Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
EVIE
I ’m so angry with Dimitri I can barely look at him.
He keeps trying to explain how this is for the best, how it will bring peace, how he was just trying to protect me, but it’s all a bunch of bullshit. Katya is married to Anton Volkov, and there’s nothing I can do to help her.
But there is one thing I can do: I can rally Ava and Luna behind me.
“Take me to Ava’s house,” I say as I send her and Luna a text.
“We should talk about this.”
“No. I just need to talk to them. I can’t look at you right now. I just can’t.”
Dimitri doesn’t put up a fight and brings me to Ava’s house.
“What’s going on?” she asks as I walk on in. She looks at Dimitri in the car questioningly before shutting the door behind her.
“Has Nikolai told you anything?”
“No. What should he have told me?”
“Let’s wait until Luna gets here, and then we’ll talk.”
Luna arrives a short while later, looking effortless pretty in her summer dress. Her red hair is curled—Katya taught her how to do it.
“What’s going on?” Luna asks once we converge in the living room.
“Dimitri made Katya marry Anton.”
Both women stare at me in shock.
“What?” Ava finally asks. “Are you … are you joking?”
“No. I just came from their wedding. Both of your husbands were there. I’m assuming they didn’t want to tell you because they didn’t want you to get hurt around Anton. But he and Katya are married now. Our husbands all knew, and they didn’t tell any of us. Just think about that.”
Luna lowers her eyes. “Well … I might have known.”
It’s my turn to exclaim, “What?”
“I was there when Maxim and Dimitri made the deal with Anton to marry him to Katya.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ava demands.
“Because it wasn’t my place to tell. I thought Dimitri would have done it by now. But I didn’t know the wedding was happening today. Maxim didn’t tell me that. He should have told me.”
“Our husbands should have told all of us,” I say.
“Is there any way we can help Katya?” Ava asks.
“The only way would be to start a war on Anton, and that’s not going to help anybody.”
“So … what do we do?” Luna asks.
“I say we show our husbands how angry we are. Katya is married to a madman. Maybe if they realize how upset we are, they’ll find a way to save her from this fate.”
Ava nods once. “We can try. That’s all we can do.”
I hate that that’s all we can do. If it were up to me, I’d storm the walls of Anton’s mansion and save my best friend.
KATYA
Anton’s mansion looks like a freaking castle. There’s even gargoyles on the roof—albeit small ones.
“This is where you live?” I ask skeptically.
“Have a problem with it?”
“No,” I say quickly even though all I want to do is tell him how stupid his place looks. But I can’t risk pissing off a very powerful man.
Anton gives me a look like he knows what I’m actually thinking and motions me to get out of the car. “I chose this place because I like to intimidate people with it. So far, it’s worked in my favor.”
We step inside, and the stark contrast to the outside is unbelievable. I feel like I’ve stepped foot into a wellness spa. Everything is off-white and gray and calming. It’s actually very beautiful.
“Clearly, you don’t want to intimidate people when they step foot inside.”
“Well, once they’ve stepped foot inside, they’re already dead.”
I stare at him. “Are you saying you’re going to kill me?”
I don’t like the grin he gives me. “I’m not going to kill you, Katya. That would defeat the point of marrying you to make an alliance with your brother. But I do want to have fun with you.”
Everything inside me goes tense. The hairs on my arms rise, and my neck prickles with nervous energy.
“What do you mean by ‘fun’?”
“I’ll show you. Come with me.” He leads me down a hallway to a bedroom. Just like the rest of the house, it’s very calming, with a white bed, brown wood floors, and dusky purple walls.
The moment I see the bed, all my panic comes to a head. “Why did you take me to a bedroom?”
He frowns, looks at me, and then at the bed. Realization dawns in his eyes. “No. I’m not going to fuck you, Katya.”
“Oh.” Some of the tension leaves me. “So, then, what are you going to do to me?”
“I just wanted to show you to your room.” He motions toward it, giving me an expectant look. Slowly, I walk inside and look around.
“It’s a bedroom. Nothing special about it.”
“But it’s your room now.”
“We’re not going to share a room?” I’m grateful we’re not, but it’s still confusing. Why give me my own room?
“Maybe one day, but for now, this is your room.”
“Why?”
“Because in case you make a mess anywhere, it won’t be my room you’re making a mess in.”
I frown harder. “Make a mess? Why would I make a mess?” I nod at the light on the nightstand. “Unless you expect me to throw that at you.”
He laughs a little. I hate to admit it, but he’s even more handsome when he laughs. “No. That’s not the kind of mess I’m talking about.”
“Well, then, what are you talking about?”
“You’ll see. For now, I’ll leave you in here.”
Panic seizes my heart and throat. “What?”
“I’m going to leave you in here for the rest of the day.”
“But what if I have to use the bathroom?”
“See? That’s the kind of mess I’m talking about.”
I stumble back from him and look around widely. Maybe I should grab the light and hit him with it. “What?”
“This is fun for me. Seeing you panic. Seeing you afraid. I like seeing people afraid.”
“But I thought you told Dimitri you didn’t want to hurt me.”
“And I’m not going to. You won’t receive one mark on your body. However, I can have fun with you in other ways.”
“Fun for you but … not fun for me?”
The look he gives me chills me to the bone. “See, where would be the fun in that?” He waggles his fingers at me. “Enjoy your time in here, Katya. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Wait.” I run at him, but before I reach him, he shuts the door on me.
And locks it from the outside.
Everything goes still and silent for a moment. My brand new husband just locked me in a room. I knew Anton couldn’t be trusted, but for some reason, this still shocks me. I guess, maybe deep down, there was a part of me that hoped Anton wouldn’t be as evil as everyone has made him out to be.
But he is. Pure evil.
And now, I’m locked in this room with no phone to call for help. I rush to the window and find it locked, too. But I can break the glass. That’s an idea.
Grabbing the light, I slam it against the window.
The window doesn’t break.
But the light does.
It smashes into pieces, leaving little glass shards all over the floor.
The window must be made of a harder material. I can’t break it. I’m stuck in this room. I have no one to help me.
But Dimitri will surely come to visit. Anton has to allow that to happen. If Anton keeps me locked away, Dimitri will wonder. He’ll come for me. He’ll save me.
That will lead to more war, but at least I won’t be held prisoner in Anton’s weird-looking mansion.
But it could be days before Dimitri comes to check on me. Days where I could be locked in this room—without a bathroom. Without food. Surely, Anton will bring me food. He doesn’t want me dead, so he can’t starve me.
I think about the no bathroom thing, and it dawns on me: that’s the mess Anton was talking about. He expects me to pee myself if I have to. There’s no bucket in here. No attached ensuite bathroom.
Currently, I don’t have to go, but if I’m not allowed out until morning, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hold my bladder for that entire time.
Anton is playing a mind game with me. But why? Just for the fun of it, or is there another reason? If there’s another reason, maybe I can reason with him.
But if it’s just fun for him, then …
Then there’s no way I can appeal to Anton. No way I can get through to him. If he’s just a madman who wants to torture me for fun, then there’s nothing I can do. My life will be a nightmare if it’s not already.
I pace around the room for a long time—hours, I guess. There’s no clock anywhere in this room, so I have no idea what time it is, but as the light outside dims, I know time is passing.
And it’s passing slowly.
Eventually, my body and eyes are exhausted, and I have no choice but to slump onto the bed. At least it’s comfortable. That’s something.
Anton could have easily forced me to sleep on a rusty spring bed just for shits and giggles. Soon, sleep takes me, and for a few blissful hours, I’m enveloped in darkness and nothing else.
Until I wake up because I have to seriously pee.
I run to the door and pound on it. Maybe Anton has had enough of this game. He’ll let me out and I can use the bathroom and I won’t have to hate him for this. We can start anew. I’d be willing to do that if it means I don’t have to despise my husband for all of eternity.
Footsteps approach the door.
“Yes?” Anton asks lazily.
“Let me out. I need to use the bathroom.”
“I said before, you can make a mess in that room. I’ll just have my housekeeper clean it up later.”
“You can’t actually expect me to just pee myself, can you?”
He unlocks the door and steps inside. I go slack-jawed at the sight of his shirtless chest. He’s wearing nothing except low slung sweatpants. And my god, he looks good.
Seriously. Fuck him.
“See something you like?”
I snap my eyes up to meet his. “You’re crazy. Just let me out. Let me go to the bathroom. You don’t actually want me to pee on your floor, do you?”
He leans against the door frame. “Do I? Well, I know I want to have fun with you. So …”
“By torturing me?”
“I wouldn’t call this torture. I’ve done a lot worse to people for a lot less.”
“Are … are you saying this is a punishment of sorts?”
He sighs and scratches his head. “Honestly? Kind of. My mother is pissed that you humiliated her a while back, and this is your punishment. Trust me. This needs to be done. Once you’ve been properly humiliated, it will make her feel better.”
“You’re actually choosing your mom over me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? She’s my mom. You’re still a stranger to me.”
“One you married!”
He chuckles darkly. “The truth is, my mom annoys the shit out of me, but she’s not going anywhere. Trust me. It’s hard to get rid of Katerina Volkov. But since she’s here, I’d rather her be happy than not, and she’ll be happy when you’ve been properly humiliated. So, if you have to pee, Katya, then go.”
I stare at him for a long, hard moment. “What if I peed on you? How would you like that?”
“Kinky, are we?”
I flush. “I am not kinky. I don’t want to pee on you. I just want to upset you. I want you to feel how I feel.”
“Oh? How do you feel?”
His nonchalance will kill me. Mark my words. Dimitri never should have married me to Anton because I’m going to die anyway—from utter annoyance and embarrassment.
“Like I want to make you regret marrying me,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Well, see, I don’t regret anything in life, so that’s going to be a hard mission for you. Why don’t you just relieve yourself, and we can be done with this conversation?”
“You’re in a hurry to leave?”
“No. I have all the time in the world. I just want to know what lengths you’re willing to go to.”
“To do what?”
“To play with me,” he says. “Are you going to hold it until you can’t hold it any longer? That shows me you’re stubborn. Are you going to pee on my foot to prove a point? That shows me you’re petty, but I don’t mind that. Or are you going to try and push me out of the way and pee in the bathroom? That shows me you have fight in you, and I really like that.”
“You’re insane,” I whisper.
“I’ve been called that many times. It doesn’t faze me anymore.”
“Why are you doing this to me? Why play this ‘game’ with me?” I use air quotes.
“Because how else am I supposed to live my life? I like to have fun. I like to play games.”
“Fun for you. Not fun for anyone else.”
When he steps closer to me, I force myself not to back away. “It could be fun for you.”
“How?”
“Make your choice. Pee on the floor, pee on my foot, or pee in the bathroom.”
“You don’t actually want me to pee on you, do you?” I ask, scrunching up my nose.
He snorts. “No. Of course not. But I want to see how far you’re willing to go. So, what’s it going to be?”
There’s no way I’m peeing on him or the floor. I have way too much dignity and pride.
So, if Anton wants a fight, I’ll give him a fight.
He’s stronger than me. Faster than me. I can’t beat him. But I can surprise him.
I grab his face and slam my lips against his. It hurts. It’s rough. Our teeth clash. This is not a romantic kiss. This is purely a kiss for strategy.
And it works.
Anton jerks back, and I use that to my advantage. I push him out of the way and run out of the room. It only takes Anton a couple of seconds to collect himself and run after me.
Because I’m unfamiliar with the layout of Anton’s house, Anton gains on me fast as I search for the bathroom. Most of the doors in the hallway are closed, and I don’t have time to open them and search if I don’t want Anton to catch me.
I hear his footsteps gaining on me. I can feel the heat coming off him as he gets closer and closer. I only have so much more time.
I sprint down the hallway and toward the main foyer. Most large mansions have a bathroom near the entrance for guests. The one saving grace is Anton didn’t design the inside of his house like a maze. It’s just a normal house on the inside.
And that’s when I find it: the bathroom.
It’s off to the right of the foyer. The door is cracked open, letting me see inside. If I can just reach it, I can relieve myself and won’t have to make a fool of myself in front of Anton. Let him be impressed with me.
The bathroom gets closer. I can almost feel it I’m so close. Just one more step. One more step. One more st?—
Anton grabs me around the waist and pulls me flush against him. We’re right in front of the bathroom. I reach my hand out and touch the door.
“I made it,” I pant.
I can feel his chest rising and falling behind me. “No, you didn’t. You had to make it inside the bathroom.”
“That’s not fair. You had all the advantage. You know this house. I don’t. Give me some credit.”
“Oh, I do. I’m amazed how fast of a runner you are.”
“I do have long legs after all.”
“You do.” He says it suggestively.
“You’ve been checking me out?”
“Of course. Have you checked me out?”
“No!”
He laughs—the sound rumbles through his chest and into mine. “No shame in it if you have been. I know I look good.”
His bare chest is all hard muscle, and I hate him for it. Why can’t he have a normal man chest that’s floppy? Or at least one that isn’t so defined and muscular?
“You look like an actor from a superhero movie.”
“Thank you.”
I arch my head back to look up at him. “It wasn’t a compliment.”
“Well, I think you look like Barbie.”
“The doll?”
He nods.
“How do you know what Barbie looks like?”
“How do I not? Everyone knows what Barbie looks like.”
“Oh, ok.” I smile and it makes Anton frown. “So, you played with dolls when you were younger. Explains a lot.”
“I did not play with dolls,” he growls.
“So, action figures, then. Male dolls just disguised as not dolls so boys will play with them.”
“Pretty much.”
“I thought so.”
His lips quirk up. “You’re funny.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I knew you were beautiful, but I didn’t realize you had a brain on you.”
“Seeing as we all have brains on us, that comment doesn’t make sense.”
“Makes sense to me,” he says.
It dawns on me what’s happening: Anton and I are bantering. Witty banter. What in the freaking hell?
I hate this man. I can’t be having witty banter with him. Jesus.
“I still have to pee,” I remind him. “Are you really going to make me go on the floor?”
“If you did it here, my mother would have a fit.”
“So, then, let go of me, and I can just go in the bathroom like a civilized person, and we never have to have this discussion again.”
Anton stares down at me with a half-smile on his lips for way too long until he slowly loosens his grip on me.
“What’s going on in here?” Katerina’s voice makes me jerk away from Anton even though he’s my husband.
She’s standing in the living room doorway, wearing a nightgown. Seeing the great Katerina Volkov in nothing but a nightgown is wild. It makes her seem younger. More vulnerable.
“Katya and I are having fun,” Anton replies, keeping his eyes on me.
Katerina clearly looks like she disapproves, given how her frown deepens. “At this late hour? You both should be in bed.”
“Mother, I own this place. You don’t. You’re a guest here. Don’t tell me what to do in my own house.”
“Fine. I won’t tell you what to do. But that little twit”—she sets her gaze onto me— “better not keep running around here and waking me up in the middle of the night. It’s disruptive and rude.”
“The only reason I was running was because your son was going to force me to pee on the floor of my bedroom. None of this is my fault. I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here.”
“I doubt that. You were in need of a husband, and my son is a great catch. You’re a money-grubbing whore in my opinion.”
My body reacts on instinct.
I lunge at Katerina and would have reached her, too, if it weren’t for Anton catching me around the waist and holding me back. “I’ve done nothing wrong here. You’re the bitch, not me.”
Katerina narrows her cold eyes. “You are clearly uncivilized, little girl. You better watch yourself around me.”
“Or what? What are you going to do to me? Because I’m younger than you. I can win in a fight, Katerina.”
“Enough,” Anton growls, nudging me back. “There will be no fighting. This is my house, and you two will get along. Is that understood?”
“You said you didn’t even want here her,” I say. “So just kick her out.”
Katerina gasps, while Anton suddenly looks pained. “You don’t want me here?”
“No, Mother.” Anton sighs, giving me a look. “I never said that. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.”
She pats his cheek. “That’s my good boy.”
I gag. Literally gag.
Katerina huffs once more and walks away. “Keep that girl on a leash,” she calls out before disappearing around the corner.
I look at Anton. “A mommy’s boy, huh?”
“God, I wish I wasn’t. But I’ve tried reasoning with my mom, and she just never listens. It’s easier to placate her and let her stay than tell her what to do.”
“Even though you clearly don’t want her here.”
“True.” He flits his eyes to the bathroom and back to me. “Don’t you still need to pee?”
I do, and I’m bursting. “I can actually go in the bathroom?”
He shrugs and steps away from me. “It’s easier than making the housekeeper clean up later.”
“Oh, thank god.”
“Not God, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
I shoot him a glare before running into the bathroom and relieving myself. The moment my bladder is empty, I feel so much better and more clear-headed.
I glance at my reflection in the mirror as I wash my hands. My hair is a mess. My dress is wrinkled. My eyes look wild. I look wild.
Normally, I’m so put together. Never a hair out of place. I never leave the house without my clothes ironed. My makeup is usually perfect.
But right now, I don’t even recognize myself, and that’s terrifying. If Anton has changed me in such a small amount of time, what’s going to happen after years of being married to him?
This is only the beginning. I have to figure out how to handle him (and his mother, ugh) before I lose sight of myself.
Escaping isn’t an option. I chose to marry Anton to protect my family, even if I’m not the one who made the deal for peace. I have to see this through. Anton won’t make it easy on me that much is obvious so I need to do what I can to get some power over him.
But what can that be? He’s the one with the money. The power. He’s stronger than I am.
As I run my hand down my dress, it dawns on me.
Anton likes the way I look—he’s admitted that much. So, I’ll just have to use my looks to my advantage. I need to seduce Anton into caring for me. If he likes me, then hopefully, he won’t play these stupid games with me, and maybe, just maybe , I can learn to like him in return.
The only problem is: I’ve never seduced a man before.
But Anton likes the fighting spirit in me, so that’s what I’m going to do.
Even though I’m a virgin, I’m going to seduce the freaking pants off Anton, and he’s going to fall in love with me.