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“Right. I don’t think so.”
He pushed her against the wall and got in her face. His huge frame blocked the light, placing her in his shadow.
“Do as I say. I don’t give a shit what happens to you, but Vicky would. I can’t fail her again because her mom decided to mouth off against a brigadier.”
“I didn’t—”
He cursed and his hand went to her throat. Her heart started pounding, and part of her wondered if this was it. Was he finally going to do it? Would he finally squeeze her throat shut and end the misery they were trapped in?
Viking didn’t seem to be faring any better than she was. There was an energy that surrounded them, coating their bodies, fusing them to each other like magnets. While their bodies mixed and matched, the same couldn’t be said about their minds. Hers still refused to believe he would hurt her. Unless he put a barrel to her head, she would take her last breath holding onto hope, believing that no matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t harm her.
His corded muscles looked ready to snap her like a twig. His eyes bored into her, condemning her over and over again. The grim line of his lips appeared ready to snap at her again. Call her stupid, but she refused to give up hope. They had made a promise to one another. They had promised each other forever. To her, it didn’t matter that it had been sixteen years ago. Even if he forgot, when he had erased her memory from his existence, she refused to do so. For Viking was the only man who ever made her heart beat. The only one whose presence alone, skin to skin, made her forget all and everything around her. In a world filled with so much hurt, he was her one constant. The father of her child, the bane of her existence, whatever he was, he was hers. Even if the stubborn man didn’t realize it.
That didn’t mean she would let him be her executioner, though. If he was the one who was going to lead her to that swine who had groped her, she wouldn’t just submit. She was no longer a scared teenager. Her skin had hardened, her claws had sharpened, as had her mind. She lifted her chin, refusing to back down.
She ignored the silent tears that betrayed her anguish. Little pools that wet her cheeks and clung to the fingers still grabbing her chin in a vice.
A muscle beat in his jaw. “There’s nothing more I want than to punish you for what you did. You’re not taking that away from me and giving it to some Russian asshole. So listen carefully. I don’t wanna hear another word from you for the rest of the day, except for the word yes.”
“What?”
“That’s not a yes.”
Dammit. What was going on?
“You better be worth it.”
Did she imagine those words? What did they even mean? He grabbed her hand and nodded at Baran. The latter threw open the double doors. The room was filled with the same people who had witnessed her attack and then some. Katya’s face was the only friendly one in the sea of people she didn’t know. Then she remembered she was supposed to look down. When she saw Vasili scowl at her, that’s exactly what she did. Part of her hated herself for showing him her fear. The sensible side of her brain went haywire, screaming at her to—for once—do as she was told. Her survival instinct kicked in and she stared at the floor.
Viking all but dragged her to a man near the window, sitting behind a table. His hand on her shoulder pressed her down to sit. Everything after that was like a bizarre dream.
In hindsight, there had been three decisive moments in her life. Three times she had made life-altering choices that haunted her even today. The day she’d decided to run off with Viking, the day she’d married his enemy, and the day she’d caught Viking with Giorgia.
And now, this.
The man cleared his throat. “We are gathered together here to join…”
She blinked as the man, who apparently was the minister, continued.
“…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part…”
Before she could process what was happening, she was repeating the words and then spoke one additional word. Just as Viking had demanded.
She said yes.
And so, it happened. She was tied to Viking Skarsgard forever. A day she had once dreamed about. Had wished for more than anything else in the world.
Why did it feel like a life sentence?
CHAPTER 15
VIKING
He had an hour. Viking tried to make his way out of the library, as he accepted the congrats from his men. He then shook hands with Sokolov. As expected, the old Pakhan didn’t care that his niece pretended to be a jilted bride-to-be. And as long as the crime boss’ business flowed as usual, he probably couldn’t care less about Viking’s broken promise, either. Bygones would be bygones, once Viking fulfilled his obligations to the Bratva code. Marrying Elena was just a means to keep her out of Vasili’s clutches. The real shit began now.
In less than sixty minutes. He knew it. Sokolov knew it. Everyone in this room did too, except for his bride, who looked pale. Katya was chatting her up, pretending as if this day was just a normal day, when they were having a normal wedding, while it was everything but. Then again, that was Katya; once she had claimed you as a piece of her life, she never let go.
He exchanged a look with Kristoff, grabbed Elena’s hand, and left the room to the shouts of catcalls.
