fireplace. He clenched his fist, cursing as the damp washcloth he had been holding to his aching nose dripped down his leg.
“Who are you?” Sergei demanded, looking at the young woman. “Who sent you?”
*.*.*
Sergei bit back a chuckle when the woman rolled her eyes when he asked her the same questions Dimitri had been asking her. There was something about her that was just – adorable.
He shook his head in disgust. Since when did he ever think of a woman as being ‘adorable’? She was an intruder. She had attacked both Dimitri and him. Well, she had thrown herself at Dimitri which still surprised him. Even now, she didn’t act like someone out to do them harm. She acted more like she was… annoyed with them.
And why do I feel like I have seen her before? Sergei wondered in frustration.
“I feel like I know her but I’ve never met her,” Sergei said in Russian, looking at Dimitri who was staring moodily at the slender figure curled up in the chair. “There is no way I would ever have forgotten her, I’m sure of that.”
Dimitri looked at Sergei and nodded. “I feel the same way. I thought I was going crazy at first but it is like I have seen her, touched her but…” his voice faded when the young woman turned to glare at them.
“You know it isn’t polite to speak about someone in a language they don’t understand,” she snapped back impatiently. “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face or don’t say it at all.”
Dimitri straightened up and strode over to the chair. He knelt in front of it so she could see the menacing look in his eyes. He smiled in satisfaction when she leaned back in the chair, a wary look darkening in her eyes as she stared back at him.
Good, I have her attention, he thought savagely.
“We could break you into tiny pieces and scatter your remains across half of Russia and no one, and I mean no one, would ever know what happened to you,” he told her in a cold voice.
Rune swallowed over the lump that formed in her throat. She nervously glanced up at Sergei who stood over her with his arms folded across his chest. Anger flared deep inside when she thought of where she was compared to where she wanted to be. None of this would have happened if they would have just left her in the garden.
Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with grief, anger and the knowledge that it really didn’t matter anymore. Christmas rose be damned. If she was going to die anyway, why extend it? Hadn’t she said she was tired of being jerked around. What was the worst thing that they could do to her? Kill her?
Been there, done that, she thought furiously.
“Fine! Go ahead,” she growled back leaning forward until her nose was almost touching his. “Do your worst! I bet I’ve already had it done before. Want to burn me at the stake? I can tell you the best way to do it. Want to stick a knife through my gut? Piece of cake. Want to run a sword through my heart? Already done that too. You want to cut me up, go ahead,” she snarled back in a low voice. “I really don’t give a damn anymore.”
Dimitri sat back on his heels, for once shocked speechless. The fierce determination and the way she spoke made him believe every word she said. She sounded like she knew exactly what it felt like to die. The look in her eye told him she also meant what she said. She didn’t give a damn if he were to snap her neck or cut her heart out.
Unsure of what to do next, he did what felt right. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward. He knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life when his lips captured hers. Heat exploded through him, pooling low in his groin until he could think of nothing else but claiming her. She froze briefly before relaxing as he moved his lips over hers, encouraging her to open for him.
Her lips parted on a soft gasp when he touched the tip of his tongue to them. He immediately took advantage and pushed forward capturing her in a fierce,
“Who are you?” Sergei demanded, looking at the young woman. “Who sent you?”
*.*.*
Sergei bit back a chuckle when the woman rolled her eyes when he asked her the same questions Dimitri had been asking her. There was something about her that was just – adorable.
He shook his head in disgust. Since when did he ever think of a woman as being ‘adorable’? She was an intruder. She had attacked both Dimitri and him. Well, she had thrown herself at Dimitri which still surprised him. Even now, she didn’t act like someone out to do them harm. She acted more like she was… annoyed with them.
And why do I feel like I have seen her before? Sergei wondered in frustration.
“I feel like I know her but I’ve never met her,” Sergei said in Russian, looking at Dimitri who was staring moodily at the slender figure curled up in the chair. “There is no way I would ever have forgotten her, I’m sure of that.”
Dimitri looked at Sergei and nodded. “I feel the same way. I thought I was going crazy at first but it is like I have seen her, touched her but…” his voice faded when the young woman turned to glare at them.
“You know it isn’t polite to speak about someone in a language they don’t understand,” she snapped back impatiently. “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face or don’t say it at all.”
Dimitri straightened up and strode over to the chair. He knelt in front of it so she could see the menacing look in his eyes. He smiled in satisfaction when she leaned back in the chair, a wary look darkening in her eyes as she stared back at him.
Good, I have her attention, he thought savagely.
“We could break you into tiny pieces and scatter your remains across half of Russia and no one, and I mean no one, would ever know what happened to you,” he told her in a cold voice.
Rune swallowed over the lump that formed in her throat. She nervously glanced up at Sergei who stood over her with his arms folded across his chest. Anger flared deep inside when she thought of where she was compared to where she wanted to be. None of this would have happened if they would have just left her in the garden.
Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with grief, anger and the knowledge that it really didn’t matter anymore. Christmas rose be damned. If she was going to die anyway, why extend it? Hadn’t she said she was tired of being jerked around. What was the worst thing that they could do to her? Kill her?
Been there, done that, she thought furiously.
“Fine! Go ahead,” she growled back leaning forward until her nose was almost touching his. “Do your worst! I bet I’ve already had it done before. Want to burn me at the stake? I can tell you the best way to do it. Want to stick a knife through my gut? Piece of cake. Want to run a sword through my heart? Already done that too. You want to cut me up, go ahead,” she snarled back in a low voice. “I really don’t give a damn anymore.”
Dimitri sat back on his heels, for once shocked speechless. The fierce determination and the way she spoke made him believe every word she said. She sounded like she knew exactly what it felt like to die. The look in her eye told him she also meant what she said. She didn’t give a damn if he were to snap her neck or cut her heart out.
Unsure of what to do next, he did what felt right. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward. He knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life when his lips captured hers. Heat exploded through him, pooling low in his groin until he could think of nothing else but claiming her. She froze briefly before relaxing as he moved his lips over hers, encouraging her to open for him.
Her lips parted on a soft gasp when he touched the tip of his tongue to them. He immediately took advantage and pushed forward capturing her in a fierce,
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