“Katya, I—”
An exaggerated cleared throat sounded from just down the stone corridor outside her cell. “My lord, Anton awaits you in the security booth.”
Kate sucked in a breath. But neither the voice nor the intrusion of the reality that others probably knew what was going on in here were the most alarming thing. Not by far.
Nikolai flew back from her, eyes and head averted as if he’d done something wrong. Breathing hard and scowling, he bent down and retrieved both their shirts. When he stood up, he held her sweater out to her, but didn’t look her in the eye.
In almost slow motion, Kate released her hands from the bars, just now realizing Nikolai’s actions had frozen her into a spectator as she tried to decipher the marked change in his mood. The moment her hand clutched the soft blue of her sweater, tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She clutched the cotton to her chest. “Nikolai—”
“Don’t,” he snapped, his voice low and tight. He yanked his shirt over his head, hiding those beautiful tattoos, hiding himself, from her gaze. “For God’s sake, clothe yourself.”
Blinking repeatedly to pinch off the threatening tears, Kate slipped back into her sweater. She tugged at the zipper to her jeans, but it wouldn’t budge. Had he broken it? She buttoned the top and stretched her sweater downward to make herself decent.
For the first time since her orgasm, when he’d worn that beautiful little smile she’d thought so appealing, Nikolai met her gaze. His was cold, distant, disgusted. He stepped up to her and glared. When his eyes flickered to the door and back, she realized she was standing in front of it. He was waiting for her to move so he could leave.
Her face flamed hot and her heart thundered mortification through her veins. Biting her tongue to restrain the apology she almost uttered, Kate took three steps backward, clearing the door and putting lots of space between them. Space he apparently wanted.
Nikolai reached through the bar and turned the key hanging in the lock. He pulled the door open and, without looking back, without another word, stalked out of the cell.
Chapter Eight
Nikolai needed to punch something. Repeatedly. Anything to distract himself from the hurt and humiliation he’d seen in Katherine’s pale blue eyes. The hurt and humiliation he’d put there. What the hell had he been thinking?
He glared at Leo, standing with his arms crossed at the end of the hall, and dared the young warrior to give him a reason to lose his shit right here and now.
Leo dropped his gaze. “Anton’s in the security booth.”
The king—for it was the first time in a long time he felt so deadly serious about an order—got right up in the blond’s face. “After the doc’s done with her, you get her out of that cell. Back to Moscow. Out. Of. Here. We clear?”
“My lord—”
Nikolai fisted the man’s T-shirt and dragged him in closer, flashing his fangs in warning. “Are we crystal fucking clear?”
Leo’s gray eyes flared a silver light that hinted at the man’s own building anger, but he kept his mouth closed.
“Nikolai,” Mikhail said, stepping from the security booth. “Let him go.”
He released Leo with a shove and stalked past his friend into the booth.
Anton dropped his phone into his pocket and smiled. “My lord, you’re looking better. Want me to examine your n—”
“There’s a human woman in there who got banged up earlier and was complaining of headaches.” He pointed in the direction of the dungeons. “I want you to examine her. And then I want her out of here.”
Anton shook his head, his good nature not dampened at all by Nikolai’s lack of niceties. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Been snowing all day. Must be two feet of snow out there. Roads are a mess.”
“You made it here okay.”
“I made it as far as Poreche and hiked in the rest of the way until Leo rode out with the snowmobile. The roads back to Vasilievskoe are completely impassable.”
Nikolai stared at him a long moment, then paced the room. He couldn’t get rid of her. Just perfect. The weight of the other males’ eyes settled on his shoulders like an anvil. He paused at the computer panel, his gaze falling on the controls to the security cameras. Heaving a breath, he hit a series of keys and buttons, bringing the monitor displaying the feed from Katherine’s cell to life.
A pang his heart had no goddamn business feeling squeezed his chest. She sat on the floor, in the exact spot he’d left her standing, her back against the bars and her arms hugging her legs in front of her. Her face rested sideways on her knees, so he couldn’t make out her expression.