Just one look at Yuri.
Yuri froze.
“Just partying,” Yuri said, too quickly. “No trouble here.”
Misha didn’t even acknowledge him.
His eyes were locked on me.
Assessing. Calculating.
Without a word, he crossed the space between us, one hand settling at my lower back.
I stiffened.
The heat of his touch branded straight through the thin fabric of my dress.
He leaned down, voice like gravel brushed with ice:
“Can you walk?”
I tried to nod.
Failed.
He caught me before I could hit the floor.
Misha’s hand on my back felt like ice against the heat of my skin. His touch was possessive, like he had a right to it, like he had always had a right to it. I should have resisted. I should have screamed. But my body... my body just surrendered. I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t fear—was it something else? No. But in that moment, I couldn’t figure it out. I felt too numb, too dizzy.
He lifted me like I weighed nothing.
The men didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Misha didn’t look at them.
Didn’t offer an explanation.
He just carried me away.
Chapter 4
LUNA
I drifted in and out of consciousness.
The world was a blur of cold marble floors, the soft creak of doors swinging open, the low murmur of voices I couldn’t understand.
But one sound stayed constant.
Footsteps. Measured and heavy. The kind a predator makes when it already knows you can’t run.
I opened my eyes once. Caught a glimpse of a long hallway I didn’t recognize.
Walls lined with somber oil paintings. Gold sconces throwing dim light onto dark wood.
Not the east wing. Not the family quarters.