Page 51 of Ruthless Bonds

Kreos came over to my side of the table and poured wine into my glass before going back to his seat. “Thank you for joining me.”

“It’s not like I had a choice,” I muttered and took a sip of my wine.

“You always have a choice, Alora. It just seems like you’ve been making the wrong ones lately.”

And here we go.I’d been prepared to be civilized, but not if he was going to act like an ass. My nostrils flared with irritation as I gripped the stem of my wine glass.

He surprised me a second later when he apologized. “I’m sorry. This dinner was supposed to be a celebration. No need to fight.”

“Apology accepted.” See, I could be the bigger person, too. “How did you get into my room? I barricaded the door.”

“A barricade won’t keep me from you,kotic.” He chuckled, amusement in his eyes. “Just so you know, there are secret passages throughout my house, leading to rooms that might… surprise you. Also an elaborate tunnel system under my entire estate. I’ll show you sometime.”

Secret passageways and a tunnel system? Great, there really was no hiding from him. “I want to discuss my conditions.”

“Your conditions?” He arched his eyebrow.

“Yes. There are certain things that I want you to agree to before I fully accept.” I knew I was pushing it. Because, in reality, I had no control over the situation. It was either marry him, or my life would be ruined.

“I’m listening.” He leaned back in his chair.

I chugged the rest of my wine, which caused him to chuckle.

“First thing, don’t you ever lock me up like a prisoner again.” My leg bounced uncontrollably under the table. “That’s not the way you’re going to make me behave.”

“I have plenty of ways to get you to behave,kotic, and none of them involve locking you up. More like tying you down.” His voice was low, playful, and I could sense heat rising up my neck. “Besides, that was just a precaution. Your concern is noted. Next.”

“I want to finish the photography competition. You don’t know how hard I’ve worked to get this far, and I won’t give it up.” I held my breath, waiting for him to say no. If I had to, I would beg him. Not that I wanted to, but I would do whatever it took.

“Fine. Next.”

I blinked in surprise. That wasn’t what I’d been expecting him to say. The tension left my shoulders a little bit as I mentally ran through my list of demands, none of which seemed that important anymore now that I knew I could complete the competition. “I want to keep working at the bar.”

“Absolutely not.” He shook his head, his lips set in a firm line.

“But why?” I threw my hands up. “I like working there and making my own money.”

He leaned forward, his expression remaining impassive. “This is my fault for forcing you into this role, but I won’t apologize. As the wife of a Pakhan, you’ll be a prime target.” He stood and approached me with the wine bottle, filling up my glass. “My enemies would hurt you to get to me. They’d use your pain as leverage, and they’d enjoy every second of it.”

A chill ran down my spine at his cold words. An image of being tied up in that basement with Sergei flashed in my mind, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. He walked back to his side of the table and sat back down.

“I don’t tell you this so you’ll be frightened. You just need to understand that if I allow you to work, it’s like painting a target on your back and handing my enemies a gun.” His eyes softened, a flicker of some emotion I couldn’t understand passing over his face. “I will protect you with my life. And so will every single one of my soldiers. But no, you cannot work.”

I nodded, the need to argue gone completely out the door. After his little speech, pretty much every point I’d wanted to make didn’t matter anymore. He was forcing me to marry him. His life was always on the line, and now mine was too. How the hell had I gotten here?

“Everything will be fine,kotic. I’m a very powerful man, and you’re about to become a very powerful woman. We will have a long, beautiful life ahead of us. Now eat, and we discuss your other concerns later.”

Suddenly my appetite was gone, and I pushed my food around on my plate. I could sense him watching me from across the table, so I made an effort to cut my steak into small pieces so that it would seem like I was eating.

Fear. That was what it was. Here I’d thought I only had to be afraid of him, but that was far from the truth. Unease settled in the pit of my stomach as I nibbled on a potato and put it back down on the plate. After a few minutes, I glanced up to find him watching me intently. It suddenly seemed extremely hot in the room and I tugged on my shirt, fanning myself.

“Are you going to keep pretending, or are you going to eat? Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you didn’t eat the last few days.” There was a scowl on his face, and I bit my bottom lip at his harsh tone. “It’s not healthy to skip meals.”

I let my fork land with a clank against the plate. “Kreos, I’ve gone days without eating anything more than stale bread and rotten fruit. I’ll be fine.”

His back stiffened in his seat, his knuckles turning white from gripping his wine glass so hard. Even though I’d said it with a laugh, he didn’t seem to find it amusing.

“Come here. Bring your plate.” His voice was low, controlled.

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