Page 30 of His to Own

That’s what makes Maxim so dangerous. His impulsivity.

Nikolai makes a call to someone. “Get here now. Help me clean up this mess. Handle the police.” After he hangs up, the church becomes silent.

Mother clings to Adriana while Father glares Nikolai down.

“You will not be the one in control,” Father hisses.

Nikolai huffs. “If you keep this up, Gregory, then we won’t have our deal anymore.”

“You’ll side with this wild card?” he hisses, throwing his hand in Maxim’s direction.

“Yes. Because Maxim is more dangerous than you are. But we can keep the peace… when you agree to marry Elena to Maxim. All you have to do is say yes, Gregory. Just say yes and we can put this all past us.”

“And I’ll be without another daughter.”

Nikolai shakes his head. “Don’t pretend like you care about your daughters. We all know you don’t. It’s your pride talking. And it’s your pride that’s going to get you killed. So end this now. Agree to marry Elena and Maxim. Right now.”

I can see how much it’s taking for my father to keep it together. He knows he’s outnumbered. He knows he lost.

“Get it over with,” he snarls.

Maxim turns the full weight of his eyes onto me. Without a word, he pushes my hair behind my ears and wipes my face. The blood, I realize. He’s wiping the blood away. My torn dress is covered in red.

It feels symbolic – the future I’ll have with Maxim. Death and destruction follows him everywhere.

“I told you I would marry you,” he says. Why does it feel like a threat?

“What is going on?” the priests asks, scrambling to his feet.

“You will marry these two,” Nikolai says, motioning between me and Maxim. “Right now.”

“But I don’t even know who he is. Is he catholic?”

Nikolai gives the priest a flat look. “Do you really think that matters right now? Just marry them. His name is Maxim Morozov. Now go.”

The priest clears his throat. His hands are trembling as he holds his bible.

Maxim takes my hands in his. They’re much softer than Mikhail’s were. My eyes find Mikhail’s dead body on the ground. Just… there. Not moving. No one even acknowledges it.

“Do you, Maxim Morozov, take this woman, Elena Karetov, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“Yes. I do.” Maxim gives me a wink. The numbness inside of me is fading, replaced with a fire deep inside my core.

The priest turns to me. “And do you, Elena Karetov, take this man, Maxim Morozov, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

I don’t want to marry Maxim. He frightens me. And yet… a part of me does want to be married to him. To be away from my father. Maxim likes that I’m getting an education. I could still study. Be a writer one day.

But all I have to do is sign my soul away to the devil. A man who isn’t afraid to commit murder to get what he wants.

“I do,” I whisper.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The priest snaps the bible closed. “I did my job.” He hurries away into a back room.

Nikolai follows after, presumably to tell the priest to not call the police. The other innocent guests are still on the ground, covering their heads.

“I think this is the part where we kiss,” Maxim says.

I jerk back. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I just… can’t.”