Page 104 of My Dark Horse Prince

I wait for Grigoriy to slam him back against his car with a puff of wind. Or lunge at him and crush his throat.

He shrugs. “If that’s what she wants.” He smirks, just a bit. “I’m open to nearly anything she wants, including leashes. And a lot more.”

“Ew,” Adriana says.

“No woman wants a man she can order around,” Danils says.

“It’s true that no woman wants a dog,” Grigoriy says. “But if he’s powerful, but he’s also a gentleman who respects her right to make the important decisions for them as a couple, then yes. Women do want that. Or at least, I think that’s what Mirdza wants. It’s taken me some time to figure it out.”

Is that really what he’s doing? What he’s offering?

“Think about it.” Danils stares at me intently. “Do you really want to waste time with this filthy Krievu when you could be with me again?”

I can’t help it.

I laugh.

Danils’s nostrils flare and his hands clench. He steps toward me aggressively.

Any questions I had about what kind of man he’s become evaporate. If that’s how he reacts to me laughing at him, then I already know. I shouldn’t be surprised, since he seems to get along with Martinš.

Before I can say a word, Grigoriy releases me and grabs Danils around his throat, lifting him a good foot off the ground, the muscles and veins in his forearm straining. “You will never touch her again. You won’t approach her or talk to her or ask her any questions, not unless she talks to you first. And no more calling or texting. Am I clear?”

The three men advance, two of them pulling weapons.

Grigoriy brushes his free hand against my arm, and the men go flying. The knife and the gun two of them had clatter against the rocky ground, several feet away from the men.

“What just happened?” Martinš shouts from the doorway. “Something strange is going on.”

Another burst of wind, and the front door slams, leaving my stepdad inside.

Meanwhile, Danils’s entire face is purple and he’s flailing around like a fish on a hook.

“I’ll put you down once I’m sure you understand me. I know your brain is quite small, so I want you to try and focus.” Grigoriy lowers him a little, but his feet are still kicking against nothing. “When I release you, I’m going to ask you a question. The correct answer is never. Okay?”

Grigoriy drops him.

Danils collapses to the ground, dirt and debris soiling his formerly pristine suit. He’s gasping, his hands both around his neck.

“Will you call or message my fiancée, Mirdza, ever again?”

Danils doesn’t even look up.

Grigoriy kicks him.

“Never,” he wheezes.

“Do you regret treating her so badly when you were dating?”

Danils looks up, his eyes wide, clearly nervous. Grigoriy didn’t give him a script for this part.

“You do regret it,” I say. “That’s why you came here to beg me to take you back.”

Danils’s lips compress into a white line.

“You don’t have to say it,” I say. “I don’t expect obedience from dogs. Only from boyfriends.” I can’t help smiling.

Grigoriy, though, he’s beaming. “You may think it’s an insult to say she’s leashed me.” He shakes his head. “It’s not. I’d rather be leashed by her every day of the week than left. Like you.” He holds out his hand.

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