“Why don’t you sit down?” I suggest as I try to tug him toward the bed.
Gavriil doesn’t budge. Even with a wavering balance, he’s still stronger than me. “I saw…watched you. Watched you kiss and…cuddle.” He says the word like it’s a dirty slur. “I wanted that. You’re supposed to be mine. Only for a month.”
My face warms up when he confirms what I suspected. He does have a camera in the cell. He has been keeping an eye on us. And he sounds jealous.
“And the meeting was a waste.” Gavriil sighs as he shakes his head at himself, grimacing like there’s a bad taste in his mouth. “I fucking…lost it. The Italians…they’re so goddamn cocky. I just…”
I frown as I piece together his words. “You had a meeting with the Italians today?”
“For their help,” Gavriil mutters. “They refused.”
My eyes widen in realization. He wanted the Italians to be their allies in the war. “What happened?”
He shrugs and is thrown off balance. “I failed.”
Gavriil opening up to me, admitting to making a mistake and that he’s jealous? The world must be ending.
The heaviness in his voice is so concerning that I find myself trying to reassure him. “Maybe the Italians will come back. You could try to apologize…”
Gavriil shakes his head. “No. It’s done now.”
Of course, pride would never let him apologize. He’s probably lost countless deals and allies because of his refusal to suck it up and admit when he’s wrong. Just like he’s doing with Dominik.
“Why did you blow up on the Italians? Because you were jealous?” I ask him. “Jealous of what?”
Gavriil tugs me closer. His other hand breezes along the side of my face, his fingertips grazing my cheek. “I want you. I want you all to myself.”
Shock freezes me in place as I stare up into his eyes. I’m not even sure that I heard him right. “What?”
“Just me. I want you to choose me,” Gavriil says, slurring through his words as his forehead drops to mine. Of course, everything is a competition to him, even taking me from Dominik. “Mine. MyMoya Koroleva.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Queen. I’ll make you my queen. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
My heart jolts to a stop as words spill out of him. I don’t think he even means them. He’s just drunk. And he hates to lose, especially to Dominik.
“You’re not making any sense,” I tell him as I try to lean away from him, torn between wanting to close the distance and wanting to run back to Dominik.
“Yes, I am,” Gavriil tells me, desperation invading his voice. “What do you want from me? I’ll give you…anything. Everything.”
He’s speaking like a man who thinks that this is love.
And I doubt Gavriil could love anyone. He keeps everyone at an arm’s distance, and I doubt he allows himself to feel anything deeper than lust and desire.
I’m nothing but a toy to play with, and Dominik is his puppet that he’s constantly trying to control.
Gavriil just wants to win. He can make all the false promises that he wants to me, but they’re not going to get me in bed with him.
“All I want is Dom,” I tell him through gritted teeth. “I’d rather be your prisoner than your queen any day.”
Gavriil stiffens at my words, making me tense in surprise. He stares down into my hardened gaze for a few seconds before finally removing his hand from my face.
Fear crawls under my skin as I watch his expression darken. If he’s not acting like himself right now, I really don’t know what to expect from him being drunk and angry. Maybe Ishouldfear for my safety around him.
But instead of lashing out or dragging me to the cage by my hair, Gavriil turns and staggers out, letting the bedroom door slam shut behind him.
Silence rings throughout the room as I stand there in shock and disbelief, replaying his words over and over again. I shouldn’t look into them too deeply because I doubt that he meant them, but my heart races all the same.
