Page 5 of Beautiful Beast

He pats my cheek, and it stings from where he hit it. “Of course not. He won’t make an alliance with me without getting something from me first, and you’re the perfect gift, Anya. The perfect pawn. Beautiful and young.”

“So, you spoke about this with him?” For some reason, that thought makes the back of my neck break out in goosebumps.

“Of course. That’s how I know he’s willing to make a deal. If he marries you, he’ll work with me. Simple as that.”

“And if I refuse?” It’s the wrong question to ask, but I have to ask it.

He tilts his head, his eyes narrowing. “Do you honestly think you can refuse?” He places each of his hands on either side of me on the counter, boxing me in. “Don’t be stupid, girl. This is the best gift either of us can receive. I gain power, and you gainthe prestige of a wealthy, well-connected man. Any other Bratva woman would die to be in your shoes.”

“You can’t make me marry him.”

“No? I think I can.” A devious grin spreads across his face. It makes me want to slap him, but I know things would only be worse for me if I did. “If you don’t, then I’ll give him Nadia.”

Both my sister and I gasp, and my gaze flicks over to her. She’s so young and innocent. Granted, so am I, but I’ve faced our father’s wrath more than she has. I’ve protected her from it. As her big sister, it’s always been my duty.

“But she’s only seventeen. You can’t do that.”

“I can. We would just wait for her to turn eighteen.”

“Is Erik a patient man?”

His mouth snaps shut. I have him there.

“I think a man like Erik Koslov wants a wife now. You can’t give him Nadia because she’s too young. You need me, and you don’t like that you need me.”

He grabs my jaw so tightly it makes my entire face ache. “You will do as I say, Anya. I have made a deal with Erik. You will marry him so I can accomplish that deal. And you think I can’t give Nadia away at seventeen, but you’re wrong. If I, as her father, give my consent for her to be married, I can marry her away as young as I fucking want. So, do you want that to happen to your sister?”

He knows I don’t. He’s exploited it for years—my love for my sister. He’s still doing it now, and I’ll let him because I need to protect Nadia at all costs.

“Please stop,” Nadia whispers. “Please.”

After a long beat, Father lets me go, and for good measure, he pushes my head back as he does it.

He turns to her. “You’re lucky your sister loves you so much, or I would’ve married you to Erik. You’re much more compliant than Anya is.”

Nadia blanches and ducks her chin. It’s a motion she does a lot—hides herself away. Hiding herself from our father. But it’s pointless. We’re both of his daughters, and he’ll use us however he wants.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I snap, making him turn back to me. “I’ll marry whoever you tell me to. Just leave Nadia alone.”

“That’s what I thought. The wedding is in a week, so you’ll need to go dress shopping. I want you looking presentable the day of.”

“Wait. Aweek? Why not longer?”

“Why not? Because I know you, Anya. A week is generous enough. I know you’ll try to run away. I know you’ll try to ruin this for me. You always ruin things for me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You took your mother from me. She was a good, kind woman, and then she had you. You taught her to not like me. You taught her to leave me. And now, she’s dead because of you.”

Slowly, I shake my head. “Mom died in a car crash. She didn’t die because of me.”

“She did, Anya.”

I look at my father in a new light. The two of us have never gotten along. He was always too controlling, and I was too passionate and wild for him to handle.

It’s true that as I got older, I told my mom to stand up for herself. I told her she didn’t need to stay with him if she didn’t want to. All she needed to do was to take Nadia and me with her.

She said she’d think about it, and then she was in her car accident. She didn’t even make it to the hospital before she died.

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