Page 46 of Emerald Malice

“How did you…?”

“Mold is not a small problem, Natalia. Do you think I’d let my child breathe poison for the first years of its life?”

Her jaw snaps shut and I know I’ve landed the winning blow. She spins in a slow circle, taking in the pool house with fresh eyes.

“Well, what about all my stuff?” she snaps at last.

“I’ll have Leonty bring everything over today. It shouldn’t take more than one trip. You’re not exactly flush with belongings.”

“How long do I have to stay?”

She asks like I’m trapping her in a four-by-two cage with no windows. “That remains to be seen. For now, this is the best place for you.”

She mutters unintelligibly under her breath. Uncrossing my arms, I advance on her.

“I’m giving you the pool house because you said you wanted your own space. You’ll have your privacy and freedom of the grounds. The only place I’m requesting you stay clear of is the east wing.”

“What’s in the east?—”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

She sighs. “How very ‘Beauty and the Beast’ of you.”

“What?”

“You know, Beauty and the Beast? Beast tells Belle to stay away from the—” She cuts off mid-sentence when she sees the blank look in my eye. “Never mind. That’s an uphill battle I will never win.”

I clear my throat. “You’ll also find that the commute to work is much easier from here.”

“You’re letting me go to work?”

“Like I said, I’m not interested in dismantling your whole life. I just want to make sure you and this baby are comfortable. Safe and comfortable.”

Her face softens. “Okay. Right. Thank you.” She says it like she’s not sure she should be thanking me at all.

I’m not sure she should, either. Because as much as I like her teasing and as much as I like her feisty…

I think I like her submissive and grateful best of all.

Before I do something I regret in the quiet, sun-drenched privacy of the pool house, I leave her to her new home and saunter out into the garden.

Shura is pacing on the upper deck, talking to someone on the phone. He wraps up the call when I approach. “Vaska woke up this morning,” he informs me.

“Excellent. He’ll make a full recovery?”

“He needs a few weeks and then he’ll be good as new,” he answers. “Just another scar for the collection.”

I nod with satisfaction. Fuck you, Nikolai.

“How’d it go last night?” I ask.

Shura’s restless eyes slip over to the pool house. “You know I’m not a big talker.”

“I’m aware.”

“She is, though.” I suppress a smile, but to my surprise, Shura continues. “It takes a lot for me to like a woman,” he admits, shuffling in place like he wants to sprint away from this conversation. “A civilian woman, no less. But I do like her. She’s nice.”

“High praise, coming from you.”

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