Page 47 of Sinner's Sacrifice

“Is there any possibility that you’re pregnant? Any possibility at all?”

“None. I haven’t...had an intimate partner in a long time.” If he looked happy at that, she was going to elbow him in the gut.

He only nodded and stepped outside again.

Two sets of feet walked away.

Yvgeny re-entered her little bubble and held out a paper hospital gown. “You are to disrobe,” he said the word like it tasted bad. “From the waist up and put this on.” So much anger radiated from him the temperature in the room rose noticeably.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, taking the gown from him with slow movements. Was there some threat she needed to worry about?

He stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes for a couple of seconds. When he opened them again, the rage was tucked back behind his eyes. “Making you remove your clothing seems...wrong. Unsafe.”

Warmth rolled over her, but this time it came from inside her. He was trying to be respectful of her feelings and protect her from any unnecessary intrusive examinations.

As she considered what to say, his cheeks grew pink. Making him look...adorable.

She smiled at him. “Thank you for having my back, but getting my chest x-rayed is a wise precaution.”

She took off her shirt again.

He turned around, giving her his back.

She hesitated a moment, then finished removing her shirt and bra. She put the paper gown on, holding the edges closed with her hands. “I’m ready.”

Yvgeny turned around, looked at her, then whipped open the curtain with more force than was necessary.

The young man was there. He pushed her wheelchair around a corner into a room with a modern x-ray machine.

“Can you stand?” he asked her, for the first time addressing her as if she were a living person.

“Yes.”

He rolled her over to a small platform, where he asked her to stand.

It took more time to get her into the positions he wanted than to take the actual x-rays, maybe fifteen minutes altogether. A couple more minutes for one of the women from the reception area to take a few vials of blood, then they were done.

He wheeled her out and back into the bubble, enclosing her in the fabric force field once again so she could put her clothes back on.

More whispers outside the curtain.

That was getting old fast.

Finally, Yvgeny opened the curtain, took control of the chair, and pushed her back the way they’d come. They left the building, returning to the limo.

He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t ask any questions.

When he opened the door to the limo, she got to her feet before he could turn around. She could get into the car on her own and he followed her in.

The car left, returning them to the hotel.

As they entered the underground parking garage, she said, “I would like to walk back to my room.”

He turned to study her. “As you wish.” The phrase was spoken dispassionately, as if he’d made a comment about the weather. Then he leaned closer to her. “But you will tell me if you are in any pain.”

That phrase was loaded with all kinds of punishment if she didn’t agree to his demand.

What was going on in his head? She’d been hurt before, been in danger, and he’d never behaved this way. Like he was one second away from tearing apart anyone who got too close to her.