"I do," she repeated, and her voice was firm this time.
I kissed her temple; it was a promise without words. "Then hear me... nothing will happen to you while I still breathe."
We stood there a moment longer, and the silence was heavy with things neither of us dared say.
Emilia didn't look like a prisoner anymore. She looked like a queen, my queen, and I realized with a sharp ache in my chest that I no longer wanted her to leave. I no longer could imagine my world without her.
She wasn't leverage anymore; she wasn't collateral, she was the reason I fought.
**************
When we finally stepped out, Dimitri was already waiting near the door; his expression was unreadable. He looked Emilia over once, then glanced back at me, with the faintest twitch of his brow. Approval, or maybe a warning.
The cars are ready," he said.
I guided Emilia forward, my hand was firm at the small of her back. The hall smelled faintly of gun oil and leather as my men lined the walls, their eyes sharp. They bowed their heads as we passed, but I didn't miss the way their gaze followed her... It was half respect, half ewe.
Outside, the night was cold, and the cars lined up in formation. I opened the back door for her, letting her slide inside before I followed. The leather seat groaned under my weight, the door shutting behind us.
The engine purred to life, Dimitri in front and two more cars trailing behind us.
And for a while, silence filled the cabin. Emilia's hand rested in her lap, and her delicate fingers tangled together. I couldn't stop watching them, those hands that looked too soft for the world she's been pulled into.
Halfway down the road, I reached over and covered them with my own. Her head turned toward me instantly, with her eyes wide.
"You're trembling," I said.
"I'm not." She tried to smile.
"You are." I pressed her hand tighter. "It's fine, I need you to tremble with me, but just don't let go."
Her lips parted like she wanted to argue, but she only nodded. Our hands stayed locked together for the rest of the ride, and her palm though a small burn against mine.
**************
The city lights blurred past the windows, but my mind wasn't on them. It was on the weight of her trust, on the vow I'd spoken in that room.
My world had always been about control, control of men, of money, and of fear. But sitting here with her hand in mine, I realized there was one thing I couldn't control.
Her. It wasn't her beauty, not her trust, not even the way she'd walked into my office weeks ago with fire in her eyes and turned my empire upside down.
I didn't want to control her, but I wanted to keep her. And that terrified me more than any rival with a gun.
***************
The car slowed as we neared the heart of the city, the glow of the gala's venue spilling onto the street. I straightened my jacket and tightened my grip on her hand.
"Remember," I told her, with a low voice. "Stay close, no matter what happens tonight, you should stay with me. You don't speak with anyone unless I tell you to, and if I say run–"
"I won't run," she cut in.
I turned my head sharply, meeting her eyes. "You will."
Her chin lifted stubbornly. "Not without you."
I wanted to curse, to shake her, to force her to understand, but all I did was lean in, with my lips brushing her ear. "Then, pray I don't give the order."
Her breath caught, but she didn't pull away. She never pulls away anymore.
