Page 102 of Beautiful Enemy

“Do you? Because you saw her save me at the charity function. You saw that she chose to get into that car and go with me. She didn’t have to. You ever wonder why?”

He scoffs. “I’m not going to entertain this. If you have nothing to do but brag, I’m leaving.”

“I didn’t come here to brag. Well… not only that.”

“Then what did you come here for?” he asks, flapping his hands at his sides. It’s a little amusing seeing Erik exasperated. “You want to torture me some more. Fine. Go ahead. I can handle it. Your plan is crumbling, Dante. You wanted to make me so paranoid that I couldn’t sleep but I can take a lot.”

“What about your wife? Surely she’s losing her mind.”

“Leave Anya out of this,” he growls.

“But she’s the exact reason that Nadia will never truly choose me.”

That draws Erik up short. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I came here to offer a proposal.” It’s something I thought of a lot last night. I want Nadia to be mine fully. I want to consume her every day. I want her to want to be with me.

And there’s two ways to get that. One way through violence, which I will use if I have to. Or there’s the second way: through deals. I have to make a deal with Erik Koslov himself.

The man I hate with everything inside of me.

“What proposal?” Erik asks.

“I want Nadia. I’ve already taken her. She’s given herself to me. But you’re right. She wants to return to her sister. She’ll never be happy otherwise. So, I’m offering you a deal. You either take it or leave it right this moment. You give me Nadia. I marry her. And we’ll call a truce. She’ll be allowed to see her sister. She won’t be a prisoner. We can end this war.”

It tastes like poison on my tongue to make a deal with Erik but for Nadia, I’m willing to do it. That’s how much I want her. It’s not about torture for me anymore.

Erik eyes me over, nodding slowly. “You really mean this, don’t you? I’ve known you for a while now. I can read your face. You really want to end this war?”

“I’m willing to put aside my hate for you to have Nadia but you have to put aside your hate for me too and give her to me. You don’t get to take her back and force her to marry Viktor. She belongs in my arms. No one else’s.”

“And if I say no?”

I shrug. “Then I’ll kill you. One way or another, I’m ending this war.”

“But if you kill me, then Nadia will be upset. Don’t you care about that?”

“I do. Which is why I’m offering this proposal first. But I’ll do what I have to do to make Nadia mine.”

Erik is silent as he thinks it over. He knows this is a good deal. Surely. But I’m sure he’s also thinking of how he can use it to backstab me. Make a deal with me, get Nadia back, then kill me. I would do it if I were him.

Or maybe Erik will surprise me. Maybe he has more honor than I ever gave him credit for.

His eyes slide to something over my shoulder and he tenses.

I quickly turn around to see Matteo… and Nadia coming right towards us.

“Don’t kill him,” Nadia says, running between me and Erik. “Please, Dante. Don’t do this.”

“What is she doing here?” I hiss at Matteo.

“She wanted to come. Neither of us wants a war.”

“Nadia,” Erik says softly. “Just come with me. I can get you back home. I can get you to safety.”

“I want to see Anya. I do. But if I try to leave…” She turns to me. “Will you try to kill Erik if I go with him?”

It’s a stab to my fucking cold heart. “I don’t want you to go.”

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