Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Being at Andrei’s mercy.
I gulped.
And yet, the only way this was happening.
Was if I submitted to a man.
When I swore never again.
Andrei stared down at me.
He was so beautiful. With his fierce blue eyes, chiseled jaw, perfect complexion. My fallen angel.
I wondered what it would be like to just drop to my knees.
“You should eat.” He broke the staredown, his jaw flexing as he gripped my hand tighter and then very slowly brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.
I almost swooned all over the floor. “I like it when you kiss me.”
His face softened. “You’re impossible not to kiss.”
“My dad said I was too tempting, my lips too big, my eyes too wide, he said I tempted men and—”
Andrei gripped my chin with his left hand, still holding my right. “Listen very carefully to what I’m about to say.”
His eyes flashed with so much anger I was actually afraid. “Okay.”
“It’s. Not. Your. Fault.”
Tears filled my line of vision until finally spilling over onto my cheeks. “It is, they say—”
“Alice, if you hear nothing else, believe nothing else, believe this. You are precious, and they will burn in Hell for hurting you, for telling you lies. The value you have, your life, your soul, your beauty, your intelligence, never let them make you think it’s worthless. That’s their shame talking, their anger, their bitterness, their jealousy. The truly ugly of this world have one thing in common and one thing only… they want the truly pure and beautiful things to believe they are less than. Don’t let them win.”
My throat felt tight.
My tears too hot for my cheeks.
“Now…” He released my hand and pulled me against his chest, hugging me so tight that I wanted to cry more because it felt so right, so good.
Devil mine.
I instantly relaxed.
“Let me make you food,” he whispered against my hair.
“As long as it’s not that weird fish with the sharp fin. He was really pretty.”
He barked out a laugh his body shaking against mine. “We won’t kill Speedy.”
“Stop.” I jerked away with a smile, wiping my tears from my cheeks. “Please tell me you don’t name all your torturous animals.”
He just shrugged and said, “The jellyfish’s name is Bob.”
And just like that, I, Alice De Lange.
Fell in love with Andrei Petrov.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Andrei
She promised me she would eat while I went and checked on Elena. The last thing I wanted was to leave that apartment with her scent on my skin, her taste still buzzing across my tongue, numbing my mouth.
I jerked open the heavy door to the purple room. The odor of Hell wafted out. Burnt skin, blood, and fear.
Her clothes were still soaked with blood and salt, and the angry red and pink slashes across her right arm were already starting to swell.
Good.
“Names,” I said in a harsh whisper.
“P-protection.” Her teeth chattered.
“You’re going into shock.” I made my way toward her, circled her chair, and stopped when I was directly behind her. “It’s normal for your body to shake, for your teeth to gnash against each other in search of relief, relief that won’t ever come.” I ran a finger down the side of her neck.
She flinched.
Even her skin felt evil. “Tell me.” I removed my finger. “Is it worth suffering over? Dying over?”
“I tell you, you don’t protect me, I die.”
“Fine.” I snapped. “I’ll offer you protection inside these walls, how does that sound?”
She snorted. “Like a trick.”
“It’s all you’ll get.”
“Swear to me!” she screeched “Swear that you’ll protect me here, in these walls.”
I walked to the door and opened it, then hit the comm button that was on the outside, dialing up Ax.
“Boss?”
“Bring in Lennie.”
“Yup.”
I walked back into the room and faced her with a calm smile. Mascara ran down her cheeks, her teeth clenched together like she was a feral animal.
She would be the sort to feed on her own young.
Hadn’t she tried?
“Just once, Andrei, he doesn’t have to know! You’re growing up so fast…” Red nails dug into my thigh.
I shivered.
She deserved exactly what was coming. “I swear.”
She hung her head. “It’s Oscar De Lange and his cousin Aldo. Before your father was killed he gave them the contract. Their only job was to bring fresh girls to the clubs, use the same cars, drop ’em off, and do it again. They still had connections with the old prostitution rings.”
My blood chilled. It would make sense. How Alice’s brother knew about the club, why he visited, why he thought bringing her here would get rid of her.
Or possibly…
Distract me.
I jerked my head toward the door. It opened, and Lennie made his way in, black briefcase in one hand, black plastic gloves in the other.
“You can set up right there.” I pointed to her feet.
He grabbed a stool and started opening his kit.
“What’s this?” Elena glared at me.