Emerald: Rose and Thorns #1 by Kalli Dean

Author:Kalli Dean [Dean, Kalli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Apple Seed Publishing
Published: 2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10: Cara

Ifelt like I was going to vomit at the sight of Mikhail Sokolov and his brothers lounging in my father's study like they owned the place. Like they owned me.

I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to turn tail and run. But it would only delay the inevitable. I squared my shoulders and stepped into the room; my chin high. I wouldn't let them see how scared I was, how desperate. I was a Maguire, for fuck's sake. We didn't show weakness, not even in the face of our own destruction.

"Ah, there she is." Mikhail rose from his seat, his eyes raking over me. "My beautiful bride-to-be. Come, let me look at you."

I fought the urge to recoil as he approached, his meaty hand coming up to grip my chin. He tilted my face this way and that, examining me like a prize horse at auction. I could smell the vodka on his breath, the stale stench of cigarettes on his clothes.

"Very nice," he murmured, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. "Such a pretty little mouth. I bet it will look even prettier wrapped around my cock, don't you think?"

I jerked away from his touch, bile rising in my throat. "Don’t touch me.”

Mikhail chuckled, a dark, oily sound that made my skin crawl. "Oh, but soon you will beg me for it, devotchka. You will know the pleasure of all the Sokolov brothers before long. We like to share, you see. It keeps things... interesting."

I felt the blood drain from my face, my stomach turning over in horror. Share? He wanted to share me, like some kind of fucktoy?

I looked to my father, desperate for some kind of reaction. Some sign that he gave a single flying fuck about what this monster was saying, about what he planned to do to me. But Declan just sat there, his face impassive as he sipped his whiskey. Like he couldn't even hear the vile things coming out of Mikhail's mouth, like it didn't matter to him at all what happened to his only daughter once she was married off to the monster he was handing me to.

And in that moment, I knew with a sickening certainty that my father would never save me, never lift a finger to protect me from the fate he'd chosen for me. I was on my own. The thought made me want to scream. Made me want to throw myself at Mikhail's feet and beg for mercy, for some shred of human decency. But I knew it would be futile. Knew that men like him, men like my father, had no concept of mercy or decency.

They only understood power. And right now, all the power was in their hands.

"I think," I said slowly, choosing my words with care, "that perhaps we should postpone the wedding. Just for a little while, until we've had more time to get to know each other."

Mikhail's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Postpone? I think not, devotchka.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.