Page 45 of Her Vicious Angel

“He knows better than to try to claim her,” I say coldly.

It doesn’t work.

“He wants her,” my father says flatly.

Of course he goddamn does. Just look at her. Her hair is long and dark on her back, falling in a riot of curls and waves. My hands are already itching to wrap that long hair in my fist and pull until her eyes water. Her dark eyes glance over at me under those dark lashes. She’s got on a thick line of eyeliner tonight.

That’smineto smear around.

The dress she’s wearing hugs her curves, too.

The knowledge that underneath her dress are the marks of my hands, of my dark lust, of my ravenous need for her, makes my cock as hard as a rock.

Iknowgoddamn Dmitri isn’t stupid enough to try to claim her.

Then I see he’s bending her backwards, he’s running a hand down her neck. Her full bottom lip is open, just slightly, and I’m filled with so much rage I see stars.

I get up and lunge at him.

25

CERISE

My mouth is open, waiting for Dmitri to claim me, but I hear an angry roar and I thrill to feel Andrei’s cruel hands on me again, ripping, tearing me away from Dmitri so hard I think my arm is going to pop out of my socket.

“Get thefuckaway from her, Dmitri.”

Dmitri raised his eyebrows, and I can see that he’s breathing hard. “I thought you didn’t want a wife.”

“I changed my mind,” snarled Andrei.

And then he backhanded Dmitri across the face.

“I told you not to touch her,” he warned, then he hit his cousin again.

Dmitri stumbles back and Andrei is on him again, but Dmitri strikes too, hitting Andrei across the face and busting his lip open again.

Andrei’s arm shoots out and he grabs Dmitri around the neck, his big hands closing on Dmitri’s throat, and I can see Andrei start to squeeze. Dmitri puts both hands up to try to break the hold, but Andrei is so strong he only has to tighten his fingers and he’s crushing Dmitri’s windpipe.

The blood is pounding in my ears, but I can hear the Pakhan yelling dimly in the background, and two of his men rush up to Andrei.

But there’s something shiny and metallic in Andrei’s hands, and he drops Dmitri to turn and hit both his father’s men. They go down cold.

Then he pounced on me. He flipped me around so I was facing the Petrovics.

“She ismine,” Andrei growled. Not that he would’ve needed to raise his voice to get obedience. His fingers dug and bit down on my arms, my hips, my ass.

I looked down and his fingers were streaked with blood.

Grigoriy Petrovic’s face was expressionless, but he said, “If you take her now you have to marry her.”

“Fine,” snarled Andrei. “You called my bluff, Pakhan,damnyou to hell! No, I won’t let any other man have her. Are you happy, you smug fuck?”

I knew that the dark angel Andrei Petrovic was the only person who could possibly have talked to Grigoriy Petrovic like that, and I saw his father’s lips curve up in a wicked smile.

“Congratulations on your new wife,” was all he said.

Andrei reached down and hooked one finger around my panties, pulling them down to the floor. Thank God I wasn’t wearing my old beater Garfield pairs. These were black and lacy.

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