“Don’t pretend you are any different to me,” he spits as we push and shove against each other. “He will watch you. If he sees you favor her more than a guard should, you will die slowly—after he has punished her in front of you.”
His fingers around my throat squeeze, matching the flex of mine.
I roar and keep choking him.I’ll fucking kill Sergey and this twat.The thought repeats on a seemingly never-ending loop, questions mixed in. How did she agree to marry this monster? Why?
Aleksei’s gaze is cold, matching how I suspect mine is. He is as strong as I am, which only pisses me off more, because where the hell are his morals? He has a duty as a strong Alpha, a role to play in protecting those who need it most. How could he let this Bratva cunt live?
His voice is a whisper. He hides his warning under his struggle to breathe as we continue shoving. “Don’t forget the cameras. She needs you to do what you came to do. Don’t fucking leave her unprotected here.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
QUINN
Istay in my room, listening to Santiago and Aleksei work and argue. Kade intercedes when their bickering gets past a certain point, and interestingly, they always back off. Until they start up again.
The combination of vodka and my swaying Omega hormones makes me super sleepy. Like bone tired. But the return of Sergey and the change of date to our nuptials has my brain ticking louder than a cartoon timer.
The stress of the chat I’m waiting on burns through some of the buzz. The courier company keeps bouncing me from customer rep to customer rep while they search for my package. Considering I sent it on the way to the airport back home, it should have been here already. All of what I packed is replaceable, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be great if the box went missing.
Perhaps it was irresponsible of me to put lives at risk by using a third party to transport the poison I’d chosen for Sergey. Thecourier company, though, is renowned for their experience in handling sensitive and restricted items. And the way I wrapped what I needed meant if the small perfume bottle shattered, it wouldn’t leak out. Hiding the antidote took a trip to the dark side, but the woman I’d found had done an incredible job. I couldn’t figure out how to open the hairbrush until she showed me.
My screen pops up with a new link, and this time, it is a tracker. Thankfully the package has been found and is headed out for delivery. I sign off, probably with too much gratitude, but I am relieved.
Pulling the door open, I go to race out of my room, but instead trip over Roshka. The result would make for a great clip on Insta, as I go down in a sprawling heap and end up half on Roshka and half at the feet of Aleksei.
The small grin on Aleksei’s face only confirms how funny it looked from his point of view.
Jittery energy has me springing up before he can help me, embarrassment hitting me hard when I realize I probably just flashed him my lady bits.
“Your dog is going to kill me,” I grumble, turning to glare at the black mass who didn’t move an inch.
“What a way to go,” he mumbles. His English is back to being impeccable. “What was the rush?”
He glances into my room, and the humor that was there dims. Twisting around, I look back to see what’s made him react like that. Nothing appears to be amiss.
“You let your guard into your room?”
I get a waft of what made his mood flip. As I consider the Santiago’s inappropriate but also strangely perfect visit to my room, I realize I’m flicking the band of my engagement ring. It’s like my subconscious won’t let me forget what he did to my ring on two separate occasions now.
But I also get the fright of my life, because after I’d rolled around naked in sheets smelling like Santiago, I took a long, hot shower, full of filthy visuals of what he did in my bed. After which I only put on Aleksei’s T-shirt because he smells equally amazing.
Which means I’m braless, pantiless, and devoid of any makeup. And I could joke my way around some of that, except for the fact that no makeup meansno fucking makeup—as in, there’s nothing hiding the bite.
I leap over Roshka and hide behind the door, hoping Aleksei didn’t see my hand.
“Let me get changed.” I slam the door before he can respond.
In the space of a few minutes, I do what I should have done right after my shower—cover up his fucking bite. By the time I’m walking out of my room, I’ve got concealer in all the important places and clothes on.
Swinging the door open, I find Aleksei, Santiago, and Kade having another meeting, which stops the moment I walk closer.
“That’s not suspicious.”
Kade gives me one of his looks when he thinks I’m being a brat. The one I begged him to use. If we were alone, there’d be a lot more than a look involved. And it’s not like I need any more confirmation that he’s amazing, and my hormones are fluctuating all over the place, but I get a full-body flush, regardless.
I ignore him and the fact I was just out here acting like a lunatic. “The package the courier lost is on its way. It should be here within ten or so minutes. I’d like to go down to meet the courier at the gate.”
“I’ll go,” Aleksei offers.
