“I changed my mind. And once I do, I don’t change it back,” I say, the words coming out slow and firm. “Go,” I tell him.
Valentin hurries off and I return to Alina. She abruptly stops braiding her hair when she sees the expression on my face.
I remain still for a few seconds, slowly breathing in and out of my nose to steady myself. I need to stopreactingto her and get back to having things under my control from the start.
“How could you forgive him?” I blurt out.
“I haven’t. Yet,” she replies. “Dom was only following your orders. And I will never fucking forgive you.”
She hates me. She blames me for her idiot brother’s mistakes.
Why do I even give a shit? I was ready to fall to my knees to beg God to save her when she wouldn’t have done the same for me.
She’s supposed to be my captive.Mine.But she still belongs to him.
“Take off my shirt,” I snap at her before I can stop myself.
“What?”
The words came out in a rush, and in Russian because I’m too drunk to think clearly.
I walk over to the cage and gesture to her. “You’re wearing my shirt. I want it back. Take it off.”
Alina blinks at me. “Give me my own clothes and I’ll return it.”
I let out a faint scoff as an unamused grin tugs at my lips. “You don’t get to make demands of me.”
Alina rises to her feet, now moving with a little more ease and strength. She strides over to the front of the cage, her arms crossing in front of her chest. “Why do you want this particular shirt back? You’ve got plenty more.”
I love and hate it when she defies me because it reminds me how little control I actually have.
My teeth grind together in annoyance. I prefer her rebelling instead of giving me the silent treatment, but I can’t get her and Dominik out of my head. All I see is them clinging to one another after she nearly died in my arms.
“I’m not going to ask again,” I warn her, my hand already sliding into my pants pocket to grab the cage key.
Alina takes a step back, but I’m already in the cage right in front of her before she can take another one. My hands don’t shake unlocking the door tonight. Thankfully, no one was around to see my pathetic panic before.
She draws in a sharp breath as I tower over her, our eyes locking. “What are you going to do? Rip it off me?” she asks.
I swallow as the thought crosses my mind. Her cowering from me doesn’t feature in my fantasy, though. I prefer the ones where she rips my clothes off me. “No, you’re going to take it off yourself and place it in my hand.”
Alina’s green eyes narrow as I hold my hand out. “Or what?”
Two words and I almost snap. Being so close to her makes me feel like I’ve had two more glasses of vodka. She makes my mind so fucking wild and hazy.
“Or Dominik is going to pay the price for your disobedience,” I tell her, my voice dropping lower as I lean closer to her.
Instead of fear filling her eyes, there’s a spark of defiance that infuriates me and intrigues me at the same time. This is the Alina that I know. Not the silent corpse she nearly turned herself into.
She opens her mouth, no doubt to remind me of our deal.
“Take. It. Off. Now,” I grit out.
Alina grabs the hem of my shirt and lifts it over her head, peeling the fabric free of her body. leaving her completely nude. Her nipples harden as the air hits her bare skin, making heat burn within me. No wonder she turned my brother intoa lovestruck idiot. He’s never once had her, but he would do anything for the chance.
I’m determined that I will have her first, if only to tear her out of my brother’s chokehold. Dominik will never want to touch her again once she eagerly gives herself to me.
“Here,” Alina replies as she shoves the shirt into my hand.
