Page 3 of Reign of Four

If that part of him still exists, it doesn’t listen.

“Hold still, zhena, or I’ll nick that pretty skin of yours.” Liam flicks the blade against my shoulder, cutting my dress strap free. It falls limp, and Liam drags the flat edge of the blade across my chest on his way to cutting the other one free. He pauses then, like he expected my dress to fall from my body from gravity alone, his eyes narrowing like it offends him. With a scowl, he taps the sharp edge of his knife to the dip in the sweetheart neckline, pricking my skin with the tip of the blade. I flinch, and his eyes flick up to my face. “Don’t move, baby, or what happens is your fault.”

I suck in my cheeks and bite down on both sides, hoping the pain will ground me enough not to move. I glance away from Liam to see the screen. Ezra’s face is missing, but Mikhail’s is right there. His anger morphs before my eyes, turning softer once tears pool in my eyes. “Count your tears for me, love, and I’ll make the bastard pay for each and every one, I promise.”

As Liam grabs the top edge of my bodice and starts carving through the fabric, it’s Mikhail’s voice that keeps me sane. He murmurs things to me, gentle things, but I can’t make out the words over the sound of my dress tearing. Liam’s knife isn’t sharp enough for a clean cut, so he saws through the fabric, fighting for each inch. Fire licks at my skin where the knife cuts into my flesh, and my tears finally start to fall as, inch by inch, Liam tears away my defenses.

I count each and every tear, as instructed, committing the number to memory.

Once Liam reaches the skirt, he steps back to admire his work. Without the bodice holding me in, my breasts spill free, barely contained by the scraps of fabric left. My skin stings where the knife made contact, each shallow breath I take burning in my lungs.

Liam runs his palm down my naked flesh, from my sternum to my abdomen, across the fresh lacerations. My entire body flinches hard as I try to move away from the source of my pain. He notices and clicks his tongue. “Come now, zhena, it’s your fault you’re injured, not mine.”

What?

Blood roars in my ears loud enough that it drowns out Mikhail’s own outburst of rage. “I’m not the one holding the knife,” I hiss, glaring up at Liam. Every nick on my body stings, but the cuts aren’t deep. They’re merely surface wounds, thank God, but that doesn’t make any of this better. It sure as hell doesn’t make it my fault, either.

Liam’s eyes meet mine, his smile feral. “Would you like to be?” He holds the knife out in front of my face. The tiniest bit of red coats its sharp edge. My blood. Or his. My stomach cramps at the thought of our blood mixing because of his sick obsession.

I’m not sure if this is a trick question. If I say yes, will he actually untie me and hand me the knife? Hesitation makes me sweat as I mull over my options. If I say no, will he continue cutting until there’s nothing left to keep him from touching me? But if I say yes, will he find another cruel way to punish me?

My lungs burn as I take a deep breath. This feels like being eighteen all over again and staring down two opposite paths: stay with the family who took my mother from me, or run as far away as my heels can carry me. But that kind of thinking is too narrow; there are more options in front of me than I realize. If I had understood back then that if option A and option B didn’t work for me, I could have created an option C, maybe I could have stayed and demanded more for myself.

Maybe, I could have avoided meeting Liam in the first place.

I stare at the knife in his hands and ignore the panic fluttering inside my ribcage. I don’t have to play Liam’s games. I can choose another outcome.

“You’re a fucking coward, you know that?”

Liam’s wicked expression freezes before my eyes.

I glare up at his crooked nose. I’m glad Ezra beat the shit out of him, after all. He deserves an ugly face to match his rotten heart. “What is it my grandmother said?” I tilt my head, pretending to think about it. “That you had five years to secure me? And you failed, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t fail.” Liam’s words come out stilted. “I have you, Valentina. You’re mine.”

I shrug one shoulder as best I can beneath my bindings. “You may have my body tied to this chair, but there’s no other part of me you’ll ever own. Not my name, not my heart, nothing. You’ll die sooner than you think, and no one will remember you, not even me. So I think, by those standards, you have failed, Liam.”

The silence is broken by Mikhail’s laughter. “Oh, I’ll remember him. His beating heart in my hands will be a sweet memory to keep me warm on cold winter nights.”

My gaze shifts from Liam over to my boyfriend’s picture on the screen. “That’ll be me warming your bed, love, not memories of this fucking coward.”

Liam’s expression darkens, his frozen smile cracking at the edges. “Don’t test me, Valentina. You won’t like what happens.”

Anger sizzles beneath my skin at the threat. What more could the bastard do to me than humiliate me like this? “What, are you gonna take a picture of me and jerk off to it in the corner?”

I don’t see the slap coming. I should. He’s hit me before. But being tied up and pissed off while your boyfriends watch on screen can really make a woman overlook those important details.

My head whips to the side with a loud crack, dark spots dancing in my vision. A shout from the speaker fills the room, drowning out the thundering of my heart.

Liam’s breathing has gone ragged. He grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head back up, leering down at me. “Watch your mouth, zhena. I’d hate for your pretty face to match mine tonight.” A few seconds pass, and he takes a breath, visibly composing himself. A flicker of remorse crosses his face as he examines the mark he’s made on my cheek, gingerly pressing the pads of his fingers to my hot, swollen flesh. “You shouldn’t be cruel, Valentina, or I’ll lose my temper. I want to be a good husband to you. Try not to make it a difficult job.”

I ignore his attention and refocus on the screen. I will Mikhail to hurry up and find me. And Ezra. Where is he?

Mikhail must sense my question because he shakes his head and mouths no.

I guess I’m not meant to bring attention to the fact that one of my boyfriends has dipped from the video feed. Hopefully, he’s tracking my location the longer we’re online.

Liam sighs and releases my hair. “Katya will be cross that you’re marked. But, we’re supposed to be on our honeymoon. No one needs to see you for a week, at least. Not even Katya.” He lowers his lips to my swollen cheek and presses a gentle kiss there. “I suggest you behave, or our honeymoon will be a painful memory for you.”

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