Page 33

THIRTY-TWO

Inessa

I can feel something watching me and a scream gets trapped in my throat as I open my eyes to Vlad hovering over me. He never sleeps beside me, and my brain is still weighed down by sleep, forgetting everything I learned in Russia. He pulls the sheets up to my chin and keeps his voice sounding low almost guilty.

“I didn’t want you to get cold.”

I’m too tired to say anything and nod my head as my eyes close. Leaning towards the warmth blanketing me from his body, I pull on his arm, wanting it closer, and he reluctantly lowers. I nuzzle into the pillow as the bed dips and he sits against the headboard. I’m on the brink of sleep when he flattens his palm over my ear and massages my scalp.

My arm moves automatically going over his thighs and trying to get him to absorb me. He’s so warm and comfortable I want to curl around him.

“Why won’t you talk to me anymore?”

The low voice doesn’t get my attention as he keeps massaging my scalp and my eyes snap open when he repeats himself.

I’m cuddling a fucking murderer.

He tightens his arm around me so I can’t move, and my throat goes dry. I’ve spent a week avoiding him and my dumb ass let my guard down in sleep, thinking I’d be safe. Saying my name like a warning has me flinching.

“Inessa, speak.”

He doesn’t relax and his fingers dig into my shoulder as I try to push away from him.

I can’t tell him the truth, or I’ll be the one getting kicked across the room. The hand in my hair is gentle, but he was pulling until Galya was nearly bald and her mouth was filled with blood when I went back in to help her. She couldn’t even fucking walk because of what he did. My eyes burn in anger and pain at how she found the strength to stand and the cause of it all comforts me.

He picks me up and wraps his arms around me. One is banded across my back, the other at the back of my head, holding my head to his chest. His voice is deadly and rumbles through his chest under my ear.

“Did someone hurt you?”

Looking up, I ask for something I won’t be given.

“Why?”

A part of me thinks his actions can be rationalized and wants to beg for an excuse. There isn’t one I can think of for what he’s done, but I know the devil is capable of stringing together the most beautiful lies.

Combing his fingers through my hair until it’s straight and over my shoulder, he leans down, filling my senses with nothing other than him.

“Why what?”

Fear wraps itself around every syllable as I give myself away and beg, “Why did you hurt her?”

I don’t know which her I’m referring to. The unnamed girl his neighbor told me about or Galya.

Shock and understanding have him letting out a long breath. He doesn’t push me away and begins the circular massaging motion against my scalp as he answers.

“It’s a long story. Not one I will ever tell you, there are some sins even the devil looks down on.”

I hate the cryptic fucking answer and I hate that it makes me relax. Vlad isn’t unfair, he’s too fair and always gives his opponents an advantage. It’s fucked up and egotistical, but he’s the most open he’s ever been.

He holds my nape and strokes my cheek with his thumb as he gets the closest to vulnerability he’s capable of.

“I won’t explain myself or change who I am because of you. I’d prefer you not to be fearful, but if that’s your choice then there’s nothing I can do.”

I hold his wrist and remind myself he is human. Under the brutality and violence he’s a person, not a creature or a monster. My voice is barely audible under the weight of my emotions.

“Will you hurt me like that? Or worse?”

I can compartmentalize his abuse if it never touches me.

I’m a selfish asshole not defending Galya, but only trying to save myself. Lifting his thumb off my cheek, his jaw tics and disgust has his lip curling.

“I won’t fucking rape you,” he spits out.

He’s said the same thing before I’d seen how easily he brutalized a defenseless woman.

“Why?”

Stroking my cheek again, I hold his wrist tighter like I need something, so I don’t fall into his icy stare.

He leans into me, letting me see every violent thought as he darkly says, “When I kill someone, I don’t want to see them walking around the next day.”

I accept what I want to hear and translate it as I’m safe. I take the opportunity to ask for more when there’s no order.

“Promise me you’ve never hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it, that they were worse than you.”

There are very few people I would classify as worse than the biggest monster of all and I’ve never met any of them. But Vlad has, it’s there under his skin when he finally reappears after locking himself in his private office all night.

Stroking his knuckles across my cheek, he hesitates as I hold my breath. There’s a war in his eyes. He doesn’t want to lie for once and I feel like the world’s biggest fucking fool as hope wraps itself around me despite it. Pressing his lips into my forehead, he lingers and my eyes close as my tears escape. It turns into a choked sob when he alters what I asked for.

“I promise I’ve never hurt anyone innocent.”

Letting myself believe the lie, I hug him closer, knowing I won’t be getting out of this marriage. I’m stuck with him because the alternative is worse. The alternative is having a child with him, an innocent life that will be tainted and destroyed. Even if Vlad hasn’t touched me since that one night that I clearly wouldn’t get pregnant from, it’s only a matter of time before he gets impatient and wants an heir.I like being around him, which shows he’s able to manipulate my mind and I harden my resolve on that one topic, I won’t give him a child and I’ll trap myself with him.

As thought he heard my midnight thoughts, the devil is sat in the kitchen when I come downstairs. Heat blazes down my body from his gaze alone and I force my feet to move. It’s immature and pathetic, but I pull open the fridge door to hide behind it. I flinch at his voice without meaning to.

“What are you doing today?”

He never asks me about my day, it’s always shut your mouth and move your feet.

Shrugging instead of answering because that’s my new method of communication, I steal one of Vitali’s smoothies. Vlad moves in my periphery, and I straighten my spine, readying for whatever mental warfare he’s going to let loose. He doesn’t give me any space, herding me like I’m a lost lamb and pressing into my back, so I’m caged in against the counter.

He flattens his palm on my sternum before moving my hair over my shoulder and speaks against my ear.

“I couldn’t get you to shut up and now I can’t get you to speak. Where has the queen gone?”

She’s gone mad being surrounded by the devil .

Shrugging, again, because that’s all I’m capable of when nothing makes sense, his laugh brushes my shoulder.His scent envelops me, clouding my senses and the warmth of his palm radiates through my skin into my chest.

This Vlad is the same one I declared we’d become friends, the other one is too menacing and they’re like distant cousins. The resemblance is there, but they’re not the same. My entire body freezes in shock at the apology in his tone.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. It won’t happen again, use my gift to make it easier.”

I’m the one who pushed back, and his stupidly big dick hit my cervix and made me feel like I was being tore in two. I’m glad I didn’t see it before he attempted to fuck me, or I would have run. Everything about him is violent, his dick is no different. My thighs clench together at the memory of the swollen head and how heavy it was. It morphs into an image of him wrapping his big, inked hand around his length.

His hand moves further up my chest until he palms my neck and I think I’ve been caught, until he makes everything ten times worse.

“Once you’ve loosened yourself up with the smaller sizes, we can try again.”

Rather than face my embarrassment, I nod and stare out at the pool.His heat is surrounding me, his chest is at my back lightly pushing into me with every breath he takes, and I stupidly take half a step back, feeling him harden against my ass.

I’m abruptly turned, and he lifts me to sit me on the counter. Vlad doesn’t let me escape and steps between my legs, holding my thighs, and tilting his head to catch my eyes.

“Something has happened. Was it Anika? Len?”

He’s too fucking perceptive and I shake my head, watching his anger rise.His thumbs disappear under the hem of my dress, each one moving independently to tap in his usual rhythm of threes. Every little tap feels like a secret that needs to be protected and he doesn’t end when he reaches nine. He always does it in the same sequence — three, three, three. But he keeps going, the pace increasing with every repetition.

My voice is too small, giving him a partial truth, knowing this is the lesser of what’s inside my head.

“It’s humiliating for you to talk about me like I’m a pair of new boots.”

The tapping stops and I stroke his lapels because I still like touching him and I’m clearly a fool. His smirk is wicked and chases everything away as he leans into me and makes an offer that has my cheeks heating.

“Do you want me to do it for you?”

My legs try to close, remembering the pain and the bastard laughs.

He presses his cheek into mine, his deep whisper is in my ear, and I relax.

“I knew you were a princess.”

It’s normal again and I lightly push at his shoulders, tilting my head back to correct him.

“Queen.”

His smile gets wider, and I can breathe with the usual asshole Vlad being here.He’s not the cruel person I witnessed, he’s teasing in his own obnoxious way. Vlad takes a step closer and speaks against my lips.

“Hmm, if you’re a queen that means you definitely shouldn’t do it yourself.”

He bands an arm around my lower back, and my legs automatically wrap around his waist as I hold his shoulders so I don’t fall. It’s not because I like feeling him or so he has to pull the hem of my dress down to stop my ass being out. Those are just happy extras. He doesn’t set me on my feet as he takes long strides to the breakfast table to lay me on it. It’s instinctual to sit up with it being drilled into my head by Dariya that it’s bad luck to sit on a table.

Flattening his palm on my chest to stop me, I repeat what I heard through my childhood.

“The table is for eating.”

My entire body melts as he traces a path from my thigh to my face and I’m on fire with the deep voice.

“That’s what I’m going to do.”

My jaw and thighs drop open as he removes his suit jacket. His cufflinks are next, clinking against the tabletop, and I don’t dare blink at the sight of his shirt sleeves being rolled up.Oh fuck, he’s physical perfection and I am weak. He knows it too, the arrogance doesn’t dim his beauty, it highlights it as he slips into the cushioned curved booth seating.

He keeps his eyes pinned on mine as he wraps his fingers around my ankles and pulls me to him. My dress rides up as I slide across the marble, and he slowly rakes his gaze down my body to between my thighs. Sitting between my thighs, Vlad hooks his elbows under my knees and kisses the inside of each thigh at the ridden-up hem of my dress. He turns his head to the side as though he’s mentally calculating something and turns back to me with a warning.

“Hold your dress on your stomach, no one sees you but me.”

I didn’t even think about the other people who live here or guards and turn rigid as I look for them. There’s no one here but I can see the front door in a straight line.

I stop breathing at the look in Vlad’s eyes as he slowly trails his fingers up the outside of my thighs. Every feature is relaxed except for his eyes. They’re wild and dark, pulling me in mentally. I lift my hips when he reaches the waistband of my panties. My gulp is audible, knowing he has an effect on me and we’ll both see proof of it.I hate him for always managing to maintain control, especially physically. He never snaps and fucks me, even with his taunts, whether I’m naked or not.

He kisses the inside of my knee and scrapes his teeth across my skin. Little sparks erupt from the minimal contact, he’s too intense. Everything he does is with precision, calculated and meticulous. He’s a brutal opponent in anything he does, and this is no different. Dropping his voice, the deep rumble travels up my legs and a whimper escapes.

“You don’t come until I allow it.”

Nodding my head, the bastard smirks and moves back, bringing the black silk with him.I hold on to hope that the color will disguise the obvious, but it shatters in his next move.

He holds my panties up on the tip of his finger and turns them so we both can see, and I hate him for how I react. I hate myself too but it’s easier to pin the blame solely on him. Heat engulfs my skin as he folds my panties into a triangle and replaces the pocket square in his suit jacket. Opening my mouth to say anything so he’s not walking around with my used panties all day, he cuts me off.

“Wear red tomorrow, it will match my tie.”

My mouth snaps closed while my brain tries to work out a response. I’m just blinking dumbly. It takes three tries for my brain to successfully reset and I trace the lines on his hands blindly.

“You don’t tell me what to wear.”

Every crime Vlad could possibly commit is nothing compared to his smile, there’s a warmth in it and I want to live in the little crease that forms at the corner of his lips. Kissing a line up my inner thigh, he makes a circle with his tongue, and I don’t understand what he’s saying.

“You won’t be wearing it, I will.”

When his lips join in, I weakly fire back, “What would the other Vory think?”

I mean it in a teasing way about him wearing panties, but he demolishes that idea as he rests his stubbled chin on the back of my hand, keeping my dress in place. His voice is deeper, eyes more violent, as he ruins me.

“No man will come close to touching what is between your legs. You will remain in my pocket, meelaya, out of reach from everyone but me, and you will make sure they carry the proof of your weeping pussy before I leave the house with them there.”

I’m drowning under the intensity of his eyes, and he doesn’t allow me a breath as he grips my inner thighs.

Pulling my legs apart with his palms flat on my inner thighs, he blows on my clit. The contrast of cool air against my wet nerves has me shivering. His fingers tighten and I’m pulled down with a squeal that turns into a moan. He licks up my slit without looking away from me and flutters his tongue against my clit. Every muscle clenches, and my toes curl in my shoes as my legs try to close. I don’t know if I want to keep him there or get him away.

He pushes my pussy lips together with his thumbs and traces the edge with his tongue. A groan vibrates through his lips into me as he presses his tongue through them and flicks my clit.

“Oh fuck.”

I keep one hand on my dress and thread my fingers through his hair as my hips move, chasing more. He doesn’t let me pull him closer and lightly nips the edge of my pussy lip before peppering soft kisses down. I tense when he goes further back than I expect, and he moves up. He parts me with his thumbs, and deep blue swirls has sweat racing down my back as Vlad stops any slow movements.

He buries his tongue inside me. My soul is ripped out of my body, and I fist his hair, needing to hold on to something to stay tethered as the devil fucks me with his tongue.His fingers join in as he pushes two inside me and my heel hits the back of the seat as I twist. He hardens his eyes and gives a brisk shake of his head that causes me to whimper. I’m so fucking close and he runs the flat of his tongue from the point his fingers enter me to my clit before speaking.

“Do not even fucking dare, Inessa, you come when I allow you to.”

He doesn’t even know me. If he thinks that bullshit order will work he’s spent all this time not even acknowledging me as a person. I push my hips down, refusing to listen to him and he bites into my thigh in warning. His fingers leave me, and I nearly cry at the frustration, but he abruptly pushes his two middle fingers into me, and his eyes turn black.

“If you don’t try to stop yourself, I won’t give you my tongue again.” He pushes up, hitting a spot that has my back arching and my legs tensing as he adds, “It’s your choice, princess.”

My chest stutters as I only focus on correcting him.

“Q-queen.”

His smirk touches my inner thigh, and he lightly kisses my clit, adding mental foreplay to the physical havoc he’s causing.

“And a queen knows how to control herself, prove it, meelaya.”