I slowly lifted the sleeve of my shirt and showed him the bruise forming on my arm.
His eyes looked at my arm, but his expression didn’t change. “Let’s talk about Axel.”
“He would’ve let me marry Sergei. His loyalty is to you first.” I spoke the truth. My uncle wouldn’t see this as anything but a strength.
“My blessing needs to be earned.”
“Meaning?”
“He needs to prove himself to me.”
There is no way that Axel would continue this charade. I had backed him into a corner only to buy myself some more time. I had no idea how I would get myself out of this.
My uncle wasn’t finished. “Starting with our family party.”
I looked at my uncle in dismay. Twice a year, my uncle held a family reunion in Zavidovo, a rustic but posh cluster of resorts that all offered similar and equally torturous activities like hunting, ice fishing and skeet shooting. It seemed to be cold there no matter the time of year, and I generally suffered dearly during these family events.
My uncle was also notoriously strict about it being a ‘family only’ event and didn’t allow people to bring their partners unless they were married. He was even strict about the staff that accompanied us on those trips. Only his most trusted men joined us.
“Is our next trip coming up?” I asked, stalling.
“We’re departing this Friday night, and I want you to invite Axel as a guest.”
I stared at him in shock. “But we’re not married.”
He didn’t seem fazed that he was breaking his own rule, one that he had previously declared unbreakable. “Let him know we’re leaving on Friday morning. He can drive up one of the vehicles.”
Holy shit. Somehow I had negotiated my way out of marrying Sergei and into a contrived relationship with an unwilling partner. I tried to think of an appropriate reaction, but my face remained an emotionless mask. “I’m so shocked. I can’t believe this.”
He took that as appreciation and nodded gruffly. “Tell Axel he’s still hanging by a thread.”
“Thank you, Uncle.” I stood up. “Can I drive up with him?”
“Don’t push your luck.” He looked up at me sharply. “I haven’t made up my mind about anything, you understand?”
Which meant he hadn’t made up his mind about forcing me to marry Sergei either. “That works for me.”
He motioned with his hand for me to leave. “Tell Axel.”
I lookedthrough the entire main floor but didn’t find Axel, so I moved out to the gardens. I was just coming around the front of the house when Sergei stepped out from the shadows of a pillar and blocked my path.
“What do you want?” I backed away from him, scanning the entire front of the yard, but as far as I could tell we were alone.
“You think you can make me look bad in front of your uncle?” His dead gaze reminded me of a reptile.
“I’m not trying to do anything,” I said in a calm voice.
He stepped toward me. “You’re just making it worse for yourself, you know.”
I stepped back, trying to create more space between us. “You don’t have any control over my life.”
“Soon I’ll control every aspect of your life.” He stepped closer. “I’ll control when you sleep, what you wear, what you eat and when you can suck my dick.”
With reflexes I didn’t know I had, I whipped my hand and slapped him hard across his wide face.
He blinked, and then with terrifyingly fast reflexes, he lunged for me.
I winced, bracing for an impact that never came. Suddenly, Axel was pushing Sergei backward across the deck until he had him pinned against the railing.
