Chapter 44
Nina’s POV
“No no, you have to change!”
The voice—low, commanding, laced with barely restrained heat—froze me mid-stride. Crimson satin swirled around my legs like liquid fire as I spun.
Nikolai stood framed in the doorway, golden-hazel eyes devouring me in one unguarded heartbeat. Shock flared first, bright and raw across his features.
Then hunger—dark, molten, pupils blowing wide as they traced the bare sweep of my back, the faint outline of my n*****s beneath the thin bodice, the high slit flashing thigh with every breath. Fury followed, jaw clenching so hard the muscle ticked visibly, knuckles whitening at his sides.
He fought to lock it all down, forcing his face back into that cold, impenetrable mask, but the flicker had been there. I had seen it. The beast ben
