The Emperor (The Tarot Club 2)

“That’s not necessary.” Dimitri stepped in front of me once more, shielding me in a way that was both maddening and made me want to rip his clothes off. “I’ll take you.”

I watched in silence as Dimitri led Benson out the door - away from our bedroom - away from me. There wasn’t a chance that Dimitri had felt threatened, he simply didn’t like others looking at what he felt belonged to him. I knew that - on a visceral level, I understood it, even - and yet I could do nothing to quell the fluttering that seemed to erupt in the pits of my stomach.

He didn’t take long to return, but this time he was alone, no doubt having dismissed Benson. He found me staring at the glinting ring on my finger, the weight, pressure, and responsibility of it all flitting through my mind.

“I won’t be content to simply stay home all day with my only source of entertainment being family dinners.”

My heart ached as I spoke the words I knew I needed to set free. Because as much as I wanted the weight of the ring on my finger, I couldn’t accept it if that was his expectation. In the heat of the moment, with his lips pressed against mine and the promise of more lingering between us, it was easy to give him a simple yes. But the truth was far more complicated than that.

“Okay.” He spoke that one word, as if it were the most simple concession to make, but I wasn’t sure he understood what that meant, and so I pushed further.

“I will be involved in the Bratva.”

His gaze narrowed on me and I watched his jaw tick in anger, but I didn’t allow his simmering fury to deter me. Instead, I continued to push - to shove my will down his throat.

“You need to trust me enough to protect these men - to place protection on all your buildings and product.”

“Not at the cost of your protection.” He gritted his teeth as he offered up his version of a compromise.

“You know that what I can do is valuable to your organization. Don’t allow whatever’s going on between us to blur your vision.”

“Whatever’s going on between us?” Stark disbelief colored each word until he was suddenly in front of me, his hands wrapped around my wrists in a bruisingly painful hold.

“You are going to be my wife, and as such it is my fucking duty to protect you.”

I blinked, unphased by his sudden display of emotion - his need to control.

“As it’s my duty to protect you.”

His gaze held mine, each of us breathing in the breath of the other - neither one of us willing to release our hold of one another. It was only when we heard the distinctive sounds of the front door opening and closing that he loosened his grip on my wrists.

His strides were long and powerful as he exited the room, and I didn’t miss the scowl he threw over his shoulder as he realized I was following closely behind him.

Fuck him.

He needed to understand that if we were doing this, I would never be the complacent sit-in-the-kitchen-and-ice-biscuits type.

Henla had seated Stepen and Eli at the dining room table, and I couldn’t help the way my feet stuttered when I saw Eli. I hated this man - hated him with a passion that frightened me. Because it wasn’t just the way he treated me, there was just something about him. Of course, the thought sounded ludicrous even in the safety of my own mind, but it was there nonetheless.

“Good. You’re both here.” Dimitri’s voice cut through the thick tension that seemed to curl in the air, and I watched as Stepen attempted to visibly shrink into himself.

“It is a relief to see our Pakhan in good health once more. After that incident at the warehouse, we wondered if there was a time-frame to our blessings.”

The air seemed to shift around Dimitri, cooling as he approached the table with a deathly calm that was frightening. If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I may not have noticed it, but these slow, unhindered movements were Dimitri stalking his prey.

“Is it a relief?” Dimitri asked as he seated his large frame in the seat opposite Eli, and next to Stepen. It left only two viable seating options for me - either on the other side of Dimitri, or next to Eli.

If I was a more gracious host - if I were more concerned with the etiquette of it all, I would have seated myself next to Eli in an attempt to alleviate any tension that seemed to ripple from Dimitri himself. But I did not wish to be a gracious host - did not want to make Eli more comfortable, so instead, I seated myself next to Dimitri.

His palm brushed my thigh, and I soaked in the warmth of his touch against my chilled skin.

Eli’s smile was stretched and taut, and for the first time since engaging with the man before me, I thought I saw his nerves rise to the surface. His gaze darted towards my hands that systematically clasped and unclasped against the surface of the table, unable to halt my need to fidget - to move. I saw the moment his eyes snagged on the ring, comprehension dawning on his face.

“I see congratulations are in order.” Eli’s strained smile seemed to throb with unease.

“Wh - what?” Stepen whirled in his seat, taking in the ring on my finger.

I didn’t have to take my eyes off of Eli to know that Stepen was beaming for us. He was genuinely delighted by the news. But Eli’s words felt oily - heavy, somehow, as if they were tainted in hate.