Page 8 of Hollow Court
That shouldn’t have been anything new, but tonight, his fury felt different—far more palpable. I ran through a mental checklist of everything I had done over the course of the evening. What I had said. Who I had spoken to. How much I had eaten or smiled or fidgeted.
His grip tightened as we reached the door to my rooms, the pressure carving my charm bracelet into my wrist. I wondered if he had broken the skin, though I tried not to look or wince.
He let go, and I enjoyed the relief of being safely back in my room for all of five seconds before he followed me over the threshold.
“My Lord?” It was as close as I could come to an outright objection without offending him.
He could be rough in his handling, but he had never before breached even the slightest bounds of propriety. Without responding, he closed the door behind us, his shadow following mine along the dimly lit walls. Something dark glimmered behind his eyes, though his features were as cold as ever.
“I had thought, Galina, that you were promised to me. Am I wrong about that?” His tone was low, dangerous.
“No, My Lord,” I told him, cursing the tendril of fear that crept into my tone.
It was ridiculous. Alexei was overbearing, even aggressive at times, but he had never actually hurt me.
Not really.
“Then why were you talking to the Lochlannian?” He stepped closer, until the smell of his wintergreen mouth rinse all but suffocated me.
My breath stuttered in my chest.
“I wasn’t. I was only apologizing for nearly bumping into him.” Emotions warred within me, desperation to explain and indignation that I should have to.
And fury, somewhere too deep down to reach, buried behind the foreboding feeling that was taking dominance over the rest.
“It would be a mistake to treat me like an idiot, Galina.” He was close enough now that his breath was hot and sticky on my cheek, his massive form looming over me.
“I know that.” That was true enough.
Alexei missed very little. Not a hair out of place, not a glance or a gesture, and I hadn’t been nearly subtle enough in hiding whatever complicated feelings I had about seeing Davin again.
I had let my emotions get the better of me, even after my mother had tried to warn me, and this…this was the price.
“Then tell me who he is to you,” Alexei demanded.
“He’s no one to me.”Not anymore.
“And who do you belong to?” he pressed.
No one, you possessive bastard.
For a brief, unreasonable moment, I pictured Rowan leading her army and felt a familiar stab of jealousy toward the flame-haired queen who was braver in the face of a war than I could manage to be in my storms-damned bedchamber.
Hating myself just a little more with each word of acquiescence, I still couldn’t help but say what he wanted to hear.
“You, My Lord.” Gathering the last vestiges of my dignity, I straightened and backed away from him. “Now if that’s all, I should be getting ready for b–”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence, because Alexei darted forward with a lightning-fast movement, wrenching me toward him by the arm and slamming me bodily into the wall.
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, a welt already forming where my head cracked against the stone.
“We weren’t finished talking.” He bit out each word. “You do belong to me, Galina, and I will not share you with anyone, let alone that Lochlanniansvolach.”
Bastard.
Interesting that Alexei chose the exact word I had used to describe him mere moments ago. He seemed to be waiting for a response from me, and I had no choice but to oblige him. I never did.
“I told you,” I said, my voice shakier than it had been before, “he is nothing to me.”