Page 30 of Bound By Hate (Born in Blood)

“I’m going to plan the perfect wedding,” I say, changing the subject. “Either get on board or leave.”

Sofiya closes her mouth. On board, it is.

“Ooh, this is pretty,” Mila says, grabbing a dress from the rack.

“Ugh. For you, maybe. Not for me.”

Mila looks dejected and puts the dress back.

“Be nicer to her,” Sofiya whispers as we flip through dresses. Nothing good. Too ugly. Too shiny. Too lacy. Too ruffly. Too tight. Too flowy. None of these dresses are good enough. I need my wedding dress to be perfect.

“I am nice to Mila,” I say. “I’d die for our sister. You know that.”

“I know you would. But you can still be nicer. She’s trying to please you.”

“Please me how?” I pick out a mermaid style dress, shudder, and put it back on the rack.

“She only went out for the role of Juliet because you couldn’t do it yourself. She’s doing it for you, Vik.”

I laugh. “That’s ridiculous. All three of us have trained in ballet our entire lives. I knowyoudon’t love it like I do, but Mila loves it. She’s happy.”

Sofiya sighs and shakes her head but doesn’t say anything more.

“None of these dresses are right.” I want to rake my hands through my hair, but I styled it to perfection and refuse to mess it up.

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“I’ll know it when I see it.”

“What if you don’t know what’s good for you?” a deep voice asks from behind me. I know that voice. Spinning around, I come face-to-face with Aleksander.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area and saw you through the window. Thought I would come in and see how the wedding planning is going. Still set on marrying Gleb?”

A slight thrill goes through me. “Why? Are you just devastated I rejected you?”

Aleksander smirks. “I’m not upset at all.”

“Liar.”

Sofiya walks over to Mila, who has a large stack of dresses in her arms. If Mila seriously thinks I’m going to wearanyof that …

“I said it last night.” Aleksander draws my attention back to him. “You made your choice. I have to respect that. So, which dress are you going to go with?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious, is all. I want to know what dress you’ll be wearing when you marry Gleb. It’s the same dress he’s going to take off you on your wedding night. When he finally gets the chance to fuck you.”

Heat hits my cheeks, and I hate it. I don’t get embarrassed. Ever.

Except when it comes to Aleksander.

“How dare you!” I hiss. “Gleb is going to do no such thing. He’s a gentleman. Gentlemen don’tfuck.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you’d have the guts to say ‘fuck.’ But then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re a brave woman, Viktoriya.”

“How am I brave?”

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