Page 50 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

“She’s too…” I lick my lips, almost tasting the word before I say it. “Sensitive.”

“She can be sensitiveandbuilt to withstand the heat of the fire.”

I frown.

Viktoria sighs. “Liya cares about you, Pasha. She wants to build a life with you based insideyourworld; based on the things you can share.”

I stand up from the couch and pace across the room. “That’s unacceptable.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want her to change.”

She narrows her eyes. “You wanted to break her in before. Why the sudden shift in attitude?”

“She’s not a horse, Vikusha.”

“No, she’s akrolik. Faster, smarter, and skilled.”

I snort while pacing to the other side of the room until I’m practically in the kitchen when I reply. “Not a rabbit. Afox.”

A look of realization crosses her face. I march toward the table, lift my teacup, and sip it.

“I’ve seen you grow, Pasha.” Viktoria purses her lips thoughtfully. “In here, you can’t hide from me. I see your fear as plain as day.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You were afraid of losing Liya before to other people,” she explains. “But now, you’re afraid of losing her toyourself.”

I bark with laughter. “I’ve never heard anything more absurd.”

“Are you so sure?”

I shrug and sink into the couch, staring at the bottom of my teacup. It’s empty. But I don’t feel like refilling it. I can hardly get the taste of that word out of my mouth.

Sensitive.

Like she’s a delicate doll I’ve put on display, just as Viktoria implied.

She leans forward and fixes me with her good eye, widening it like an hourglass—or a telescope pointed directly at my heart. “You don’t want her to think like you.”

“She can think for herself.”

“You don’twanther to turn into a cold, ruthless pakhan. You don’t want to mold her the way your father molded you.”

I stare into the cup.

“You’re not ready to see her loving personality snuffed out by the dark shadow that hangs over yours. Because her love is so bright, sowarm, Pasha, that you can’t get enough of it.”

I clutch the cup. “She’s logical. She’s consistent. She’s confident.”

“Because herheartfuels those things.”

“I don’t need her love. I need her loyalty.”

She clicks her tongue. “Her love is her loyalty. It’s what appeals to you so much.”

“Commitment doesn’t require love.”

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