Page 206 of The Harbinger
“Then you’ll save me a dance?” Nikolai asked.
“Never,” I whispered.
Sacha led me onto a balcony overlooking a vast expanse of land stretching out before us. To the left, the lawn was filled with parked cars. The cool, crisp air hit me like a wave, sending a shiver down my spine and settling my queasy stomach.
He’d told me before when I ran that he’d have my blood in a cup and my heart in his hands.Was this what he meant?
Whipping around to face him, I ground my teeth together. The sight of the serene landscape in front of me contrasted with the turmoil tearing me up inside. “What thefuckwas that about?”
“Careful, my little pet. I’m not afraid to bend you over in front of our guests and show them how you’ve been misbehaving.”
“Sacha. Whatever game we play at home, I’m not playing now.” My mind swirled around, the sturdy banister at my back. “This isn’t okay. You killed that girl right in front of everyone.” I gripped the wrought iron fencing, preventing me from tumbling to my death, ending whatever gore-fest just took place in there. “Don’t they care? Don’t you?”
“Malishka,”Sacha said, his voice dripping with a chilling edge. “You already know I have no qualms about ending a human life. I have sacrificed countless men and women to appease my gods, and I will continue to do so. Did you not believe me when I told you this?”
I stuck my fist against my chest as if it would heal the ache there. “I thought it was a metaphor, the blood in the cup thing,” I wheezed with barely an audible word. “I didn’t think it was a thing like this.”
“Mia.” He stepped into me, and I darted to the side.
“Don’t touch me.” I held out my hand futilely, staying his advance. “I need space.”
“You’ll have it when I say so.” He lunged for me and bowed my back over the banister, the ground two stories down, his tight grip pinching my wrists. “There is so much I want to do to you right now.”
He ran his nose along my throat as he pulled me back over the railing. He released my wrist and wrapped his hand around my waist, pulling me close to him. He ground his pelvis into me, his rigid cock hard and pressing into the right spot sending lurid butterflies dancing in my belly.
“Does it turn you on to kill innocent people?”
Sacha growled against my throat, latched his teeth gently onto my skin, then licked away the saliva as he pulled away. “Would you like me to show you how much it gets my blood pumping?”
His hip moved against mine, and I moaned, then pushed him back. “You aren’t going to use sex to make me forget what just happened in there. I won’t have you manipulate me.”
“Milaya.“ He stepped into me. “You’re going to go back in there and sit beside me with a smile. And if I get so much as a whiff of your unhappiness or anyone else at this party, I’ll bend you over my chair and make you scream your beloved apologies for everyone to hear.”
I gulped, and sweat beaded along my skin in the chilled December air.
“Do I make myself clear?”
He didn’t lay a finger on me, but my eyes remained glued to him, my gut still churning with desire, and my heart pounded with the possibility of dropping dead on the spot. I gave a curt nod in agreement.
One. Two. Three.
“Yes.”
His gaze darted to my fingers at my side, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, conveying a sinister amusement. “I hope you understand because I won’t repeat myself.”
I nodded, and he escorted me back into the ballroom. The woman was nowhere to be seen, and the blood had been scrubbed clean, leaving the dance floor occupied by a sea of people.
“Dance with me,” he said, tugging at my hand and leading me to stand over the spot where she had drawn her last breath. A chill sunk into my bones, and gooseflesh peppered my exposed skin.
“I don’t know how to dance.”
“It’s a lost art these days.” His hand settled on my lower back, radiating heat that warmed the curve of my ass. His other hand clasped mine, holding it high by our shoulders with a gentle grip.
Their beady eyes again fell on me, lingering with an intensity that made my pulse race.
“They’re all looking at us.”
“So am I,” he replied, his dark gaze locked on me. I looked away, the heat in my cheeks reaching critical levels. “You look good enough to eat in this color.”