Satin Princess(29)

Jessa’s frown deepens.

“We don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want,” I add.

“I want to know,” she says firmly. “The woman tried to kill me.”

“She tried to kill the baby.”

“You don’t think she wanted to kill me?”

“There’s no predicting what Marina was thinking. But I don’t think so,” I say.

“Why?”

“You want me to guess?”

She nods solemnly. “You know her better than I do.”

I’m not sure this conversation is suitable for Jessa in her weakened condition. But I don’t want to handle her with kid gloves, either. She’s seen and lived through more than most people in the last few months. She deserves more credit than that.

“She was going to use you to get to me.”

“For revenge?”

“More or less, yes.”

Jessa’s eyes are wary, but she pushes on. “Because she believes that you killed her child?”

“I did.”

Jessa flinches.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Jessa. You want the truth and you deserve it. The picture you were sent was a fake. Obviously. But the video… it actually happened. Every cursed second that you watched is exactly what happened.”

She swallows carefully. “Were you going to kill her?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes widen. There’s disappointment there, but it’s tempered by the reality of who Marina is. What she’s done.

What she might still do if I don’t stop her.

“But you held back.”

“Because she spat out that she was carrying my baby,” I explain. “I may not have wanted her, but I wanted that child. Neither of us got what we wanted. She miscarried a few days later.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she blurts out. “You didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“I would have killed her if she hadn’t been pregnant.”

“I don’t want to make excuses for you,” she says softly. “But I’ve met Marina now. And she’s… she’s fucking terrifying.”

“She can be,” I admit. “And the fact that I subverted her plan means she’ll regroup and come back even harder. She’s like a cockroach that way.”

Jessa shivers. She looks pale all of the sudden, trembling in a way I don’t like.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” I say, standing up.

Her hand jerks out and grabs me firmly around the wrist. “Don’t leave me,” she begs.

“Jessa—”

“Please, Anton,” she says, her voice breaking just a little. “I… I see her everywhere…” She licks her lips and finds my eyes. “That first night at the manor… I had a nightmare. At least, I thought I did. I woke up and saw a ghost in the corner watching me. And I don’t know how, but I knew it was Marina. It was too dark to make out the color of her hair, but her eyes… they were so blue and so piercing. But it wasn’t a dream, Anton. It was real. She was right there in my bedroom, watching me sleep. She told me herself. She could have finished me off then and there.”

I run my thumb over her velvety cheek. “You’re here now,” I tell her gently. “You’re safe with me.”

Her smile is thin and unconvincing. She wants to give in to relief, but this struggle is far from over. These demons aren’t finished with her yet.

But we’ll beat them soon enough. Her and I—together.

I get onto the bed and raise my arm. She snuggles under it. Her head falls against my chest and I feel my cock stiffen instantly. I ignore my baser needs, and focus on the top of her silky blonde hair, on the way her scent dances in my nose like a floral temptation.

I wonder if she realizes what a masterpiece she is.

Her head gets heavier and heavier against my chest. Only when her hand in mine goes limp do I know that she’s asleep again.

Carefully, slowly, I move myself out from underneath her and make sure she’s lying in a comfortable position on the bed. Seeing her like this only reinforces the urge to protect her.

She’s mine now. And if Marina tries to come at her again, she’s going to regret ever coming back from the dead.

I stand breathlessly to wait until Jessa is sound asleep before slipping out of the room. I walk down the hall and pull out my phone to make a call.

Yulian picks up instantly. I have a feeling that he’s been waiting desperately by his phone. Lev must have filled him in.

“Brother, listen to me—”

“Save your explanations for later,” I snap. “For now, get on a plane and get your ass here. Bring Lev with you.”

I can practically feel the tension rolling off of him. “I just want you to know that I know I fucked up.”

“We’ll discuss it when you get here.”

“It was a mistake. I just—”

“Enough,” I snap, reaching the end of my patience. “I told you we’d discuss this when you’re here.”

“Okay. Yeah. Alright.” He sounds reluctant, but he has no choice but to nod along.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“And Yulian?”