Page 9 of Poisoned Vows

“How can you be sure?” He nods towards me. “You’ve inspected very little of her. Perhaps she should take the dress off, so you can be certain that her body is pleasing to you.”

Oh god, please, no.How had I not thought of this possibility, in all of my macabre imaginings? I hadn’t thought of being forced to strip naked in front of my father and these other two men. The shame of it burns hotly in my belly, rising up into my throat, tears pricking at the back of my eyes. There’s nothing beneath my dress, and I realize with a sick sensation that it was for precisely this reason. My fatherhadanticipated this.

Nikolai’s jaw tightens, and I feel the smallest flicker of hope, foolish as it is.What if he’s not as bad?The possibility seems ludicrous, but I cling to it.

“If I’m being given her innocence,” he says calmly, “then I would prefer to be the only man who sees her bared. After all, a piece of art so beautiful is best viewed by only one set of eyes.” He looks at me, the heat in his gaze darkening. “If she is my reward, then I will be the only one who enjoys her charms, in all their many forms.”

Thepakhanmakes a grunting noise, taking another wet swallow of his vodka. My heartbeat slows, relief washing over me, but only for a moment.

“Then test her, at least,” he growls. “I will not take this man’s word for it that she’s untouched.” An anticipatory look settles on his face, as if he’s waiting to see what happens next.

Something flickers in Nikolai’s eyes.What the fuck does that mean?I wonder, my heart racing again, as Nikolai steps closer to me. He stands in front of me, his body blocking mine from the view of the other two men in the room, and he fills the space, his muscular body radiating heat.

I’ve never had a man like this so close to me. Everything about him screams danger. He looms over me, those eyes thunderclouds now, and one hand rests on my waist, long fingers pressing into me as he looks down at my face.

“Don’t move, little rabbit,” he murmurs, and the nickname startles me into absolute stillness as I feel his hand fist in my skirt, raising it so that he can slide his hand beneath it.

Oh god.My heart is galloping in my chest, the sensation painful. I feel like I can’t breathe, as if I might pass out and crumple onto the hard wooden floor. I have no idea what this man is going to do to me.

Terror fills me—and something else, too, as I feel his hand slide under my skirt, the material draped over his muscled forearm. A heat that I’ve never experienced before, creeping over my skin.

His fingers brush over the taut skin of my abdomen, just above the apex of my thighs. I realize what he’s going to do, and those sharp tears of shame burn at the back of my eyes again.

I want to beg him not to touch me like this, not in front of my father and his—not at all, if I could somehow talk him out of it. But I know it’s useless. I was brought here for thepakhan’s pleasure, and it seems that his pleasure is both in giving me to his son, and having his son humiliate me here in this room, one way or another.

Begging will only add to my shame.

I tilt my chin up, looking defiantly at Nikolai as his fingers brush lower. I was instructed to shave bare, and I did. My pussy is soft and smooth, and I see his jaw tighten as he touches me, his lips pressing together as one finger slides over the seam between my thighs.

Heat blossoms over my skin again. He hasn’t even delved between my folds yet, and I can feel something prickling over me, an unsettling sensation that makes me want to fidget. But I hold myself ramrod-straight and still, refusing to so much as flinch as his finger taps against my outer folds, his eyes narrowed as he looks down at me.

“Well?” thepakhandemands. “Does she seem untouched?”

“Are you, little rabbit?” Nikolai’s voice is low and rough, hushed as it is. I wonder if I looked down, if I would see that he’s aroused. I feel a strange, wicked temptation to do just that. But I force myself to hold his gaze. I don’t want him to see the slightest bit of interest from me. Only my refusal to be cowed by this. “Are you as innocent as your father claims?”

I try to swallow, but my mouth is bone-dry. I nod speechlessly, my tongue sticking in my mouth.

“Use your words, rabbit.” Nikolai rubs his finger back and forth. “Are you untouched?”

“Y-yes.” I manage to force the word out. “I’m a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Untouched by anyone?” His finger pushes between my folds, and I feel the tip of it graze my clit.

I almost gasp. I barely manage to choke back the sound, forcing myself to remain silent. His finger taps against me, in that sensitive spot, and his eyes narrow. “Have you touched yourself here, Lilliana?”

It’s the first time he’s used my name. The shock of it, growled in that deep, accented voice, jolts me, and to my everlasting humiliation, I feel myself pulse against his fingertip—and for the first time in my life, I’m wet.

“Answer me,” he murmurs, his voice a warning. “You’ll find that no one here has infinite patience, rabbit.”

I don’t want to answer him. But I force the words out, knowing that I can’t test my limits here. Not tonight. If I’m sent home, my life will end before the sun comes up.

My urge to survive is greater than my sense of shame.

“No,” I whisper. “Never.”

Nikolai’s eyes widen ever so slightly, as if I’ve managed to surprise this man. There’s a hint of satisfaction in that, if it’s true. His finger presses a little harder against my clit, and once again, I swallow back a gasp.

“Never?” His finger rubs back and forth, just a little, and I feel another shameful flood of arousal, wetness gathering around his finger. I think I can feel myself starting to drip down my own thighs, and my cheeks flame. I can feel eyes on us, his father’s and mine, and I begin to wonder if death is preferable after all.

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