“I killed her slowly,” he whispered. “Made her feel every second of it. But I know it doesn’t give you back what you lost. It doesn’t giveusback what we lost.”
For a heartbeat, something in me cracked. I wanted to crawl across the silk and let him pull me into his chest. Let him hold what was left of me.
But he didn’t let the moment last.
“But let’s be clear about the rest, Little Bird.” He stood. The floorboards didn’t even creak under his weight. He moved toward the edge of the bed like a god of wrath wrapped in a bespoke suit, looming over me. “You shouldn’t have run.”
“I had to—”
“You should have stayed,” he cut me off, his voice dropping into something darker. My skin prickled. “You should have punishedme. Talked to me. Let me make it right. Instead, you went to New York. You danced for strangers. You let other men look at what belongs to me.”
He leaned down until his face was inches from mine. I could smell the smoke on his breath.
“And now you’re back because you’re cornered. You didn’t come home because you wanted to, Indigo. Not because you forgive me. You came back because you need me to save you… and you want to hate me while I do it.”
His eyes burned into mine.
“You were free before you ran. You won’t be anymore.”
The words landed like chains.
“I will save you. But I’m clipping your wings.”
They hung in the dark like smoke.
I could have fought him. Should have screamed. I wanted to launch myself off the bed and sink my teeth into his throat.
Three years ago, I would have.
Three years ago, Ihad—and I’d left the knife in his chest.
But three years ago, there hadn’t been a million-dollar hit on my head.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Took a slow, deep breath.
He was watching me, waiting for the old Indigo to explode. Probably hoping for it. He’d always gotten a sick thrill from my tantrums.
I didn’t give it to him.
“Okay.”
The word came out flat. Tired.
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise? Suspicion? It was too dark to tell.
“Okay?” he repeated.
I tried to shrug, but my body still felt like it belonged to someone else. “You’re right. I’m cornered. I need you to save me.” I met his gaze without flinching. “So save me.”
He studied me for a long moment, trying to read the angle.
“I’m not going to fight you, Malachai. I don’t have the energy.” I let my head fall back against the pillow. “Do what you want. Clip my wings. Lock me in a tower. I don’t care. Just keep the Volkovs off my back. I won’t even say you owe me this.”
Silence.
I could feel him not believing a word of it. He shouldn’t. The second he wiped out the Russians, I was gone again.
I just needed to survive first. Figure out the rest later.
