Page 203 of The Harbinger

I gave him a shake of my head. “I’m not a fan of fish.”

His brows furrowed in a perplexed expression. “Really now? Are you certain?”

I affirmed with a nod. “Positive. I’ve had it before.”

“Maybe it wasn’t the correct type. There are many fish out there, all with different textures and flavors. Maybe the smoked salmon, perhaps?”

I tilted my head and glanced at him. “I did like the taste of the fish soup I had on the plane here, but that’s it. What was that called again, Sacha?”

“Ukha.”

“That’s right… that was delicious.” I popped another grape in my mouth and crushed it with my molars. Juice squirted from my open lips and sprayed little droplets on Sacha and Ruslan’s roasted pig.

Fire rose in my throat, my cheeks aflame as I covered my mouth with my palm and turned away, quickly chewing the grape and swallowing. “I’m sorry.”

“Mia. There’s that word again.”

“I’m—”

He tipped his head with an alluring dark gleam in his eyes.Was heflirtingwith me?

“Right… I remember.”

He plucked a grape off my plate and popped it into his mouth. A dribble of juice clung to his lips, and he flicked his tongue out to swipe it away. “It is juicy.”

I grinned, a goofy, totally head-over-heels, flirtatious smile that pulled my cheeks back to my ears. “Yes, it is,” I whispered.

Chapter 54

Mia

Ifinishedmylastgrape just as Sacha put his final forkful of suckling pig into his mouth and chewed while the servers made their way around the tables, taking away the empty trays.

I’d filled up on fruits and vegetables, taking small bites of the roasted pig with my eyes closed as Sacha forked it into my mouth, my protests going unnoticed.

“What’s next?”

“We drink.”

The wine hadn’t stopped flowing since we’d been here, and there were already a few randy women, their cackles in the background swallowed up by the boisterous conversations surrounding us.

“What more do we have to drink?”

“You’ll see.”

After the tables were cleared, the room fell silent, and Sacha rose to his feet. This time, he made an announcement that was a blur of words, but I fixed my gaze on his towering figure. I remained resolute despite Nikolai’s attempts to catch my attention, bouncing in and out of my periphery.

Every moment spent with him made my skin crawl with discomfort, as if tiny parasites burrowed into my flesh, seeking refuge. I couldn’t stand being near him; the longer I lingered, the more unbearable it became.

Suddenly, the crowd erupted in applause, drawing my attention to the left. Their heads swiveled in unison.

What were they looking at?

Just as I turned, the staff wheeled out a massive table almost eight feet long. Goblets were arranged around the edges, and in the center was a woman in white, her curly brown hair fluffed up around her head. She lay there, still as if in a deep sleep, with her hands resting on her belly.

A pang shot in my gut at the thought of Katya. We’d never had a funeral for her or Catherine. Not that there was much left of her, but didn’t anyone notice their absence?

“Naslazhdaytes’ ostal’noy chast’yu vashego vechera.”Sacha turned to his right and took a step away from the table.

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