Page 82 of Lord of Ruin
“Uh-huh. My guess for a price. Right?”
“Hmm… You’re starting to learn, my princess, that I am in command of you and your body.”
I jabbed him in the gut with my elbow, the glint of sun flashing across a piece that caught my eye. I broke free of his hold, moving to the second window, even daring to be bold, pressing my fingers against the sparkling glass as I peered at the beautiful pieces.
They were all pet related. Necklaces and rings, even charm bracelets.
When I felt his presence behind me again, I lifted my head to glance at his reflection. “You knew they had these pieces.”
“Guilty as charged. Elena has a puppy and she mentioned it to me. I also happened to purchase a little trinket from here for her last birthday.”
Exhaling, I felt a hint of sadness. “You continue to surprise me, Stavros. And that scares me.”
“Why? Because I’m not just a killer?”
“Yes. These are beautiful. One day I want a passel of pups.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t care. I’d adopt every fur baby with a tragic story I could, just to make certain their days were filled with love and warmth, good food and toys. Lots and lots of toys.”
“You have my mother’s heart. Huge.”
I laughed. “Thank you for showing me these.”
“Oh, I’m not just showing you. Come on.”
He tugged my arm, refusing to allow me to get away from him. When he walked inside, the older woman behind the counter obviously recognized him immediately. As she came forward, speaking to him in Greek, I found it impossible not to smile. It seemed I was perhaps the only one who saw him as a monster.
But that was before.
“Écho énan polý idiaítero peláti pou agapá ta zóa,” he told her.
Her eyes lit up and she squeezed my arms. “I have the perfect thing for you.”
As she moved toward the front window, I lifted my head, peering into his eyes. “What did you say to her?”
“That I have a very special customer who loves animals.” I hadn’t paid but so much attention to his dimples. They were more pronounced today than I’d seen before.
I wasn’t certain what to say to him. All I continued to think about was how unexpected the moment was, and how I hated the knot continuing to grow in my stomach.
As she moved behind the counter, pulling a tiny spotlight over the glass case, she placed the sterling silver charm bracelet on a gorgeous piece of black velvet. She beckoned me over, saying something else in Greek.
“She said a beautiful piece of jewelry to match the perfect girl for me.”
“I don’t know about that. The jewelry, yes, but I’m not perfect for anything or anyone.” I wasn’t certain why I’d made the statement.
The woman smiled. “The beautiful babies have eyes made of sapphires and emeralds.”
There were at least a dozen different breeds of dogs, their eyes glistening in the gorgeous and very real jewels. She took a polishing cloth, taking a few seconds to shine the sterling to almost a mirrored level.
“Just beautiful.”
“Please, try it on.” She held out the bracelet and even more than shopping with Elena, I felt as if I was completely out of my league. I wasn’t this girl, the one who wore designer clothes and expensive jewelry, but I could sense he was trying to do everything in his power to make me happy.
And he’d succeeded, not by buying me a dazzling trinket but by being something other than what I thought him to be. As soon as she fastened it, I issued a slight whimper. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Just exquisite.”
“Like the woman wearing it. This was destined to belong to you. We’ll take it.”