My heart sinks a little. I don’t want to go back to the cage so quickly. Even if it was odd, I liked being in here observing their meeting.
I didn’t feel like just a prisoner, even if that’s foolish of me to believe.
Before Valentin herds me out of the room, I glance behind me at Gavriil, our eyes locking for a moment. A sudden pull deep in my chest makes my breathing waver. Part of me doesn’t want to leave the room because ofhim.
“I’ll see you soon,printsessa,” he promises, but it doesn’t sound like a threat. It sounds…reassuring.
My cheeks burn with shame as Valentin leads me back to the bedroom. I hate feeling like this. So confused. So drawn to him. So out of control.
“I don’t understand him,” Valentin mutters under his breath.
I cast him a confused look.
“What makes you different from the others? You’re just another pretty face,” Valentin says. “You should be groveling at his feet by now while trembling, terrified of him when you’re not screaming his name loud enough the whole house hears. That must be it. ThePakhanisn’t used to rejection or a lack of fear,” Valentin mutters.
My eyes widen. It’s not like I haven’t heard this stuff before, but what unnerves me is that he may be right. Am I being treated differently because I refuse to give him what he wants and I’m not scared of him?
My relationship with Dom certainly sets me apart, but Gavriil was planning on giving me the same treatment as all the other women he kept in his cage. What changed? What made him switch his tactics?
The thought of Gavriil treating me differently makes my stomach flip. He could be planning something much worse, especially since I’ve made it my mission to get under his skin and see what really makes him tick.
If Gavriil is starting to unravel, I can pull the thread.
Valentin removes my handcuffs and locks me in the cage before leaving the bedroom, still muttering bitterly under his breath, now in Russian.
I drop down onto the mattress and run my fingers through my fresh, clean hair, not even able to fully enjoy being dressed up and made up.
All I can think about is Gavriil and the uncontrollable things that he makes me feel from simply having his attention on me.
I can’t ever act on them. Because the moment I do, I lose everything.
20
Gavriil
By the timeI get to my bedroom that night, exhaustion weighs down every step that I take.
Preparing for a possible war is stressful, and I can only hope that all the plans that I’m making are going to pay off. The Irish will either back off or I will bury them beside the men they’ve already taken from me.
I use the soft light from my bedside lamps to navigate my way to my dresser, my eyes stinging from tiredness. I considered sleeping in my office after catching up on all the work Dominik no longer handles, but I need a good night’s sleep in an actual bed if I’m going to make sound decisions.
“You’ve been busy today.”
I turn to find Alina lying on her side, watching me with quiet focus, her hands tucked beneath her head like she’s been waiting.
“I’m busy every day.”
“Isn’t that exhausting?” she replies as she rolls her neck with a grimace.
“That’s why I’m going to bed,” I tell her before turning back to my dresser to rummage through it. I hear her mutter something under her breath, and I can only guess that it’s not anything nice.
I pull out a black t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. I set them on top of the dresser and start unbuttoning my dress shirt, feeling Alina’s stare on my back. She enjoys watching me dress and undress, even if she hates me. Her attention makes me feel alive.
“Have you found the traitor who screwed over Leon?”
“Not yet,” I answer through gritted teeth. If we don’t find them soon, they could cause more chaos.
“Why are you planning to hit the Irish? Did they attack first?”
