Chapter 5 - Arko
I sat at the coffee table in the living room and enjoyed my slow Saturday morning, occasionally looking out of the window at the gardens beyond.
I hadn’t seen Beatrice since I brought her home the previous day. She had obviously chosen to lock herself in her room and was throwing a grand tantrum. She’d refused dinner last night and breakfast this morning, too.
Sooner or later, she was bound to get hungry and come out for a meal. I just needed to be patient with her, even though I had half my mind made up to storm in there and force-feed her if I had to.
But I knew that wouldn’t go down well with Beatrice. As it was, she didn’t want to be here, and she certainly didn’t want to be my wife. While her tantrum was bothering me, I made peace with it, remembering to instead enjoy what I’d accomplished in taking a Lebedev sister as a wife.
I’d found a way to take my revenge. Now, I had to make sure I kept her within sight, because when the time was right, I’ll be showing her family the precious card I had up my sleeve.
But first, I wanted the Lebedevs to sweat, to tear the city down in search of their sister as Beatrice said they’d do. Then, when I felt satisfied enough, I’d tell them where their princess is.
I wished I could be there to see the look on Caspian Lebedev’s face when he realized I married his sister.
Just then, I saw a flash of quick movement out in the gardens, from the corner of my eye. I leaned closer to the glass.
I watched, incredulously, when I saw Beatrice hiding behind a tree, scanning the perimeter walls. Instantly, I saw exactly what she was up to.
She wasn’t admiring the gardens, that much was clear. I watched closely as she looked left and right, suspiciously like she was trying to avoid the guards. Once she thought the coast was clear, she began to jog toward the walls.
I clicked my tongue and rose, a bit of amusement spurring in my chest. Even though her little escape attempt thwarted my morning routine, I honestly found myself entertained by the fight in her, thinking back to how she tried to flee in her heels just yesterday.
When I had decided to take Beatrice Lebedev, I hadn’t given much thought to how she’d handle being taken. I expected a fight at worst, and a meek, quiet submission at best.
She’d outdone all expectations. From the moment I saw the sass in her yesterday, I was hooked.
She was anything but boring, and I felt like I wanted to play with her fire. I wanted to see what she’d do and how far she’d get. More than anything, I wanted to spar a little with my clever new wife.
I quickly stepped out of the house and traced my path to Beatrice, making sure I followed at a distance and kept to the shadows of the trees that lined my property.
Beatrice reached the eastern wall, but stopped when she noticed the tight security. She stood for a moment, then turned unnoticed and headed south.
It was clear to me that she was looking for blind spots and testing the layout.
Oh, she had guts.
She walked the entire southern perimeter, occasionally stopping to examine the wall or look up at the security cameras. At one point, she picked up a rock and tossed it at a camera. Her shoulders drooped low when the camera didn’t break, given that it was shock-proof.
At last, she found a smaller gate, partially hidden by overgrown ivy along the western wall. I couldn’t believe that she’d found one of our very few unwatched gates!
It used to be a service entrance, but I had it locked because it was too far from the main house. I moved closer and ducked behind a large oak, watching as her face lit up when she broke away some of the ivy.
It was almost cruel to let her think she’d found a way out, but I was curious to see what she would do next.
Beatrice glanced around, but in her excitement, failed to notice me watching from her blind spot. She then moved to the gate and examined the lock.
That’s when I decided to make my entrance.
I stepped out from behind the tree and walked silently toward her.
“Looking for something?”
Beatrice yelped, whirling around so fast she nearly lost her balance.
“Jesus Christ!” she gasped. “You scared the shit out of me!”
“What’s there to be scared of? You’re not doing anything wrong, are you?” I let myself play with her a little.
Her face flushed.
“I was just…exploring the grounds.” She tried to come up with an excuse. “You said I could access them, didn’t you?”
“I said you could roam the gardens, yes. But I think you misunderstood that to mean find a way to scale my wall.”
“I wasn’t…I just…I was admiring the creepers and stuff.” Much to my disbelief, she still refused to acknowledge she’d been caught.
“Save it, princess.” I gave her a cutting smile. “I’ve been watching you make a complete circuit of my property. Just so you know, you have the subtlety of a bulldozer.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed those gorgeous eyes at me. “I wasn’t trying to escape.”
“Yeah, right,” I chuckled. “Lie all you want. I know what I saw.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it!”
I stepped closer, close enough until I could see the specks of black in her light brown eyes. “I don’t have anything to prove to you.”
“Fine.” She tilted her head up. “Let’s say I was trying to escape. What are you going to do about it?”
“Well,” It was too much fun not to tease her. “I do have dungeons.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“It has these huge, gnarly chains for your ankles, too. Of course there won’t be any showers in there.”
She yelped, and I held back a laugh.
“Relax, princess. I was only joking.”
“Y…You bastard!” she sputtered, shoving into my chest with her two hands and taking a step back. I froze at how that touch jolted me. “Try not to write a book on husband of the year, will you?”
“Whatever you say, wife,” I said, forcing emphasis on the word wife.
Her breath caught, just barely, but I noticed.
A gorgeous black lock fell across her cheek, and I felt an impulse to just reach over and tuck it behind her ear. My neck heated at the thought, and I dug my nails into my palms to keep from making that disastrous move.
It was much better for both of us to remember our places in the world.
“I want you to understand your situation,” I said. “The walls are twelve feet high and topped with sensors. Every gate requires fingerprints, so you can’t really run, even if you find one unmanned.”
I stepped even closer, forcing her back against the gate. “Now you can make this easy on yourself, or difficult. If I catch you trying to escape again, I’ll take away whatever little freedom you already have.”
Her eyes darted to mine, then quickly away. “What are you going to do now? Put your guard dogs on my heels?”
“Not if you behave,” I said, my voice dropping to an unplanned husky little whisper. I didn’t know what it was, but I couldn’t help myself around her.
I was close enough to sense that she was afraid. But beyond that fear, there was something else there, too. She breathed all uneven, and her eyes flickered to my lips. I didn’t dare let my mind wander to what that meant.
And I suppose, whatever it was she felt, scared the living daylights out of her because just like that, she was furious again.
“Are you threatening me?” she met my gaze head-on.
God, she was beautiful when angry. Her lips, I noticed, were shaped like a little heart, all plump and pink. For a quick second, I wondered what it would be like to taste those lips.
But this wasn’t part of the plan. She was a means to an end, a way to hurt the Lebedevs, and nothing more. She might be beautiful and smarter than hell, but I had no business forgetting I didn’t claim her for any reason other than revenge.
She was god damn bait, and touching her would mean forgetting why she was there. Whatever this strange desire was, I had to shut it down.
I took a step back. “I wasn’t threatening you. It was only a warning. You still get to keep your privileges, but don’t try that shit again.”
“We’ll see about that.” She glared back defiantly.
I felt that current simmer beneath my skin. She was a god damn fighter, through and through, and that only made her more interesting.
I tilted my head and watched her like a hawk. “At least you’re honest about your intentions.”
“Unlike some people,” she muttered.
“I’ve never lied about my intentions, princess,” I said. “I told you exactly why you’re here.”
“So what now?” she hissed, unable to form an argument. “Should I go back to my room for the rest of the day and die of boredom?”
“Oh, heaven forbid,” I smiled. “You’re free to do whatever you want within the house and grounds. But tonight, you’re to join me for dinner. There’s a restaurant I own, and a meal out might be nice… we could get acquainted.”
“No way.” She shook her head. “I think we’ve been acquainted enough, thanks.”
“Dress up, will you?” I ignored her.
“Are you insane? Or just deaf?”
I felt my skin come alive, from the racing thrill of just being matched by her wits.
“I can hear you just fine.” I gave her a half smile. “But you do remember what I asked of you, don’t you? I need to be seen with my new wife.”
“Well, I don’t remember agreeing to what you asked,” she said sharply.
“Would it help if I said please?” I jerked my head.
She gave me a look that could have curdled milk, and I was all for it. “It wouldn’t help if you bought me the moon!”
“Yeah, I don’t think the moon’s up for sale, anyway,” I shrugged.
“Really?” She gave me a look of mock surprise. “Even for an entitled prick like you?”
“Come on, Beatrice. It’s just dinner. You get a chance to step out of the house, dress up, a free meal. What’s so bad about that?”
“I don’t need a free meal.” She scoffed at the idea.
“Fine.” I raised my hands placatingly. “You pay, for all I care. Mind you, I like expensive champagne.”
I watched as she hesitated, and though she didn’t say why, I knew just what was going through her mind.
On one hand, her pride was too great to give me anything I asked for.
But, on the other hand, getting out of here meant a chance to escape.
Though, of course, if she did go out with me, there was no chance I would’ve let her out of my sight.
I waited patiently to see what she would decide.
“Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll go to your stupid dinner.”
I hid my smile. “Wonderful. I’ll have some dresses sent up.”
“I’m not wearing anything you give me,” she said stubbornly.
I raised an eyebrow. “Then you’re going naked? Bold choice. Not what I expected for our first date, but I’m not complaining.”
Her face flushed a deep, gorgeous red. “That is not what I meant, and you know it!”
“Oh?” I asked innocently. “I’m never quite sure with you, princess. You’re full of surprises.”
She made a sound of pure frustration. “Fine. Send the damn clothes.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, enjoying her irritation far too much.
“Go to hell,” she snapped.
“And deprive myself of the pleasure of your company? No way!” I motioned for her to move back toward her house. She rolled her eyes, then turned, storming back to the house.
It was then, behind her back, that I finally let myself smile.
Oddly enough, I was truly looking forward to dinner tonight.
It was obviously a part of my plan to start the rumors that would eventually reach her family, but I also wanted to see what Beatrice was like when given the chance to play at normalcy for a few hours.