Page 77 of Blood & Snow
"You meant exactly what you said. So say it again. Louder."
He stays quiet, which is a very smart choice.
I lean down close to his ear.
"She belongs to me. The next man who forgets that won't get a second chance to remember."
I release him and step back.
He straightens slowly, one hand pressed to his nose.
The men who were laughing with him thirty seconds ago now study their shoes.
The room gradually comes back to life, conversations resuming in careful tones.
I turn and walk back to Nadya, who watched the entire exchange without moving.
Her eyes are wide, and the desire in them makes heat pool in my stomach.
"Are you all right?" she asks quietly.
"Fine."
I take her champagne glass and set it on a nearby table.
"We're leaving."
She doesn't argue.
I guide her toward the exit, nodding to Leonid as we pass.
We'll have to have that chat later.
He raises his glass in acknowledgment, a small smile playing around his mouth.
Message received and understood.
We get our jackets and I motion to Igor, who rushes ahead of us toward the car.
Snow falls steadily now, coating the driveway in white.
He opens the rear door, and Nadya slides in first.
I follow, settling beside her as Igor starts the engine.
"Where to?" Igor asks.
"Take me home," I tell him, then lean back against the leather seat.
The adrenaline from the confrontation still hums under my skin.
And I find it difficult to calm myself. I have a temper issue, but I'm not a tiny bit regretful.
I'd have slit his throat for that comment if I had my knife and Leonid would've had his party moved to somewhere else.
"You didn't have to do that," she says after several blocks.
"Yes, I did."
