Page 28 of Savage Reign

“Rise and shine, princess.” Nikolai’s voice.

Sunlight stabs through the curtains as the world comes into view. Nikolai is at the foot of my bed, his hand covering whatever is locked around my ankle.

“What are you doing?” I rasp, my voice heavy with panic. “Are you… are you chaining me to the bed?”

“Good morning to you, too,” he says, looking up at me with a small smile. “It’s an ankle monitor to keep track of your location. Just taking precautions. Can’t have my wife wandering off, can I?”

An ankle monitor to track my movements? It takes my morning brain a minute to process. Is he giving me an electronic leash?

The moment I look down, my confusion only grows. I expected something clunky and shackle-like around my ankle, but instead, a thick gold cuff rests against my skin. Small, sparkling diamonds are scattered across its surface, making it appear as if it glows.

“It’s real if you’re wondering.” Nikolai’s fingertips brush over my sensitive skin above the device, and heat rushes up my leg. I bite the inside of my cheek, refusing to let him see the way his touch sends an unwelcome shiver through me. “Fourteen karat gold and hand-set diamonds. Only the best for my wife.”

I want to rip it off and throw it in his smug face. “Stop calling me that,” I insist. “And covering it in gold and diamonds doesn’t make it any better. Might as well throw me in the dungeon if you're going to treat me like a prisoner.”

“If sleeping in the dungeon is more in line with your expectations, it can be arranged.”

I roll my eyes and hug the blankets tighter around me. “I’ll keep my gilded cage, thanks.”

Gilded isn’t an exaggeration. The room is lovely, with pale green walls and elegant mid-century furniture. The highlight is a large window overlooking the lush back garden—not that I imagine I’ll be allowed outside. At least, not alone.

Nikolai pulls up a chair and sits beside me while I watch him warily. He’s fresh from a workout, his black athletic tank clinging to his skin, every muscle defined. A faint sheen of sweat clings to his skin. His forearms rest on his knees, the veins running up his arms so prominent they’re distracting. I force my gaze upward because letting my eyes wander would only spark uninvited memories.

I don’t need any more reminders of what happened between us. The slight soreness between my legs is reminder enough.

Nope. Not going there. I shake the thoughts away, combing my fingers through my messy hair. “With all your security, don’t you think a tracker is a little excessive?”

“Take it as a compliment. I have faith you can do anything you put your mind to.” His tone is infuriatingly calm. “Other than the basement, my office, and the east wing where my guards are housed, you’re free to go wherever you like. But remember…” His fingers trail a deliberate line over my calf, brushing the monitor, and goosebumps rise unbidden in its wake. “This will alert me the second you step off my property. Day or night, it goes straight to my phone. And trust me, you won’t like the consequences.”

I grit my teeth, swallowing back a growl of frustration. This stupid monitor kills any hope of escape. It was already a long shot, but now it feels impossible. My mind goes to Roman and Liza. If they know I’ve been taken, maybe they’re already working on a plan to get me back. I swallow before meeting his stare. “Do Roman and Liza know yet… about me being here?”

I expect Nikolai to dismiss my question, but he doesn’t. He leans forward, studying my face as he slowly nods. “They’ve received my message. I imagine I’ll hear back from them soon. But don’t hold out hope of a big dramatic rescue. I covered my tracks well.”

Helplessness wraps around me, and despite myself, my eyes burn with the threat of tears.

His mouth tightens. “Don’t blame yourself, moya sladost. There was nothing you could have done to stop me.”

“I don’t blame myself,” I hiss. “I blame you.”

Except that’s not entirely true. I barely slept last night, replaying every bad decision that led me here. Ditching my bodyguards was the first. Sleeping with Nikolai was the second and, by far, the worst.

This news is going to crush Liza. She’ll blame herself somehow, and she doesn’t need that guilt right now, not when her focus should be on getting pregnant and building the family she’s always wanted. Once again, I feel like a burden to her and Roman.

I reach for a tissue on the nightstand, and as I shift, the blankets slip, cool air brushing against my bare skin. Damn it! I’m practically naked in a bra and underwear.

Nikolai doesn’t move, his dark gaze traveling slowly over my exposed skin, drinking me in with the kind of intensity that makes my pulse stumble. I yank the sheets up, clutching them tightly to my chest, and shoot him a glare. “Mind your own business.”

“Don’t be so modest.” His gravelly voice is loaded with suggestion. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“And it’s nothing you’ll ever see again,” I snap. “You ripped me from my life. My family, my friends, my future—they were everything to me, and you took it all without a second thought.”

He exhales slowly, standing with deliberate calm. “I’m not looking to complicate my life, Sofiya. You’re my wife in name only. I won’t ask for more. You’ll live here and follow my rules. Beyond that, you’re free to do as you like.”

That’s hardly freedom, but I’m done arguing. I want him to leave. On his way out of the room, he gestures toward a neatly folded stack of clothes at the foot of the bed. “Eva lent you a few things for now.”

The mention of Eva’s name sets my teeth on edge. “Making me wear your girlfriend’s clothes—real classy.”

His brows knit together. “My girlfriend?”

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