by Lana Sky
Spotting me, Magda cracks the tiniest hint of something that may or may not be a smile, and my heart soars. Above her, Vadim grins in that wary, breathtaking way.
And their fragile, fledgling joy resonates like sunlight, adding life to the overcast landscape.
Only once night falls, and Magda is fast asleep do I finally meet with Vadim alone. He enters the bedroom awkwardly, having been the one on bedtime duty for once.
Our eyes meet, and words spill from my throat before I can hold them back. “I’m so happy for you,” I tell him, my voice wrought with emotion. “I am. I’m so, so happy—”
“But you’re doubting.” His eyes narrow as he advances, pinning me in against the wall before I even realize what’s happening. One shift of his body and I’m trapped. But this prison isn’t one I’m eager to escape, no matter how fiercely every nerve in my body is urging me to run.
“My beauty…” My eyelids flutter as he grasps my chin, cradling my jaw against his palm. It should be illegal for one gesture to contain so much emotion. I sway, overwhelmed as he draws me to him, his mouth hovering near my throat.
“Gaining Magdalene was one obstacle I’ve surmounted,” he tells me, his voice low with a determination that sets me alight. “I won’t lose you. Whether I have to shackle you, or chastise or claim…” He captures my hips, grinding his touch into my flesh. “I refuse to relent. You will give in to me. I know it.”
“Through marriage?” I ask softly.
He smiles, and my heart lurches, hammering madly. “Through corruption,” he corrects, stroking my hair from my face. “I will corrupt you as thoroughly as you have tainted me, be it through marriage or otherwise.”
“That sounds like a threat,” I confess, even as I find myself lurching into him, manipulated by his groping touch.
“Take it as you will,” he warns, his voice deepening with possession. “I will have you. No matter the cost. No matter the price. I will.”
Whether I’m willing to be bought or not.
Chapter Nineteen
“That’s another round lost for Tiffany,” Vadim declares from over a stack of neatly arranged Monopoly money. “I think we might have to up the stakes.”
“Like what?” Magda asks conspiratorially. They sit on the same end of the table, far too close for my liking. Something tells me that I’m woefully outmatched in this war.
“Like…” Vadim cuts his gaze to me. “If Tiffany loses again, we should devise a fitting punishment for her.”
“No fair!” I snatch a handful of money from the till and throw it at him. “I forfeit!”
Vadim’s grin is sinful. “Shall we let her?” he asks Magda, who gleefully shakes her head, her curls bouncing.
“Then, I declare…” He strokes his chin in chilling contemplation. “That she be tickled to death!”
He lunges for me, and I race away, cackling at the top of my lungs. “No! I’ll never give in! Never—”
I break off as a knock sounds from the front door, and I skid to a stop at the mouth of the foyer.
Frowning, Vadim slips past me, the playful mood broken. Squaring his shoulders, he opens the door, and I can tell just from his posture alone who he expects to be on the other end. His brother. “Shit, Ena didn’t tell me that anyone…”
He trails off at the sight of the figure on the other end. As he steps back, alarm shoots through me at his expression. I’ve never seen his eyes so wide. So…open. It’s as if he’s seen a ghost.
And maybe he has.
The beautiful woman in the doorway is pale enough to have come from some ethereal realm. Curling blond hair falls down her shoulders, stopping almost at her waist. Delicate features form a face of breathtaking perfection, crowned by two intense light-blue eyes that fixate solely on the man between us.
“Irina,” Vadim croaks.
“Vadim,” she says, her voice softly accented. “I came to see our daughter.”
Vadim’s story continues in Conquer! Pre-order now!
A Word from the Author
Hey there!
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review and recommend the book to any friend you think would love this twisted world. You’d have my eternal gratitude. Even a short sentence goes a long way!
Then, come join the rest of us dark romance lovers in my Facebook Group where you can get snippets, sneak peeks of upcoming books and even help vote on aspects of future novels.
Come to the dark side:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lanasbeautifulmonsters/
WANT MORE STUFF TO READ?
Join my newsletter and get a free book! Plus, you get to stay updated with any new releases, random giveaways and exclusive sneak peeks!
https://www.lanaskybooks.com/newsletter
Other Novels: https://lanaskybooks.com/books/
Free Book - Join My Newsletter
Join my newsletter and get a free book! Plus, you get to stay updated with any new releases, random giveaways and exclusive sneak peeks!
https://www.lanaskybooks.com/newsletter
About the Author
Lana Sky is a reclusive writer in the United States who spends most of her time daydreaming about complex male characters and legless cats. She writes mostly paranormal romance, in between watching reruns of Ab Fab and drinking iced tea. Only iced tea.
Other Novels:
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
PAINTED SINS DUET:
A Touch of Dark
IS HE HER HERO?
Juliana Thorne is falling apart beneath her perfect façade. Haunted by a monster from her childhood, the sheltered socialite is slowly losing her mind—while a mysterious stranger seems to lurk around every corner, relishing in her demise.
OR THE VILLAIN?
A blind artist with a penchant for portraying darkness, Damien Villa harbors his own sinister intentions toward Juliana, but is he motivated by lust…
Or a desire for revenge?
Either way…
This is no fairytale.
PAINTED SINS DUET:
A Taste of Sin
IS HE A HEARTLESS MONSTER?
The more she’s subjected to his charms, the deeper Juliana falls under Damien’s spell. But the promise of protection and security may come at a higher price than she’s willing to pay...
OR A RELUCTANT PLAYER?
The reclusive billionaire has his own secrets, and his relationship with Juliana may threaten to send his precarious house of cards crashing down...
Will their bond survive the chaos?
Or will they both be destroyed in the end?
SAVAGE FALL DUET:
King’s Men
THE MORE TREACHEROUS THE LIE…
Ten years ago, Snowy Hollings did the unthinkable: she betrayed the love of her life.
Now, when her family's fortune is decimated overnight, the popular socialite is in for a rude awakening: you reap what you sow.
…THE HARDER THE FALL.
Mysterious newcomer Blake Lorenz despises everything that Snowy Hollings stands for--and he's determined to destroy her piece by piece.
When all is said and done, this ruthless corporate king will stop at nothing to torment the redheaded beauty.
She had it coming, after all.
And, when he's through, she'll be lucky if there's anything left to ever make whole again.
SAVAGE FALL DUET:
King’s Horses
THE HARDER THE FALL…
Ten years ago, Snowy Hollings betrayed the love of her life…
Or did she?
Blake Lorenz has finally broken the Hollings heiress but revenge doesn’t taste quite as sweet as he’d hoped. And as the murky depths of his past begin to come to light, the more he’s forced to realize that he may have made a grave mistake.
…THE MORE BRUTAL THE REDEMPTION.
Destitute and disillusioned, Snowy is trying her best to piece her broken heart back together. But Blake isn’t the only man on her trail
, desperate to claim her.
No good deed goes unpunished, after all.
And the truth has a way of destroying even the most resilient of hearts…
BDSM BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
XXX MAXIM: SUBMIT
Pain is the most potent drug and Frankie Marconi is addicted to the burning sting of it. Maxim Koslov, a deranged crime lord with a tormented past, is more than willing to deliver the dose she needs.
But when lust becomes obsession, Frankie begins to realize that there is only one way out of this dangerous game of Russian Roulette...
And Maxim never loses.
XXX MAXIM: OBEY
Under the dangerous Maxim Koslov's spell, Frankie Marconi finds herself falling deeper and deeper into a world of violence and sin. But the rabbit hole of chaos can only go so far. When cruel reality threatens her cocoon of pain, can she rely on Maxim to help her withstand the onslaught?
Or will she goad him into finally ending their twisted game...
Once and for all.
MAFIA ROMANCE
Crescendo
You don't become the fiancé of one of the most powerful mafia bosses in the city without understanding exactly how gritty and depraved the world truly is... and how to thrive in the inferno.
After five years spent under his controlling thumb, Daniela knows her position with a man like Vincent Stacatto is precarious, but as long as she plays by the rules of his "game", she's safe...
Until she's taken captive by the devil.
Kidnapped by a rival crime lord, Daniela becomes a pawn between two powerful forces, and just another casualty in a bloody game of chess. But to get to the top, and stay at the top, you have to fight dirty and hold nothing back, because the most dangerous piece on the board isn't the King.
It's the queen.
Refrain
Some demons have angelic intentions...
Caught in the middle of a vicious gang war, Espi Vialle is torn between helping a woman with a twisted past or escaping a world of crime he’s ashamed to be a part of.
But when his own dark choices threaten to destroy what little hope of a future he has left, he’ll have to face his deepest fears and risk becoming the one person who has let him down the most.
His brother.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Drain Me
When diagnosed with a fatal illness at the age of twenty-six, Eleanor Gray is resigned to her fate—at least until the enigmatic Dublin Helos appears and makes her an offer she knows she should refuse:
Life or Death?
With a decision as harmless as checking the wrong box on a mysterious questionnaire, Ellie is plunged into a dangerous world where souls are sold to the highest bidder and pleasure is fueled by pain.
The rules of this new life are simple: submit everything—mind, body, and soul. But the further Ellie falls under Dublin’s control, the more she comes to realize that it’s not just her sanity at stake, but her heart and a whole lot of blood too.
OTHER BOOKS
Dirty Lyrics
All’s fair in sex, love, and Rock N’ Roll.
Star publicist Abby Newman takes only the roughest, toughest, and naughtiest rock stars under her belt. Her love of bad boys has warranted her a naughty reputation to boot—but her newest client, country crooner Jason Daniels, is anything but. In fact, Jason’s sweet, wholesome image isn’t in need of a cleanup, so Abby can’t understand why he’s so insistent on hiring her.
But, after a few clandestine meetings, she’s quick to realize that the Jason Daniels isn’t exactly the same man in real life that he pretends to be on the radio. In fact, he brings a whole new form of “bad” to the table, and before Abby can help it, she finds herself hopelessly falling under his spell.
After all, all’s fair...
Dragonfly
Sheltered by an overprotective family, Amy Sager—a shy twenty-something poet from Canada—just wanted to break out of her shell and be free to live her own life. What better way to assert her newfound independence than by moving to San Francisco?
However, when she meets a tall, blood-drenched stranger, she gets more than she bargained for.
Jackie is everything she should never want. Violence, lies, and even murder taint this strange man, but she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him…like a moth to a flame.
When their relationship strains her loyalty and his livelihood, it isn’t long before violence consumes her independence and Amy’s quest for freedom turns into just another story of a good girl caught on the wrong side of the tracks, too far gone to turn back.
Pretty Perfect
Numb. Addict. Liar.
Anya DeSotto’s dreams of becoming a professional ballerina are circling the drain, along with the last of her pills. Forced to discover ‘healthy’ ways to cope with her crippling lack of self-worth, Anya’s last chance at success comes in the form of Revend Marcus, a man nearly two decades her senior.
The owner of a prestigious international ballet company, Revend has no problem breaking Anya down to suit his own twisted idea of perfection. But when a shadow from Revend’s past looms over their futures, the resulting chaos threatens to destroy them both.
Though, sometimes, even destruction can be pretty perfect.
Also by Lana Sky
The Ellie Gray Chronicles
Drain Me
Chain Me
Beautiful Monsters
Crescendo
Refrain
Mezzo
Allegro
XXX
Maxim: Submit
Maxim: Obey
Maxim: Surrender
Vadim: Control
Vadim: Corrupt
Vadim: Conquer
Savage Fall Duet
King’s Men
King’s Horses
The War of Roses
XV: (Fifteen)
VII: (Seven)
I: (One)
Painted Sin
A Touch of Dark
A Taste like Sin
Standalones
Pretty Perfect
Crossed Lines
Moth
Dragonfly
Moth
Rockstar Rebels
Dirty Lyrics