Page 24 of The Russian's Kidnapped Bride
Mikhail doesn’t argue, but that’s not at all surprising.
Everything in me is screaming for me to run again, but I know that won’t get me anywhere. He’s too fast and too strong for me to get away from, and even if I did, he has his ways of getting me back.
And if he stops feeling merciful, then I have no doubt he’d cut his losses and be done with me.
I want to believe he wouldn’t hurt me just on the pretense of how we met, but that’s wishful thinking. I know what and who he is, and I know violence isn’t outside of his scope.
Every breath feels harder to come by, like the walls are closing in around me.
Moving again, I pull in a shaky breath and drop to the foot of the bed, burying my face in my hands.
I want nothing more than to open them again and find myself back home. Back in my normalcy and away from whatever the hell this situation has become.
No part of me wants to surrender to him or to let him believe I’ll be a pushover, but I also know my options are severely limited.
Fighting him won’t get me back in class.
I’ve worked too hard for my position. While everyone else slept, I stayed up studying. I earned a scholarship, and I sacrificed so much just to get there.
My education matters more than anything else. It’s my life, and I can’t lose it now.
Even if the faint gleam in Mikhail’s eyes resembles desire, I know it isn’t truly about that. It can’t be…not when he hardly knows me. It’s about keeping things clean and maintaining control over myself.
I can’t squeal if I’m married to him, and if his fate determines mine.
I want to shove it back in his face and tell him to go to hell, but in the back of my mind, I picture myself being stuck in this room forever, or potentially a worse one somewhere else entirely. I see myself wasting away, unable to pursue my dreams or make something of myself. I’d just be a husk of my former self.
That mental image alone is enough to spike even more panic inside me.
Conceding is so unappealing, but so is losing everything I’ve worked hard for.
And as traitorous as the thought is, I drift back to that night. To the mutual attraction and chemistry between us. Even if it’s a long shot, I can’t help but wonder if that appeal might help lessen the blow of the arrangement.
Letting go of a shaky breath, I finally look up at him. “If I say yes, I can go back to school on Monday?”
Without hesitation, he nods.
It feels too good to be true, even if that’s exactly what I want.
“And nobody will follow me?”
“Nobody other than your guards,” he says, sounding far too agreeable despite the reality of the situation. “But otherwise, you’ll be free to live your life so long as you return. I’m giving you my word.”
His word doesn’t seem to weigh a whole lot in my mind at the moment, but I also know it’s the only thing I’ve got.
Staring at him for a long, quiet moment, I know what’s at stake, and I know exactly what he’ll take away from me if I don’t comply.
When I speak, there’s no strength in my voice. Only resentful defeat.
“Fine.”
Mikhail lifts a brow at me. “Fine?”
I know what he wants, and I push back the urge to get angry all over again.
“I’ll marry you,” I manage to get out despite how my throat attempts to close over. “Only for my freedom.”
Then, he grins, and it makes my skin crawl.
