Page 97 of Vengeful King

But none of it matters. I don’t care that I’m hurt or that it’s going to be a pain in the ass to deal with. I just turn away from the edge of the roof and make my way to where Katrina is sprawled nearby.

I’ve wanted to go to her since I got up on the roof, but I couldn’t. Now I do, and now I can’t move fast enough.

I can see that she’s still in shock. Her eyes are wide and she hasn’t moved, hasn’t made an effort to get up on her own. I stride to her and pull her up, not waiting to hear her speak.

She says my name, but it’s breathless and it’s all she can say. I don’t immediately answer her; I need to know that she’s okay first.

I check her for injuries; even as I look, I can still see the scene I walked into when I emerged on the roof. Yuri was there, his back to me, his gun drawn. Katrina was before him, something steely in her eyes—but she faltered when she saw me. She looked at me, and some crazy mix of desperation and regret crossed her features.

In that moment, I didn't know whether she was already shot or hurt. All I knew was that Yuri was in front of her, and I wanted him gone.

I can see now that she isn’t too badly injured. There’s a nasty bruise forming on the side of her face; I know Yuri probably hit her. It makes my blood boil. I can see more bruises on her arms, from where she was likely held by Yuri’s guards.

Now that I can see that she’s alive and intact, the first thing I feel is a rush of anger and frustration. I can’t stop myself when I snap.

“Why the fuck did you run? Why did you go to him?”

I was worried, more than I’ve been in a long time. That concern is manifesting in the only way it can right now; I’m still high on adrenaline from the fight.

There’s never been anyone else like her in my life. I can’t be calm about this. She’s the one woman I could ever see in my life, and I almost lost her to a crazy man who came back from the dead.

Katrina presses her lips together. I can see her composing herself before she says, “I just wanted out.”

“That’s not it.” I know there’s more; I know she wouldn’t have just run off because she was tired of everything. That’s not in her character.

Katrina shuts her eyes for a second. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I can sense that she’s building up the strength to say something.

If I didn’t know her better, I might expect betrayal again. But I’ve come to know her, and I know what kind of person she is. The only reason she did Yuri’s bidding was for her mother. She would never do something like that again.

Katrina opens her eyes and I can see her eyes aren’t burdened with guilt; they’re heavy with regret. Pain.

She says, “I know you’re engaged.”

The words leave her mouth and hang in the air between us, not an accusation but not quite just a fact.

The words challenge me. I know what the right answer is for the family—yes, I am, it’s business.I know I could tell her that it means nothing, that other men have kept a mistress and a wife at the same time. I could tell her that love isn’t always an option for men in my position. For heads of a giant family.

But that’s not what I want to say. It’s not what I want to do.

I’ve never acted on what I want before Katrina. It was never an option for me. But now that I’ve taken the first step in admitting I want her, I can’t stop. I don’t want to be married to another woman; Katrina is the only one I crave.

When I finally reply, the truth resonates in my words, strong and powerful.

“I’m not marrying Naomi,” I say.

Katrina’s eyes widen. I can hear her breath catch; her cheeks flush, eyes fixed on me. She doesn’t move. It’s like there’s a spell created by the confession, and one that could break at the slightest touch.

“I won’t do it.” I look her in the eye, serious and firm. “You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go. Not even if Yuri fucking crawls back out of his grave again. Never.”

I mean every word of it. I don’t care about the marriage arrangement anymore; I don’t care about appearances or pretending I would be satisfied with anything else. I know the power my family has. I worked hard to build it up to where it is.

If there is one thing I won’t give up, one person I won’t let go, it’s Katrina.

I look her in the eye and then I pull her in. I kiss her hard, feeling her warmth against me, and think about how much I want to have her to myself. I kiss her like I’m claiming her, putting a mark on her, showing the world that I won’t let anything touch her or take her from me.

I wouldn’t care if all of Yuri’s followers came after me. I don’t care if Ezra hounds me forever for giving up on our arrangement.

The only thing that matters to me is Katrina.

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