The bathroom door finally opened. Steam rolled softly into the bedroom first. Then Viktor stepped out.
Sienna looked up instinctively. And immediately wished she hadn’t. God. The man looked unreal.
His dark hair was wet, small drops of water sliding slowly down his neck and chest. A white towel hung low around his waist, exposing broad shoulders, hard muscles, and tatoos carved across his skin like reminders of every battle he had survived.
Dangerous. Beautiful. Terrifying. He looked less like a man and more like the kind of temptation women ruined their lives over. Sienna quickly dropped her eyes again, angry at herself for even noticing.
Meanwhile, Viktor noticed everything. The way her breathing changed. The way her fingers tightened around her sleeves. The way she avoided looking at him a second time. A small smirk touched his lips.
Sienna sat curled on the floor beside the bed, still wrapped tightly around herself. She had changed out of the bloody cardigan, but emotionally, she still looked shattered. Like someone waiting for the world to end.
Viktor walked closer slowly. The soft sound of his bare feet against the marble floor made Sienna tense instantly.
"If you can’t get yourself out of those clothes," he said lazily, "I can help you." Sienna’s eyes widened.
"After all," Viktor continued, stopping directly in front of her, "I’m going to be your husband tomorrow." That did it.
Sienna looked genuinely close to breaking again. Tears filled her eyes immediately as she finally lifted her head to glare at him. "I’m not marrying you."
Her voice shook, but the words came out clearly. Viktor’s expression hardened slightly. "You don’t get a choice."
"Yes, I do!" Sienna snapped suddenly as she stood up from the floor. "I can’t marry a complete stranger!" Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
"This is insane! You kidnapped me!" For a moment, silence filled the room. The tension between them felt sharp enough to cut.
Then unexpectedly. Viktor spoke calmly. "Fine."
Sienna blinked.
"What?"
"Seven days."
Now she looked confused. Viktor moved toward the bed slowly, completely unbothered by the argument.
"That’s all the time you have." Sienna stared at him cautiously. "What are you talking about?"
Viktor looked over at her again, grey eyes dark and unreadable.
"Seven days for you to fall in love with me." The room went silent. Sienna actually laughed once in disbelief.
"You’re crazy."
"Maybe."
Seven days. Sienna kept repeating the words in her head like a prayer. Seven days to escape. Seven days to leave this mansion. Seven days before this killer trapped her forever.
She slowly pushed herself up from the floor, trying to put some distance between them while Viktor remained where he stood looking completely relaxed. Too relaxed.
Like, none of this was terrifying. Like, kidnapping women and forcing them into marriage was somehow normal in his world.
Sienna carefully stepped sideways there was barely any room to move anyway. Then suddenly Viktor grabbed her wrist. The movement startled her badly.
"Let go..." As she jerked backward, her hand accidentally caught the towel hanging around his waist. And before either of them could react. The towel dropped straight to the floor.
Time froze. Sienna’s eyes widened in horror. Oh my God. "Oh my God!" She immediately whipped her head away so fast her neck hurt. Heat exploded across her face instantly.
"I didn’t mean to!" Viktor’s deep laugh filled the room. Actually laughed. Sienna wanted the floor to open and swallow her alive. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly like that would somehow erase the image burned into her brain.
Unfortunately. Too late. "Do you like what you see, baby girl?" Viktor teased shamelessly. Sienna swallowed hard. "Put something on!" Her voice came out much higher than normal.
Viktor only sounded more entertained. Cute. That was the first word that crossed his mind while watching her panic. The girl looked seconds away from self-destruction over accidentally seeing a naked man.
Meanwhile, Sienna was internally dying. She tried pulling away again immediately.
"Get off me," she snapped, finally opening her eyes again but refusing to look directly at him. "I’m not some hooker, okay?" She shoved weakly against his chest.
"Stop coming too close to me." But Viktor barely moved. Instead, he tilted his head slightly while studying her flushed face.
"You know what you look like right now?" he asked quietly. Sienna glared at him.
"A wounded bird." Before she could respond, Viktor gently turned her toward the large mirror near the wall. Sienna froze. He stood directly behind her now.
Close enough for her to feel the heat from his body against her back. Her breathing became uneven instantly. The reflection in the mirror looked unreal. She looked small standing in front of him.
Soft blonde hair, messy from crying. Oversized shirt slipping slightly off one shoulder. Eyes red from fear and exhaustion. And behind her. Viktor looked like sin itself. Tall. Bare chest covered in scars and tatoos.
Grey eyes locked onto her reflection with dangerous intensity. Sienna hated how aware she suddenly became of him.
"You are such a beauty," Viktor murmured softly near her ear. Sienna’s fingers curled tightly at her sides. "And I’m very handsome."
Despite herself, her face grew even hotter. "It won’t be hard for you to love me." Sienna almost rolled her eyes at the arrogance. Almost.
But her body stayed tense. Because beneath the teasing and confidence, Viktor still felt dangerous. Like a wolf pretending to be gentle. Then unexpectedly, Viktor’s expression softened slightly.
"Rest now baby girl." His hand moved slowly through her hair, brushing the strands back gently. The touch surprised her more than the threats had.
"I’ll use the other room tonight." Sienna blinked in confusion. He was leaving? Just like that? Viktor picked the towel off the floor carelessly before walking toward the door.
Then he paused briefly without turning around.
"Don’t try escaping tonight," he said calmly. "The guards shoot first." And then he left. The bedroom door closed softly behind him. Silence filled the room again.
Sienna remained standing, frozen in front of the mirror, long after he was gone. Her heart still raced wildly. Her skin still burned where he touched her.
And somehow. That terrified her most of all.