Page 7 of Embrace of the Russian Tiger

“Why?” she asked softly, her gaze never leaving mine. “Why keeping me alive? I am not worth anything to you.”

I stared at her, my jaw tightening. The question wasn’t unexpected, but the way she asked it—like she was trying to see something deeper, something hidden beneath the surface—unnerved me.

“It’s simple,” I said, my voice cold and distant. “You were spared once, when I wanted you killed. Now you owe me. You’re mine.”

She shook her head, the desperation creeping back into her expression. “You are confused. You can’t just?—”

“I can,” I interrupted, my voice sharp. I stepped closer, invading her space, watching as her breath quickened. “And I will. You signed away your freedom the moment you stayed alive when you should have died. Thank Mikhail for that.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she might break. But she blinked them away, biting her lip hard enough that I thought she might draw blood.

There it was again—that defiance. She wasn’t going to go down easily.

Good.

I liked the idea of breaking her.

My body reacted again, my blood surging with heat as I imagined how easy it would be to make her bend to my will. To crush that spark of resistance until all that was left was submission.

She stared at me, the silence between us thick with tension. “Even if I agree to this, this will just be it. Do you understand? I might be your captive but my heart and my soul and my thoughts will never belong to you. You are the Devil himself, Maxim,” she hissed.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Her tone was unexpected, and for a brief second, I didn’t know how to respond.

I wasn’t sure.

“I don’t care for your hear or your soul,” I said slowly, carefully. “You’re just a pawn in a game called life, little girl, and that’s bigger than you could ever understand.”

She flinched, the pain in her eyes clear. But she didn’t break. She didn’t crumble the way I expected her to.

“I understand more than you think,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I know what it’s like to lose everything. I know what it’s like to live despite everything.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. I had wanted to break her, to make her submit, but now… now I wasn’t so sure. There was something about her, something I hadn’t anticipated.

I clenched my fists, forcing the desire back down. She was just a pawn. Nothing more.

“Anna, if you do not agree,” I said, my voice cold and final, “you won’t live to see tomorrow.”

Her head turned to the window, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse. But then, with a shaky breath, she nodded her head. Defiantly so, even though she was accepting her new fate.

It was done.

I brushed my fingers against her face. Her skin was soft, warm, and that primal desire flared up again, making my blood burn with a heat I hadn’t felt in years.

I gritted my teeth, pushing the sensation down. She was mine now. She was my captive.

And soon, she would know exactly what that meant.

“Good girl,” I murmured, watching as her breath hitched at my words.

I turned away from her, walking back to the window, my heart still racing with the strange, unsettling tension that had settled between us.

“You will live here,” I said, my voice distant. “You don’t leave this building unless I say so. Do you understand?”

There was a long pause, and for a moment, I wondered if she would push back. But she didn’t. I heard her voice, soft and resigned. “Yes.”

The single word was filled with a weight that tugged at something deep inside me, something I couldn’t quite place. I didn’t turn around to look at her. I didn’t need to. The tension between us hung in the air, thick and heavy, but I refused to acknowledge it. She was under my control now, and that was all that mattered.

Mikhail stepped forward, his presence a quiet reminder that we weren’t alone. He had done his job, bringing Anna back, but I could sense the unease radiating from him. He knew the stakes; he understood the game we were playing. But even he couldn’t fully grasp what was brewing beneath the surface. He couldn’t know she had affected me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

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