Page 65 of Fall into Savagery

“Yeah, right. I’m not using the bathroom with you nearby.”

“All right,” I conceded. “I’ll uncuff you for that. But only that. Until then, you will stay by my side and rest up. Oh, and pet?”

“What?” she said, still sounding disgruntled.

I made sure my expression was serious when I said, “I won’t eat unless you eat.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You heard me. I won’t eat unless you eat as well. I won’t drink anything. I won’t rest unless you are also doing those things.”

Her mouth gaped open, and I tapped her chin. “Close your mouth, sweetheart. Or I’ll give you something to suck on.”

Fuck, just the thought was giving me a hard-on. I could have taken her the way I needed if I wasn't feeling so out of it.

She closed her mouth right away. Then she opened it, but when nothing came out, she promptly shut it.

I lost the battle and smiled then.

“That’s extortion!” she exclaimed.

I shrugged. “So?”

“So … It’s wrong.”

I laughed. “Do you ever know me to do what’s right?”

Just then, the door opened, and Mikhail walked in with our meals, followed by Nikolay.

Both of their eyes expressed their relief when they found her awake.

“Fuck, princess,” Nikolay said, his voice rough. “Do you know how badly you scared us?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at her lap.

Mikhail sat on the bed and set the tray that held two bowls of food. Some sort of pasta, by the looks of it.

“You just need to let us take care of you,kotyonok. Can you do that?”

She gave a slight nod.

“Good,” Mikhail said, handing one of the bowls to me and pulling Catalina’s onto his lap. The movement was awkward because of the handcuffs, but we made it work. We watched as Mikhail forked up some noodles and brought them to her lips. She opened her mouth, and he fed it to her. I knew we all relaxed at the sight of her eating.

What happened today would not happen ever again.

I would make sure of it, and if it meant I was handcuffing myself to her for the next several days … well, it was asacrificeI was willing to make.

My eyes met Nikolay’s from where he sat at the foot of the bed, and I shot him a small smile as I ate my own food.

17

NIKOLAY

Catalina didn’t getto meet Konstantin and Dmitriy that day, mainly because we thought it was best to let her rest.

She and Damien were currently sleeping—or at least, she was asleep. Damien usually didn’t turn in for the night so early, but his keeping Catalina close may have been a good thing for him.

It would force him to slow things down and rest up more than he would have.

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