Page 7 of Unleashed

I want to take her. Punish her for betrayal, for putting my family and my entire empire at risk. At the same time, I want to grab her by her delicate shoulders and shake her. How careless—putting herself on display like this, bathed in moonlight—she's a vulnerable target, ripe for the picking.

Doesn't she know I'm looking for her? Does she have no sense of self-preservation? I watch as she turns away, her delicate hand brushing against her cheek.

Is she…crying? Does she have any remorse?

Or does she know any semblance of freedom she has is about to be snatched away?

“Surround the perimeter," I snap. "I want every exit secured."

But it's unnecessary. She seems completely oblivious to the fact that I’m here.

"Are yousurethis is her?" I ask Semyon. "She doesn't look like she's afraid."

Maybe she hasn't quite registered the danger she's in.

“How could it not be her? She’s identical to the pictures we have.”

"She is." She looks exactly like the woman in the picture. The one I've been watching. I've memorized the slender curve of her neck and imagined my face between her breasts. I’ve fantasized about that long, silky hair wrapped around my thick fingers before I pull it. The woman is grace personified. Her skin is as pale as the roses she left fading on our altar.Ouraltar. The one that she abandoned. And now she’s mine. She is the one I will lay sacrifices upon in atonement.

The older woman comes onto the porch. They speak rapidly in Russian, and my bride laughs. Anger flares in my chest. How could she be so unconcerned? How can she be so blasé about what she’s done?

The older woman turns sharply when someone calls her. "No, no, not that one," she says in English. She rushes away, and my bride follows. I know before she makes her decision what she’s going to do, and I can't believe my luck. The glances, the way she grabs her little bag, the way she looks from side to side tell me all I need to know.

She tips her head into the air, pulls her shoulders back, and breathes in deeply as if, finally, she has some freedom.

"Enjoy that last taste of freedom," I say under my breath. “It’s the last you’ll ever have.”

If she were mine—no, sheismine—she’s going to learn that a little jaunt in the woods is out of the question.

I run my thumb along the silk strands in my pocket, ready to bind my bride's wrists and ankles. I’m hard as fuck just imagining that… that, and so much more.

I’ll bring her back where she belongs—home, with me. I’ll teach her that her place is by my side, where she can’t run or hide again. I can see it now—that pale, porcelain skin tinged pink as she blushes, her lips parted, gasping for breath when my hand’s wrapped around her neck, just enough to remind her who I am, just enough so she knows she’s at my mercy. I can already feel the heat of her punished ass against me when I fuck her, her face pressed into the sheets, and my hand on her back, holding her down. She’ll think she’s on the brink of insanity, begging for release, but I’ll keep her right there as long as I need to make sure she feels her punishment.

I’ll claim every inch of her perfect, sweet body. I’ll make her shudder beneath me, scream my name while she claws my back and begs for mercy I won’t grant until she knows she’smine.She’ll feel it in her bones and crave my control. When I’m done, she’ll never again question who owns her.

Without warning, six enormous Russian men step outside. They speak into their walkie-talkies, their voices hard. They fucked up, letting her out of their sight. I would punish the shit out of them for that.

"Jesus.Go.I don't know why you're waiting," Rodion says.

He's the fucking wild card of the family. Charming, reckless, impulsive—he's been in trouble since I've known him, and he made my job as his guardian that much harder. But for him, his natural charisma allows him to get out of damn near everything. His insatiable thirst for thrills and aversion to responsibility keep me on my toes.

I ponder what he says for half a minute. I could rush in, claim her for my own, fight them. Drag her back by her fucking hair and put a bullet between the eyes of any man who tried to stop us…

"Because I understand the blowback to the rest of us. I like to have self-control, Rodion."

He narrows his eyes at me. "If that were me, I wouldn't show weakness. I'm not the kid you think I am anymore, Rafail."

I grit my teeth and go to respond, but Semyon gets to him first.

"Rafail is the leader in the underworld and our family, Rodi," Semyon says coldly. "He knows better than to act recklessly."

I watch as her guards bring her back inside. She’s a feisty one, snapping at them in Russian. I hear a door slam. I run my fingers over the silky threads of the bonds in my pocket once more, and I make my plan.

Chapter 4

POLINA

It'sbeautiful here in Moscow, but I don't feel like I belong. I want to be back home, in The Cove, where I was raised. I long for the salty sea air, the simpler world that was black and white and so familiar. Even though my family, most notably my oldest brother, is driving me crazy, I like it there. My brothers have all married, and I adore their wives. We're a tight-knit group, and I love all of my sisters-in-law. I miss them.

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