Shattered Crown

CHAPTER NINE

KIRA

A shock jolts through me, ice seeping into my bones, wrenching me
from blissful oblivion. Gasping for breath, my eyes shoot open to find I'm
still in bed, except I'm drenched in freezing water. Bolting upright, I blink
away the droplets clinging to my eyelashes, trying to make sense of what happened, when my gaze finds Maxim standing over me, an empty bucket
dangling casually from his hand.

"Fuck you," I splutter, pushing the wet strands of hair out of my face,
my temper flaring as I scramble out of the soaked bed. My T-shirt clings to
me like a second skin, heavy and cold against my shivering frame. "What
the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I suppose I can ask you the same thing." Maxim's eyes narrow, a flash
of irritation crossing his features. He steps closer, his voice edged with
authority. "You are to sleep in my bed, or did my order somehow slip your
mind? I know for a fact that Nadya was clear that was a requirement."

"I'm a wife in name only. You said so yourself. Just because you
decided sleeping together is part of the arrangement doesn't mean I agreed,"
I shout, drenched and shivering.
"You belong wherever I say you belong. This ring" - he grabs my left
hand in his much bigger one - "binds you to me. It gives me the power to
determine your future."

All my pent-up anger boils over, and I reach for a bedside lamp, hurling
it in his direction. He bats it away before it hits him, breaking with a loud
crash onto the floor. Regret immediately consumes me because I know
there will be consequences.
He forces his next words out between gritted teeth. "You shouldn't have
done that."

Panic constricts my lungs, yanking away my breath. At one time, I
believed he wouldn't hurt a woman, but now... The way his eyes flash with
violence, I'm not sure of anything. I inadvertently step back, toppling a
chair with a loud thud, but I can't tear my eyes away from Maxim to check
the damage.

I'm shivering-whether from fear or cold, I don't know. Maxim frowns
as I wrap my arms around my shaking form. My nipples harden sharply,
almost like diamond points, and Maxim doesn't fail to notice. His eyes
linger, bold and unapologetic, and it sends a jolt through me-part
embarrassment, part something else I can't quite name.

I wrap my arms tighter around myself, acutely aware of a weird kind of
electricity in the air. A pull that's hard to ignore, even though every rational
part of me is shouting to do just that.
"Let's call tonight a misunderstanding." His voice is low and menacing,
and I know better than to argue. "But from now on, know that I expect you
in my bed every night."

"Why?" I demand, even as anxiety pulses in my chest. "We won't be
intimate. You said-"
"We are married. Even if this is an arrangement, I won't have my staff
gossiping about us keeping separate rooms."

I scoff. "I don't care about appearances. This marriage isn't what I
signed up for, anyhow."
His expression turns thunderous, and every instinct tells me to drop it,
leave the issue be. But as is often the case, my defiance wins out.
I rear back to slap him but his hand darts out, gripping my wrist. In the
pale light coming from the window, I catch sight of his battered knuckles,
the heat from his touch like fire.

"You keep on testing me, Kira. I'm starting to believe you want a
reaction. Are you so eager to see what happens when you provoke your
husband?" His dark voice presses against my ear.
I refuse to question why his words cause moisture to flood between my
thighs and an ache deep in my core. Nope. No way. Not going there.
Instead, I run.

Rebellion drives me as I bolt from the room. My heart hammers against
my ribs, adrenaline fueling my sprint. I can hear Maxim hot on my heels.
What did I expect? And what the fuck is my plan? He knows this place like
the back of his hand, and I'm soaking wet, running into the abyss.
His voice is mocking. "You want to run and me to chase you, don't you,
lastochka?"
My breath comes in sharp pants, equal part fear and excitement.