God, I was so worried when you called," I whisper against her hair.

When we finally part, Amara looks me up and down, her eyes narrowing. "What the hell is going on? You disappear for days, all I get was a cryptic text, and now I'm being picked up by—" She glances back at Svetlana. "—some Russian woman who refuses to answer any of my questions."

The familiar sarcastically amused expression on Svetlana's face grows by an inch. Then she nods and slips away to give us privacy.

"Come on," I say, taking Amara's hand. "Let's sit down somewhere. There's... a lot to explain."

I lead her to a small sitting room off the main hall, and Amara immediately drops onto a plush sofa, her eyes darting around the luxurious room before returning to me.

And at the ring on my finger.

"Care to start with that?" Amara points.

I look down at the ring and turn it slightly so the light might dim a little while weighing my options.

For a moment, I'm not sure what to tell her.

How do you explain to your baby sister that you've been forcibly married to a man who was originally sent to kill you? How do you explain that he only changed his mind when he realized that you were more useful to him alive than dead?