Page 40 of Defiant Devotion

No reply.

“Are you seriously injured?”

Again, no reply or reaction.

“Are you?—”

She shifted, turning away from me even more, and I clamped my lips shut tight in frustration. She wasn’t going to tell me shit. I got it. But she would. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was letting her out of my sight now that I had her.

The further I drove, the more I mapped out a rash plan. Lev and Eva would demand that I bring her to the Baranov mansion, but I didn’t think that would be the best course of action until I had all my answers. Until this enigmatic woman could explain what was going on, I would keep her where I could control her safety and security.

Looks like the Ilyins really did intend to hold her until they could force her into marriage.Since that day I heard Igor Petrov and Geoff Ilyin talking, when Geoff claimed that they’d had Sonya taken for a future arranged marriage to their benefit, I’d dismissed it as his making up lies to sound impressive. I hadn’t wanted to be convinced that they’d actually done that, that the Sonya I’d met and desired could be the woman they were using like that.

But now that I’d found her in the Ilyins’ custody, abused and beaten, it seemed that they hadn’t been bluffing. They really had taken Sonya. Eva was wrong that her sister had run away.

Yet, there were still too many unknowns I wanted cleared up.

Letting Sonya stew seemed smartest while I tried to figure out how to get her to talk. But the next time I glanced at her, I found her fast asleep. Dark circles lined under her closed eyes, and I sighed at the sight of her at peace. If not at peace, then relaxed to the point where she could rest.

Making up my mind to give her a chance to rest as much as she could in the hopes that she’d open up to me when she wasn’t scared or threatened, I drove to one of the remote cabins I owned upstate. While I drove in a different direction from the small town where I’d first encountered her and taken her virginity, I counted on the distance between my place and the city to be an advantage.

She slept the whole way there, and when I parked in front of the small cabin, she still didn’t stir.

What happened to you?I furrowed my brow as I opened her door then brought her inside. Carrying her didn’t rouse her, and I tried to imagine what had caused her to be this exhausted.

Once I got her inside and secured the cabin, I checked that we had food and essentials for a few days. A glance at my phone showed no reception, but that didn’t surprise me. The reception was always terrible out here, and I hoped I wouldn’t need to make an emergency call.

I laid her on the only bed here, then tried to check her over for any injuries. It didn’t seem like she’d hit her head on the ground, but redness and swollen spots showed from those fuckers hittingher. Nothing seemed too serious, though, from what I could tell. When I lifted her shirt to check her stomach, she snapped to and bolted upright.

“Let me?—”

She jack-knifed, sitting up so quickly and bringing her hand forward.

I caught her hand, deflecting her hit. “Easy.”

“No! Don’t tell me to be easy.” She scanned the room, frantic to get off the bed. “I won’t be kidnapped again.”

I held her back, not letting her scurry away. “I saideasy,” I told her in my most commanding voice.

“Are you kidnapping me?” she asked, sounding like a panicked, broken record.

I frowned at her, not wanting to commit to a yes or no. The answer I gave her would dictate how hard she’d want to fight me off. Deep in my heart, I tried not to let that fantasy entertain me. Because kidnapping—or keeping—Sonya didn’t sound so bad. After only seeing her twice before, I was well aware of the spell she’d cast on me.

It wouldn’t be a hardship on my part to keep her.

“I’m trying to help you,” I said instead.

She didn’t lose the furious scowl or intense stare that hinted at zero trust or faith in me.

“I am going to keep you safe, Sonya, while you explain what the fuck is going on.”

She pressed her lips tighter together, stubborn to stay silent.

“I need answers.”

She tipped her chin up and narrowed her eyes more.

“Dammit, Sonya, talk to me!”

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