Page 73 of Ruthless Bonds

“Kreos, Gavriil.” Viktor nodded toward the bar. “A word.”

Oh, no.

My head snapped to Kreos, my eyes begging him not to leave me alone with his evil mother. He had the decency to look sympathetic as he leaned over, brushing his lips against my ear. “I’m sorry,kotic. We’ll be right back. You can stab her with the fork if she steps out of line.”

I chuckled, biting my bottom lip. Oh, I would have no problem doing that. The three men left the table, and I chugged the rest of my wine.

“Good, now we can really talk.” She leaned closer, her hand snaking out to grab my wrist. “Being a Pakhan’s wife is not easy.” Her voice dripped with venom and I tried to break free from her grip, but she held on tight. “It’s exhausting, honestly. Always looking over your shoulder, wondering if tonight is the night he’ll finally be taken out by a rival.”

Her words were like ice over my skin, but I straightened my back, keeping my face neutral.

“Kreos is very careful.” I kept my voice steady.The last thing I wanted was for her to think she had any power over me.

“Oh, yes, my son is remarkably difficult to kill. Trust me, many have tried. Not even a Pauki Teney could take him out,” she said, a strange smile on her face.

“Pauki Teney?” I arched my eyebrow.

“Spiders of the Shadows. A well-known organization in Russia. Professional hitmen, so to say.” Her eyes had a faraway look in them, as if reminiscing about something.

My skin crawled at her words. Spiders of the Shadows? That night I’d saved Kreos, hadn’t he found a spider tattoo on that man? How would Evelina know about that? Something told me Kreos wouldn’t just tell something like that to his parents. But maybe I was wrong.

“It’s like he has a sixth sense for danger. But Constantine did as well and look at him now.” She shrugged, not an inch of remorse in her voice.

What a batshit crazy woman she was. Talking about her son being in a coma as if she were discussing the weather. God, she really was evil, just like Kreos had said.

I yanked my hand free, rubbing my wrist where she had grabbed me. My gaze traveled around the room, looking for Kreos. My heart stopped for a moment, then sped up as I saw him at the bar. Katia was there, her perfectly manicured hand on his arm. She was leaning in close, whispering something into his ear, while Gavriil and Viktor were deep in conversation.

A red haze clouded my vision, my hand instinctively reaching for the steak knife. Kreos wasnodding at whatever she was saying, but I couldn’t read his expression. Evelina followed my gaze, a smirk on her face, when she saw Katia.

“Ah, yes. Are you prepared for when he takes a mistress? They all do. You’ll get used to it, though. You can have your own fun as well. Just don’t let him catch you.” Her scowl returned to her face.

Wait. Hadn’t Kreos said his mother was the one who had affairs, not his father? Had he lied to me? Did he think he was going to trap me into a marriage, make me have his children, and then have the audacity to take a mistress?

Suddenly, the room seemed way too hot. “Excuse me, I need the restroom.” I stood and hurried away without waiting for her to respond.

My breath came in short, rapid gasps, as if I couldn’t get enough air. I opened the door to the bathroom, the attendant giving me a nod. “Miss Wolfe.”

Of course this five-star restaurant had a bathroom attendant who knew who I was. Everything was white and pristine. Fresh flowers, champagne and ice, and several plush seats took up the space. Down a little further were the toilets, and I slammed the door of one cubicle shut, leaning my back against it.

I couldn’t get the image of Katia smiling up at Kreos out of my head. She had been the one who looked like a predator as she had leaned in close to him. A weight settled in my stomach as I tried to control my breathing.

Just relax.

Honestly, none of this was a surprise. His insane mother, his controlling father, the snake of a woman trying to take him away. I had to remind myself that thiswasn’t supposed to bother me, because it was supposed to be fake. Would a fake fiancée with no feelings for her partner care if his mother was a bitch to her? No. Would she care if another woman flirted with him? Also no.

So what was the problem?

Probably the same thing that had been bothering me all day.

This whole thing didn’t feel fake. And my jealous reaction just proved my fear.

I might be falling for Kreos.

Fuck.

Don’t be stupid.

I leaned against the door for a few more minutes, letting myself catch my breath and calm down. After a moment, I went to the sink, nodding at the attendant. The water was cool as I dabbed some on my neck. My peace was interrupted when none other than Katia walked in a moment later.

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