Page 101 of Bound By Hate (Born in Blood)

I’m scared I’ll let myself trust Aleksander, and he’ll break that trust. If he does that, then my hard shell will come right back up, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle that.

I lie back and shut my eyes as a tear trickles down my face. I do what Aleksander has been telling me to do ever since we married—just feel.

I let all my fears and anxieties wash over me. I let the memory of Akim and the auction hit me. And I let the presence of Aleksander comfort me.

I stay like that for a long time. If I had to guess, at least thirty minutes. There’s no clock in the room for me to know for sure.

But I know when I’m ready.

I open my eyes to find Aleksander watching me, an open expression on his face. Was he observing me as I closed my eyes?

“I’m ready,” I say.

He nods. “You are.”

I stretch my body as I get out of the cage. Aleksander stands there with his arms open, waiting for me to come to him.

Instead of fighting it, I let myself walk into his arms and feel him hold me close.

For once, I feel truly calm.

We run into Damien as we leave the club. The sight of him brings back the memory of when he rejected me. When he thought I wasn’t good enough.

“Damien,” Aleksander says in a tense voice. He might not have any beef with Damien, but Mikhail does, and I know Aleksander takes his job seriously.

Damien nods. “Interesting to see you here,” he says to me. “I didn’t know a Morozova girl would come to a BDSM club.”

I stand closer to Aleksander, still seeking that comfort from him. “What does it matter to you? You didn’t want me, remember?”

“I do remember. Too much of a mouth on you.”

Aleksander tenses. “Be careful.”

“I am. I thought I would have some fun tonight.” He nods towards the club. “Have a good evening. And Viktoriya, you can always send your younger sister my way.”

I gasp. Damien wants Mila? Since when?

He smirks before heading inside.

“Don’t let him bother you,” Aleksander says, walking me to the car. “I haven’t spent much time with Damien, but what I do know is he likes to get under peoples’ skin.”

“He was talking about Mila.”

“Your sister is safe.”

“She wasn’t from Gleb. She wasn’t from Boris. And now another Bratva man wants her?”

“I’ll talk with Mikhail, make sure there’s always a guard on her, keeping her safe. How does that sound?”

“That sounds … good.”

But the moment I get into the car, tears hit me, and they refuse to stop coming. I’ve never cried this much before. I blame it on Aleksander. He’s making me get in touch with my “softer side,” and it’s turning me into a mess.

“Why are you crying?” he asks once he gets into the car.

“It doesn’t matter.” I wipe my tears.

He grabs my hand and covers it with his own. “It matters to me.”

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