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DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 25
DAMIAN “Kristoffor!” Shrieks Alice in a horrified voice as I climb out of the passenger seat with Liliana's unconscious body in my arms. "What have you done to the poor girl?"“Stay out of this, Alice,” Zoran tells her, pulling her back before she comes to pose as a blockage to my destination which is my bedroom. ‘Are you even making the right decision?’ An inner voice queries.I don't have the time to answer that because I'm trying to make it to my quarters in record time. I push my door open and walk towards the bed where I lower her on it. Her thick hair curtains a part of her face as her head lolls to one side. My fingers itch and without inhibitions, I reach to brush the strands out of view, revealing her creamy flesh with a fading purple stain. A reminder of my men's brutality.I frown, recalling the vicious headbutt that gave me a wicked migraine for days. My teeth grit in anger and I yank my hand back with a scowl like a force just struck me. This will be the last time I
Last Updated : 2024-11-09DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 26
LILIANAMy eyes crack open after so many futile efforts and the first thing that heralds my awakening is the unfamiliar ceiling.The dull, cream-colored surface stares back at me. It is a welcome change from the darkness that had shrouded my mind for what felt like an eternity. I try to sit up as consciousness slowly seeps in. I wince, becoming aware of the dull ache driving through through my head like a sledgehammer. I move my tongue but it seems as though the organ has doubled up in size. The weight of exhaustion deep in my bones renders me incapable of moving my limbs any further.“Theo…” The word dies on my tongue before I even complete it. I swallow dryly. My throat is parched and my body feels hotter than usual. I close my eyes, trying to recall the incident that led to my passing out, but every time I try, I come up blank.“Theodore,” I manage with weakness. I keep my gaze on the door for his entrance. It seems no one heard me because none came in. Wait… Why is this place
Last Updated : 2024-11-11DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 27
LILIANA After he leaves, I collapse in a heap on the bed as choking sobs tear out from me with a blinding force. I want to wake up from this nightmare but everytime the cuff tugs at my ankle, it pulls me back to the reality that has now become my life.“Kyle, what did you do?” I wail to the silence, my heart wringing in the despair that has begun to fester into a deep wound.Thinking back upon my life, I try to recall anything suspicious about Kyle but my mind draws blank. He never gave me one reason to.Except for his friendship with the man Nicolo…Or could that be it?I roll on my back to lay eaglespread on the bed, my watery gaze towards the ceiling to trace the patterns. The fat drops slide down both sides of my face relentlessly soaking into my hair and the mattress until finally, there are no more tears left to cry. I continue to stare blankly at the ceiling for a while longer as sleep drapes itself over my eyelids. If I sleep, at least there'll be some kind of peace for me
Last Updated : 2024-11-12DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 28
LILIANAAt first it is shock, then denial and lastly anger, each of them like a potent spell targeted to destroy the very foundation of my relationship with Kyle.Will I get to accept this bullshit news? Never!I seethe, “Don't be ridiculous.” Pushing away from Damian, I scramble to my feet and pull my sweatshirt down. His eyes follow my movements with a dissatisfying blankness on his face. That is all I need to have my blood boiling over. One step closer and I'd be able to claw his eyes out.He rises, his calculating eyes trained on me and lips drawn into a thin line. How can he be so calm after he had just defamed one of the most influential people in Russia?“You don't look too happy at the news, Milaya.” His voice breaks through my train of thought out of nowhere. “Having a hard time processing it?”“No.” I retort with anger as it builds in my chest like a small fire. “You are a liar and you are fucked up in the head. If you could kidnap a widow while mourning, what else can you
Last Updated : 2024-11-13DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 29
LILIANAI'm thirteen again. I stand in a corner of the room shaking as my mother begins a racket, thrashing our living room and wagging an angry finger at me from time to time. Her breath stinks of local rum and cigarettes, that I am certain of. My school bag has been flung, table upturned and I remain where I am for fear of her pouncing upon me should I try to call for help. My lips quiver and I flinch when a glass comes flying close to my head. It shatters on the wall next to me but thankfully, the shards don't pierce my skin. “Where are you, you little rascal?” She turns to me with a wild gaze. This animosity only shows up when I'm on her radar.“Mama?” I whimper, refusing to leave the corner as it is the only place I feel safer.“Your father is out again, the cheating bastard. I shouldn't have let him get me pregnant. I shouldn't have let my parents talk me into marrying him.” Her eyes have a faraway look but it is masked with fury. “I'm sorry.” It is barely above a whisper.
Last Updated : 2024-11-14DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 30
DAMIANI pace the breadth of my bedroom for reasons unknown to me. A look at the balcony tells me that dawn is near. I haven't slept a wink all night. My brain chooses to replay Alice's warning. “You will have yourself to blame if anything happens to that poor girl. Have you no conscience anymore? This isn't how I raised you to be, Kristoffor Damien Kastorov.” She might have raised me but the one time I have seen her lose her cool is when Zoran has smashed my head in with an iron rod while we were playing. Why the hell am I letting Alice's words get to me and why am I losing sleep over it? She's getting punished for acting out of control. If I wanted her dead, there'd be no need to go through the hassle of bringing her to Sochi.I make my way over to the balcony, drinking in the sight of the large expanse of land stretching on for miles. It is peaceful at this time and perhaps, it can get me a few minutes to snooze.‘Stop kidding yourself’, a voice taunts. Science says if you wa
Last Updated : 2024-11-15DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 31
DAMIANAlice statement throws me off guard and sets me right on the edge. It would be better not to introduce the topic of Irina because the circumstance around her discovery is not something to share yet. All everyone needs to know is that she is a part of the family now and there are no two ways about it.As for Liliana, what am I to do with her?That question lingers as I decide to freshen up for the day. Zoran would be here soon and I have businesses to take care of.By the time I'm settled in my office, Andros walks in. He inclines his head in greeting.“Pakhan.” I nod, eyeing the sling around his neck. “Don't you think you should be resting that arm?” “There's no time to rest when duty calls. Besides, it is just a gun wound. I've had plenty of them in the past. It won't stop now.”I'm impressed but my face remains impassive. I gesture to the couch. “Take a seat.”Sydney comes in. “Pakhan.”“You're late.” My eyes rivet to him from his colleague. “Do you know what I feel about
Last Updated : 2024-11-16DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 32
DAMIANAs planned, before midday, my schedule has been cleared and I have finished the tasks for the day. I updated Sicily's paycheck and he gifted me two cars which according to him is his means of appreciation. I don't ask that of him but he does them willingly. Not only are they cars, but they are limited editons as well, specially customized to my taste. I had Sydney and Andros take it home while I rounded things up at the port and greased some hands. Currently, I'm seated in the private VIP lounge in one of Zoran's pubs waiting for his arrival. I'm irritated that he stood me up when our meeting is supposed to be an hour ago. I take a sip from my glass, eyes studying my watch for the umpteenth time. Where is the man who instilled in me the discipline of being early?Speaking of the devil, I hear Zoran's voice. A while later, he peeks into the private room. His face brightens up when he sights me.What the fuck is he so happy about on a goddamn Monday afternoon?“Little brother
Last Updated : 2024-11-17
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DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 59
LILIANAEverything is a blur around me. The array of colorful dresses that Rachel spreads on the bed and her robotic response when I'm too numb to do anything but stare blankly at them.Alice comes to style my hair and when she's done, Rachel picks out a red number. I know that the dress is only going to make me more noticeable in the crowd. But hopelessness keeps me quiet.“We don't want to be late, the Pakhan is going to be angry.” Rachel says in a quiet voice. When I look at her face, she looks away from me.These days, she's been terribly distant and avoiding me generally. She barely steps foot in here except with Alice's prodding. I can tell she's burdened but I know she won't say what it is.Whatever it might be, I hope she deals with it. At least, she's lucky she's not about to be sold off to some brute whose existence she has no idea about. This will become my life in a few hours, oh Zot! {Oh God!}There's shuffling around me, Rachel flinching as she moves out of sight and A
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LILIANAI've made it my mission to avoid him at all costs. If I hear his voice echoing somewhere in the house, I stay locked in my room. When I do leave, I take routes I know he wouldn't. It's easier this way—less suffocating.I avoid Zip too. She's taken a sudden liking to Melanie, and the two of them seem to find joy in whispering and laughing just loud enough for me to overhear.“Isn't it pathetic?” I once caught Zip saying in the hallway. “Acting like a guest when she's just another debt. How long until he gets bored and tosses her out like the rest?” “Ouch!” Melanie exclaimed dramatically, a hand pressed to her chest. “That was too harsh.”“You know you're worth more to the family than worthless tramps like her.” Zip said in a bid to appease her.Their cruel laughter followed, and I've steered clear of them ever since. Lately, I've been feeling worse than usual. On most mornings, I don't even get out of bed until noon. My body feels heavy, weighed down my feverish spells that c
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NEW CHARACTER POV ALERT!RACHELThe patio smells like mint and cigarette smoke, ruining the afternoon breeze which is supposed to be spilling in. Zip leans back in her chair, legs stretched out like the billionaire woman that she is. She inspects her nails, her tone bored.“I told him if the car doesn't scream custom, don't even bother parking it outside my house. He threw a fit after hearing that and now I'm the one who's childish.”Melanie sits cross-legged, exhaling a long thin stream of smoke. She smirks. “And they still show up with stock rims and half-assed cologne. It's embarrassing.”“Embarrassing? Please. Try insulting.” Zip flicks her fingers like she's brushing off dust. “The last guy? Told me his ‘investment’ portfolio was NFTs. NFTs, Melanie. As if I want to deal with someone whose assets are digital clipart.”I roll my eyes from where I'm mixing Melanie's cocktail drink. Isn't she the one leeching off Damian by being his whore?Oh, for a chance of freedom let me send he
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 56
DAMIAN Two days later…I occupy myself instead with plans of the Grand Casino opening happening in less than a month from now. Everytime my thoughts stray, I have to remind myself that I'm no longer a teenager to be fantasizing about a woman like an obsessive prick.The air in my office is thick with cigarette smoke and the low hum of conversation. Zoran leans against the edge of my desk with his arms crossed while Andros flicks his lighter repeatedly, a faint click-click filling the silence between words. Sicily is in a corner, swirling whiskey in his glass like he's got nowhere better to be. Sydney lounges in the chair opposite me, already halfway through his second drink. The scowl never eases off his face. “We need to be smarter about the guest list,” Sicily says at last after an argument that ensued between Sydney and Andros on whom to invite. “Inviting Sergei could backfire.”Andros had suggested we invite all the Bratva heads regardless of if we've had a fallout, but Sydney
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 55
DAMIANThe way to my room feels too goddamn far away with my arousal making an embarrassing tent in front of my pants. It takes effort to not wince while walking. Something as mundane has now become so difficult 'cos of it.How do I make it up there in record time before I spill my seeds in my trousers like a fucking horny teenage boy?I feel like a seventeen year old again, thanks to my carelessness. Thankfully, the hallway is quiet which means the house helps might have retired for the night. Who would want to bump into their Pakhan in this sorry state?“Pakhan.” Turns out I spoke too early. I turn around to see one of the house helps coming from the stairs leading to the living room. “What?” I snap.Sighting my discomfort, she lowers her head immediately, color staining her cheeks. “Lady Alice wants to know what's taking so long.” “I'll be back. If they can't wait, they can continue dinner without me.” I tell her and resume on my way to my quarters. As soon as I get to the land
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DAMIANCall it selfish. Say it is depraving. But I never assured you I was a good man. I'm fucked up in more ways than can count and I have scars to show for it but it doesn't mean I don't have an iota of what justice is…“Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” She clenches hard against my fingers. So hard that I fear they'd break from the force. Her head thrown back, she shamelessly rides on my fingers, milking it for all its worth. …And it's the reason I can't let her go. My pride would take the hit if I release her after what her husband did. I don't want to forgive him and therefore, she has to take the fall for it. Soon, she will. She whimpers again, a loud drawn out cry of ecstasy but her hips doesn't relent. We're out in the open space, while she chases after her release like a sex starved woman.She simply has no shame. Didn't Kyle treat her right? Well, how could he when he had such a small dick.I love how tightly her walls wrap around me, how wet her hole is for me. It's driving m
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LILIANAThe sound of the tie sliding through his fingers is maddening slow, heightening my anxiety as I hold onto the railing for my dear life. I should be rebelling now if I were in my right senses but somehow, I'm doing every of his bidding without so much pressure from him. How the fuck did I go from fighting him at every turn to agreeing dumbly like a lamb to be sacrificed?His hand brushes my wrist to loop the fabric around it, and I nearly jump. His touch lingers on my skin, warm and firm and very unlike…unlike Kyle's.What is wrong with me for fucks sake?!I hate the way my skin tingles under his fingertips. It's foreign to me and causes a lot of sensory overload. I manage to, very discreetly, press my thighs together to quench the pressure building in my cunt. His fingers reach to fully cup one of my sensitive breast, kneading and pinching the nipple in between his thumb and forefinger. I grip the railing tighter with an audible gasp. The metal grounds me even when my body
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LILIANA I sift through my closet in search for something that is halfway decent. Most of the clothes here are too extravagant or too casual for whatever Damian's plans might involve. Finally, I settle on a simple fitted, black dress and lay it on the bed. Instead of putting it on, I sit down with my hands in my thighs and stare at them. The thought of his sudden decision to have me sit on the table with them jingles like an ominous bell. Why am I even invited to dinner when I'm his hostage? The invite feels like another one of his power plays or another chance for him to humiliate me as always but for the life of me, I can't even figure out why. And then there's his warning—don’t be late or you'll regret it. The memory of his cold tone tightens something in my chest.I sigh as I rub my palms over my thighs. Should I just go downstairs and get it over with?Or would staying here prove I'm not playing his game? My thoughts spiral, arguments at war in my head until there's a brisk
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DAMIANLiliana. Her name sticks in my mind like a thorn. No matter how much I try to drown myself in work, she's there. Green-eyed, sharp-tongued and impossible to forget. She's the fire I don't want to touch but can't seem to step away from. I don't want to do this having just lost something precious to me, yet I want to be scorched by her. Is this also another craving of my twisted soul? When a servant had delivered her test results from the doctor, I felt a tightening in my chest that I refused to name. The thought of her being pregnant for her late husband shouldn't have mattered. But it did. Alice's observations had planted the idea and I'd convinced myself I didn't care either way. Then I saw the report. A mild flu. Not pregnant. Relief hit me harder than I wanted to admit, followed closely by something darker. Guilt?No, I shove it down. I'm not that man. I can't be. Whatever I feel for her is nothing more than irritation, and…and blinding lust for the soft curves of her b
