Page 46 of Untamed

Just before I lift the mask completely, he uses one of his hands to help me and pulls the mask off the rest of the way.

And when he does, it hits me like a punch to the gut.

I know him.

Not from his voice or the way he moves. No, it’s that face—sharp jawline, those dark, brooding eyes, and the faint scar that cuts across his brow. He’s been at my gym. Watching me. He’s the guy who challenged me, who watched me, his intensity making my stomach churn with something between fear and fascination.

I pride myself on noting details. I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.

I pull back.

“You,” I whisper, the word escaping before I can stop it. My pulse thunders in my ears, and my hands tighten around the forgotten coffee cup like it’s my only lifeline.

His smirk, slight but unmistakable, curls at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been watching you,” he admits, his voice a low rumble that feels more intimate than it should. “And you noticed. Didn’t you?”

I want to argue, to deny it, but I can’t. Of course I noticed. You don’t forget someone who looks like him—especially not when they watch you like you’re the most fascinating thing they’ve ever seen. But it doesn’t explain why. Why hide? Why now?

“Why the mask?” I ask, shaking my head, forcing my voice to stay calm, controlled. “Why all the games?”

His smirk fades, replaced by something darker, heavier. “Because I didn’t lie, little queen,” he says simply like it’s a fact as immovable as gravity. “My name is Rodion Kopolov. Third in command to the Kopolov family Bratva. I could be put away or killed if I put my face online.” He shrugs. “Also? You like it.”

And yet… it’s like the reality of it is so out of the ordinary that I can’t quite make sense of it all. I’m torn. The audacity makes my blood boil, and yet I can’t ignore the pull of his words. He’s not entirely wrong. Intrigue has always been my drug of choice.

But I’m hung up on…Bratva.

He’s real, dangerous, and standing too damn close. Sure, he could be lying, but somehow I know he isn’t. There’s a sort of cognitive dissonance. He’s standing before me, the mark of the Bratva on him. He sayshe is Bratva.

“I don’t like this,” I snap, stepping back.

NowI’mthe one lying.

I am definitely the one lying.

“Yes, you do,” he says with that wicked grin that makes my brain short-circuit. “I’ve read your posts, Ember. I know what you want, what you dream about when no one else is watching. I’ve watched every one of your videos on repeat. I’ve looked at the books you read. I know every fantasy you’ve imagined, and I know if you really had a problem with me, you would’ve blocked me a long time ago. And you haven’t. I took risks making those videos, because I know…I’mthe one that can give you want you really want.”

My heart slams against my ribcage. I should be angry. Hell, I am angry. But beneath it, there’s something else—something I don’t want to name. Something dangerous.

“You don’t know me,” I repeat, the words coming out weaker than I intended.

When he leans in, his breath brushing against my cheek as he speaks. His voice is a promise, dark and electric. He bends so his lips brush my cheeks, and the next thing he says makes me shudder.

“You know as well as I do that’s a lie, and I told you if you were mine, that wouldn’t fly, didn’t I? We’re going inside, little queen. Someone needs a lesson.”

Chapter 10

RODION

She didn’t like it,but I put the mask back on.

I like how she acts when I wear it.

“This is not what I had in mind,” she says with an adorable frown. I stifle a smirk.

When I told her there was a lesson I had to teach her, I could tell exactly what she had in mind by the way her eyes lit up. It made me almost pull her over my knee right then and there because I know she craves it. I've watched the videos. I've seen her reactions. I’ve hacked into her e-reader and read every section she’s highlighted and recommended since I found her. I've seen the stitches incoming where she talks about being overpowered and punished by a strong, preferably masked man.

I know that some of this is only fantasy, but I also want to make sure she’s prepared. It's important that we know how to defend ourselves.

“So tell me. Who’s Shawn?”

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