Page 48 of Crimson Fury

Oh, my fuck!

My God, he’s going to kill me! The sex was just a diversion. He’s going to freaking kill me and bury me in the woods. And there won’t be a soul who’ll come looking for me.

Oh God, oh God!

“You what?” he says against my ear, the words fluttering over my skin. “You think you can get away with digging around in my life just because you make my cock hard?”

“No…please…” I hate pleading, but I don’t know how to respond any other way. “That’s not… what this is,” I choke out.

“Isn’t it,Zayka?” he murmurs. His voice makes me shudder, despite the menace in it. “Tell me then. Tell me what this is…” His hand eases off my throat, and then I’m being turned around to face him, held firmly by my upper arm. I stare up into his face, wondering if this is what a mouse feels like as an eagle descends from the sky to sink its talons into it.

“I…I…” I swallow hard, scrambling for words.

“The truth, Scarlett.” His voice is low in the silence of the room. “Or I’ll have to punish you…again.”

A perverse thrill races through me at his words. I know he’s dangerous, that I should fight him somehow. But I can’t; not just because I know I’d never win, but because…because I don’t fucking want to.

God, what the hell is wrong with me?

It’s just nuts. I must be some kind of sexual adrenaline junkie or something.

“I wanted to know more about you,” I finally admit softly. “Who you really are. The photos…” I slant a glance at the images I’d been looking at. “You and Nikolai…from before. And those men…”

“Ah.” His lips curve. “So you’ve discovered my dirty little secrets.”

“I don’t understand.” I frown up at him. “What does it all mean?”

For a moment he’s silent, eyes searching my face. Then he releases me, turning away with a sigh. I sag so abruptly that my knees almost collapse. It’s all I can do to keep myself standing.

“It’s in the past where it belongs.”The moment is filled with so many unspoken words, emotions bubbling beneath the surface. I can’t figure out what happened between us, but I’m left shaken. Wanting to reach for him in a way that makes no sense to me.

“The past never stays buried forever.” I step closer, stretching a hand out to touch him. He tenses but doesn’t pull away. “Anton, you can tell me. I want to know about you.”

He laughs harshly. “You say that now. But if you knew the truth…” He shakes his head. “You would run as fast as you could in the other direction.”

He’s right.

I should be running.

I should!

“Try me,” I challenge softly instead. Because I need to get my head examined.

He turns around, pinning me in place with his intense gaze. “If you knew….” He chuckles darkly. “If you knew, I would have to kill you,Zayka.”

The blood drains from my face, because in an instant, I know he’s speaking the truth. No doubt. I stay silent as I back away. He doesn’t stop me as I reach for the door.

I only realize that I’m running when I reach the end of the hall and find that I’m breathless.

Chapter 17

Anton

It’s midnight.

The room is stifling, the walls closing in around me as I pace. How could I have been so careless? So weak?

“You should have gotten rid of her!” I tell myself, even though I know that was never an option. But instead, what did I do?

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