“Aleksei, I expected cruelty when I arrived to marry him. I prepared for it, but I’m here because I chose to be. And now I’m choosing to do this. Maybe I’m disassociating, but disassociate with me.”
Quinn blows me away. Again. Though her beauty is truly captivating, it’s her deep internal well of self-awareness, courage, and empathy that steals my breath.
“Kade and I promise not to kick your ass later. How’s that?” I throw challenge into what I say when the Alpha she’s speaking to continues to struggle with her ease of acceptance of this fucked-up turn of events.
Where she deals with the emotional complexity exactly like an Omega would, I deal with the fucked-up situation with the diplomacy of an Alpha. It works, too. His eyes start to lose some of their hopelessness, his spirit starts to rise. Not in anger, but in determination, driven by Quinn.
Behind us, Sergey is barking commands for Aleksei to start, but he can pop a fucking blood vessel in his impatience, for all I care.
Aleksei takes a quick, grounding exhale before looking at his brother, his false facade back in place. “What way would you take her, Sergey?”
I nearly fucking change my mind right there and then, my finger itching to pull the trigger until she looks at me. Her blue eyes are like an anchor in a storm; her perfect, plump lips move, and it takes me a moment to register her saying the very samewords I said to her. “No wasted moments on things that don’t matter, bebe.”
KADE
“Bend her over the table.”Sergey’s words loop over and over in my head.
I’m starting to realize there’s no way I won’t kill this asshole. Intentionally. Painfully too. Which kind of goes against the key values needed to be a member of the police force. The drive I had of catching the criminals remains, but I think I’ve found a different way of delivering justice, vigilante style.
One of Sergey’s friends barks like a dog, and a flood of laughter follows. Nalla and I both take a step out of formation to shut up whoever it was.
“Kade.”
She says my name, and everything inside me redirects to what is important.
I’d walk barefoot through broken glass for this woman.
I should have told her she was never just a friend. She’s my entire fucking existence. My past, my present, and my future, and I’m going to stand right here and support her however I can while Sergey’s fucking brother consummates their bond.
ALEKSEI
I shrug off Sergey’s suggestion with an indifference that is more him than me. If I’m being forced into this, I’m going to do it how I want.
Quinn is light as a feather as I pick her up and place her on the edge of the table. I make sure her back is to them and her skirt falls in such a way, only I get to see her bare.
Of course, every part of her is magnificent. Her body, her grace…everything. I can’t stop drinking her in and inhaling her scent. My knees shake as a sudden and desperate urge to drop to them and taste her rattles my foundation.
How can I be so turned on when I’m basically about to fucking defile her?
“Aleksei.” She reaches for my hand at the same time she calls my name.
Throwing me a lifeline.
She’s a virtual stranger, but even thinking that seems like a lie. I feel so fucking calm whenever she’s nearby. I don’t get it, and while I desperately want to trust her and the sensations she brings, my past makes it fucking hard to.
She’s also really fucking determined, and even though I have seen her unwavering in her decisions, it shocks me again to see her approach this in the same way.
I know she won’t let me wallow in all the what-ifs.
I’m swamped, but not surprised, by the nostalgia and comfort her touch brings. Quinn is my homecoming and anchor.
With her other hand, she digs her fingers into the top of my pants and tugs me closer. Her guards, the dogs, fuck, even me, all flow like water around her.
“I won’t let him hurt you.” It spills from my lips before I can stop myself.
“No one said you would, Aleksei. Let’s leave him out of what we’re doing, okay?”
“That should not be easy to do, but fucking hell, it is,” I admit.
