Page 57 of Savage Surrender

“Irina!” He chased after me, running without pause. Pursuing me madly, he sprinted to catch up and stop me from escaping.

Of course, he would.

He’d been hunting me all along.

This time, he wouldn’t capture me to make me feel good.

After revealing who he was, he would now grab me so I couldn’t tell anyone else his secret.

“Irina, wait!”

His footsteps sounded so loudly behind me, but I dug in and ran as fast as I could. The need to survive, the need to flee, pushed me to slam my feet down harder and pump my arms to strengthen my stride.

Floor after floor, I dropped down the stairwell. The thuds of our boots and shoes on the pavement echoed in the concrete chamber. But in my head, my pulse roared deafeningly louder, tuning out the sound of him shouting at me.

Before I could think to shove open another door to get out of the stairwell and run down another floor, he caught me. Grunting hard, he jumped down and cleared several steps to capture me.

His arms latched around me so tightly, there was no chance I’d break free. Kicking and flailing, I tried to wrestle out of his grip, but my efforts didn’t work. Not this time. The hard bulges of his biceps pushed against my arms. That lean strength in his forearms flexed as he hugged me tighter.

I had trained in self-defense. I wasn’t completely helpless. In his strong embrace, though, I had no hope to slip free.

Breathing hard, he growled and fought to hold me close. Still, I resisted. Squirming and bucking, I gave it my all. Every last reserve of energy I had was spent in a matter of survival.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

No one else was in here. I had no one to count on but myself, and I was tired of it. Not long ago, I yearned to be held by this man. I craved his arms around me and giving me that sense of security I’d never felt before.

With the knowledge that he was my enemy, a Baranov sent to dupe me, I had to shut down those stupid fallacies that I could’ve ever been safe with him.

“Let me go!” I repeated, my voice lower and hoarse from shouting.

He didn’t. Of course, he didn’t. Viktor was a man on a mission, ready to take me in.

For several minutes, a torturous length of time that felt like a long blur, he held me tight and didn’t relax for a second. All that while, I continued to fight to get free. Eventually, I tired, both from having to fight him and the strain of wrestling to no avail. I sagged against him, surrendering. I could not escape this time, and the daunting thought sliced my soul in half.

No escape.It was all I’d dreamed of doing for so long, running away from my troubles, from the prison of my life and finding a safe future.

Only surrender.It was all I’d done since I was born, giving in to what the men in my life dictated of me.

I caught my breath, focusing only on breathing as he maintained the vise grip of his steely arms around me. The more I gave up, the deeper I succumbed to defeat, he lowered with me. On his haunches, he turned me in his arms until I was cradled against him.

My body ached from fatigue. Stress knocked me down. Knowing I couldn’t get away, I fisted his shirt and closed my eyes, unwilling to face him. I couldn’t look into his eyes and feel the ironic disappointment that he’d deceived me. The one man I’d chosen to let in, the only guy I’d wanted to give my virginity to.

“It will be okay,” he said.

I was so spent, I didn’t have the energy to laugh, to mock his stupid claim. But I did get a second wind to lash out at him, venting every drop of anger that coursed through my veins.

“Nothing is okay! You lied to me. You deceived me. Seducing me and trying to get me to lower my guard like that— Youtrickedme.”

“I had a cover, Irina, and that?—”

“Youliedto me. You just admitted it. You pretended to be someone you’re not all so you could capture the enemy.”

“Irina, it’s?—”

I reared back to face him, glaring and damning him for looking so sincere. “Don’t tell me how it is. I’m not stupid. No. Iamstupid. So fucking cluelessly stupid to have ever fallen for any of your bullshit. Are you happy now? Are you happy that you tricked me and seduced me, just for the sake of getting to your enemy?”

“I’m—”

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