"I'm not a brood mare," I whisper, unable to stop myself.
His fingers suddenly grip my chin, forcing my gaze to his. "No? That is precisely what you are. A beautiful, spirited mare to breed strong sons. Nothing more."
The garden blurs as rage and terror war within me.
Maksim pulls me deeper into the garden, past a towering hedge that blocks us completely from Cristian’s view.
"Wait—" I start, but he's already crowding me against a stone wall, his bulk boxing me in.
"A taste," he whispers, his breath hot against my face. "Just a small preview of our wedding night."
My muscles coil tight, every nerve ending wanting to strike out.
The weight of his body presses against mine.
His dick grinds against me.
I can't breathe.
Can't think.
Peace hinges on this marriage.
On my submission.
But does peace require this?
Does it mean I need to give up everything I am to be Maksim’s plaything and babymaker?
"My brother expects me back soon," I say, hoping he feels a little apprehensive about disrespecting Alessandro.
Maksim smirks. "Your brother sold you to me. He doesn't dictate the terms of how I claim what's mine."
I’m incensed. I am not property. Not his. Not Alessandro's. Not anyone's.
"I'm not yours yet," I hiss.
"Close enough," he counters, and then his mouth descends on mine.
His lips are cold and demanding, tasting of expensive whiskey gone sour.
My stomach heaves as his tongue forces its way between my lips.
Every instinct in my body surges to life, but it’s not the warm, eager response I felt with Cristian.
No, this is a desire to kill.
His mouth invades mine, tongue doing an obscene dance. My body turns to stone, mind racing. If I fight now, show revulsion, the alliance breaks. War resumes. People die, including Cristian.
"Get your fucking hands off her." Cristian's lethal voice cuts through the silence.
Maksim freezes against me, his body tensing. From the corner of my eye, I see the barrel of Cristian's gun pressed firmly against the back of Maksim's skull.
Relief floods through me, quickly replaced by terror.
Cristian just threatened the Pakhan of the Morozova Bratva.
In his own home.