Page 148 of Silenced

That reminder is too much of an insult for Myata—her final straw.

Her hand lifts and begins to soar, but my defense classes weren’t totally useless. I grab her wrist before it can connect with my cheek and I twist her arm behind her back. It’s a smooth, rolling motion that feels good to enact.

Now, with her arm at an uncomfortable angle, her hand pinned between her shoulder blades, I haul her against me while I snag the other by her thumb.

Dragging it backward until she’s crying out in pain, I rasp in her ear, “You’re akid. A little girl. You might think you want the big, bad Bratva Pakhan for a husband, but you just lost your father because of your own foolishness. You were just cast out from the only world you know because of your actions.

“Because you’re a child, I don’t doubt you’re about to blame everyone but yourself. You’ve come in here to try to put me down when Nikolai has clearly staked a claim on me. You’re reacting, not thinking.” I stare at her reflection. “Nikolai was never yours. He’s his own man. You need to accept the consequences of your actions so you can move on.

“This is the end of the road for you in Florida. I don’t know if you have a mother or siblings, but your family should move away before you rain down more sorrow on your heads than you already have,andyou need therapy. Lots and lots andlotsof therapy.”

With that, I let go of her.

Just as the door slams inward, ricocheting off the wall.

Were Nikolai an ordinary man, he’d have been hit by it. Instead, even the door knows not to get in his way.

Nikolai’s fury is etched on his face as he glances between us, making me wonder how the hell he knew Myata was in here. She flinches like he backhanded her, but I merely smile and sweep toward him with my arm outstretched.

“What did she say to you?” he signs then takes one of my hands in his.

“Nothing,” I lie, smiling brightly at him. “Now, are you going to dance with me?”

That makes his scowl morph into a grimace, but it’s the defusing tactic I needed.

“Come sit with me,solnyshko,” he answers instead, making me hide a chuckle.

Behind him, Igor’s frown is concerned as he flicks a look between us all, but I just snag a hold of Niko’s fingers and drawl, “My feet are killing me anyway.”

As Niko shoots Myata a glower that’s a warning shot, I merely arch a brow at her as he tugs me away. It’s almost worth it for the darkly possessive hold he tucks me into as we return to the ballroom.

Because I might be everything that Myata claimed I was, I might be barren, old, fat, and a frump, but for whatever reason, I’m Nikolai’ssolnyshko.

And that, I realize, gives me more power than anyone here expects his woman to have.

35

CASSIE

A WEEK LATER

“Doyou know who your father was?”

Settling deeper into his lap after I take a sip of my wine, I snort. “Of course. A garnet miner from Warren County with a bad attitude and an obsession with astronomy—hence my terrible name. Why do you ask?”

He studies the expensive merlot in his glass then relaxes deeper into the love seat in the safe room.

I’ve come to learn that this is his favorite place in the entire house. Maybe that was obvious at the start, but it was more of a gilded cage for me than a ‘beloved’ comfort zone.

As a result of our location, he’s wearing boxer briefs and I’m back to being tucked in a sheet and… I’m okay with that.

Full disclosure: the two orgasms he gave me before we ended up in heremighthave something to do with that though.

While his pecs have caught my attention, I prod him out of curiosity. Why the heck did he bring up my dad?

“You mentioned he was Russian Orthodox.”

“Yes. He moved over to the States when he was a small boy.”

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