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
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
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
LILIANA My entire body thrums with bone deep weakness as I struggle to open my eyes. So far, I've only managed to pop an eyelid open while the other remains closed in laziness. I'm alone in the room. A different room actually and it's not the dungeon. Thank God. A sharp exhale then I try to raise myself up on my elbows. The warmth of the sunlight’s rays streaming through the balcony says its past noon. “You're awake.” I freeze at the sound of the voice. It's not Alice's, neither is it that big buffoon’s. Awfully familiar it sounds yet I cannot for the life of me, place a face to it. I turn my head in that direction, shivering lightly as my eyes come to rest on that creepy little girl. My eyes fly open and all the weariness vanishes. “What the — why are you looking at me like that?” She is seated at the bottom of the bed, her brown eyes trained on me, unblinking. “Alice said to keep an eye on you. I have two.” She says with a dead ass face. I push away a shudder
LILIANA “What the hell just happened?” I muse, still in wonder. I'm blinking at the door that has been left ajar. Gone is the heat of his rage and in its wake is the lingering scent of his cologne intertwined with his masculine scent. I admit to pushing him to anger in the past with words that would cause even the strongest of men to cower and crumble. It cannot be the words I said. No, I doubt they caused as much as a dent on him. As usual, he takes the crown for reckless display of savagery. “Laura?” A voice gasps in the doorway. Recognition strikes me as I take in the image of auburn hair and wide hazel eyes. “Rachel?” I'm dumbstruck at first, however when I recall their betrayal, a scowl takes over. “What are you doing here? Have you come to finish me off like your father did?” “I work here. What are you doing here?” “Shit Sherlock, I'm harvesting ripe grapes.” I grouse with my eyes rolled far back into my head so far I fear they'll drop into my stomach. “Tha
LILIANAI place my hands on his broad chest with intent to shove, and against my will, they remain planted to the spot.Why am I letting him kiss me? Better still, why…does it feel so dang good?His tongue invades my mouth with a savage intensity that leave me breathless and before long, I fist the front of his shirt as an anchor. “So…divine.” He whispers hotly against my lips.His hold on my neck pulses in tandem with the clench of my pussy pressed onto his strong thigh. I feel his erection resting against the outside of my other thigh while he drives me to the brink.What starts out as slow movements, graduates into a steady rhythm that picks up in every passing second.This is wrong… This is repulsive… Yet, I find myself responding to the urgent demands of his thigh by grinding feverishly against him like my very existence depends on it.His kisses hold me ransom and I'm paying back with one of mine, matching every hot lash of his tongue with one of mine.It is like a battle for d
LILIANAAlice rambles about so many things at once as we head out of my room, chirping excitedly about the clothes we could try on and how long it had been since she played dress up. She doesn't strike me as one who takes part in such frivolities.I, on the other hand, am too unbothered to listen and too distressed about my recent deed to ask her to stop. I hadn't noticed a smaller building, well technically small next to Damian's mansion. Although it looks quite garish, I can't shake off the feeling that there might be more to it. Made men don't invest or build without reason. Anyway, the place is bigger than my newly assigned bedroom with racks of clothes lining up every corner.If I wasn't in a precarious situation, I would swear the place is a woman's wet dream.Robotically, I let Alice toss me this way and that, using me to satisfy her childhood fantasies and to be honest, it doesn't bother me as much. Somehow, it takes my mind away from my worries.She pulls away from the r
LILIANAThe next few days pass by in a blur, the possibility of my escape becoming bleaker than a candle's flame in a hurricane force wind. Andros is stuck with me every passing day because of his shoulder injury, like a stubborn tick on the side of a shaggy dog. At least his presence is sufferable. He makes little jokes and is a little friendly. When Alice kept sending food to my room, he suggested she get a mini fridge for chocolates and the likes so I can help myself to it, and she doesn't have to come all the way up.It was surprising because we just barely finished speaking about it. I figured if I am to be held without explanation, then I deserve humane treatment at least. I'm not having anything less. Still, it won't cancel out the burning hatred I have for every soul in the house.Well…except for Alice and Andros. I can't help but indulge myself in their lovable personalities.“What are you looking at the door and thinking about?” A gruff voice cuts through my train of thou
DAMIANAfter I send Sydney out of my office, I call in Andros who is already on his way to me. He shows me proof of my suspicion on a screen.With terse silence, I watch the clip play out and what I find makes my jaw tick and blood boil with concealed rage. It's not what I expect taken from a blurry view. The person does look awfully familiar.“How were you able to lay your hands on this?” I ask after the clip stops.“You seem to forget the plants we have in several places, Pakhan. We have advantageous views.”“So what makes you think there isn't one right now in my premises, scoping on everything I do and telling out my business?”“That’s who I just showed you, boss. He's an embarrassment to this Seemya and needs to be executed immediately.” His lips curl up in disgust at the end.My phone buzzes on the table and Sicily's name is on the screen. I don't want to pick the call but for business sake, I do. “Hello.”“Pakhan, did you see the news circulating all around in the Bratva? Gen
DAMIANBefore the crack of dawn, I slip out from the covers with great care not to wake Liliana, then I took the same route out of her bedroom. I can't believe myself after last night, revealing things without a second thought. What hold did I let her have on me that I start to lack self control? Only one person has this effect on me. Only one fucking person!“You becoming too soft, you heartless bastard.” I say to myself as I take my bath. The words don't even bring me to remorse. Instead, I'm angrier at myself and want so badly to punch the mirror.When I'm done, I don on a grey shirt leaving some buttons open and a pair of black pants, then find my way to my office where loads of work has been piled up for me since I started slacking.She's bad influence for the Seemya’s business.Halfway buried in work, the door opens and Zoran strides in. His hair is ruffled and the dark rings under his eyes tell me he's had a rough night. Not one of pleasure. I take one look at his face and I g
LILIANASomething in my hold jerks sharply, tugging me out of sleep but my eyes are too heavy to keep them awake so I fall back to sleep. It happens again, stronger this time.“Stop.” I moan, turning away from the disturbance. Stellëza. My ears pick that up. With a grogginess that keeps my body still half paralyzed, I turn my head to the sound. Moonlight spills through the open balcony windows and stretches its milky streak across Damian's tortured features. His lips tug downwards but it's not in a frown. The tear line disappearing into his hair at the crown suggests something else. I shoot up and go into a kneeling position, hovering above him. “Damian…” my voice is a little above a whisper. No response. Just more stifled moans and his jaw flexing continuously. When I touch him, his muscles are locked tight like he's fighting against some invisible force. If he continues like this… “Damian.” I try again, firmer this time. “Damian, open your eyes. It's just a dream.”That's when
LILIANAOne would assume that with the little conversation I had with Damian in his office, he’ll change his mind. “You're impossible!” Zip shrieks, eyes blazing with anger and fingers clenching at her sides. I can tell she wants to do more than clench them. “Everytime I tell you that I have moved on, I have healed, you go ahead and turn on ‘super protective. Ne bud' takim mudakom and be more like Zoran!”{Don't be such an asshole}Yup! When I think he's going to try to pacify her and let her be happy, the jerk says, “It's for your own good. I'm not stopping you from dating him. I'm saying your marriage to him is too sudden.”“That's not for you to decide, Kristoffor!” Alice cannot help butting in. “Sicily, is no stranger to the Seemya. If the younglings find love together, let them.”To be honest, the man's will is carved into stone. He turns to Alice. “It doesn't matter what you say, my words are final. This shouldn't be a topic anymore.” His voice rings out like he's trying to so
LILIANAOne minute, everyone is cheering for Sicily and Zip, the next, I'm barrelling my way into a bathroom to throw up a meal I just consumed. I rinse my mouth and stare into the mirror, surprised to find nothing wrong with my face. Not pale. The last time something like this happened was over a month ago and it turned out to be flu. Is this another case of bad flu or is it something to start worrying about?When I come out to the dining, Zip is yelling to Zoran about how much inconsiderate and selfish Damian is. Trust me, it's something I can relate to a thousand times again. “I hate him so much. Whatever happened was a long time ago and I want to forget about it.” She cries into his embrace. “I want to love again.”My heart goes out to her. Pity quickly switches place with anger and it's aimed at Damian. How can he hurt the sister he claims to care so much about?Zoran and Selena tries to pacify her, but her sobs only grow. Alice and Sicily are nowhere in sight and Melanie is ju
DAMIANWhen I go to the kitchen, it's like a big festival is about to take place because of all the food arranged on the table. I'd been so occupied with other thoughts that I forget what the occasion really is. The kitchen staff wheel several platters toward the living room, bowing when they see me. As I get close to the kitchen, there's laughter and some playful snickers but one voice grabs all of my attention. Like a charm, I'm enraptured by the soft chimes of her laughter as it rings louder than all the others. I double my steps, eager to capture her smiling mouth with my eyes. I cross the threshold and my gaze immediately rivets to her by the kitchen Island next to Selena and Alice. There's a lot of chopping, boiling and sizzling sounds but the gentle sound of her voice seizes the oxygen in my chest.“You want something?” Zoran dares to interrupt and she looks at him. Following his eyes, she turns her head in my direction but I'm quick to find something else of interest. Well
DAMIANAm I the asshole for trying to protect Liliana from the wrath of Melanie? No, I'm not. Am I the asshole for seeking pleasure the way I did? Definitely not. We're adults who can handle matters perfectly well. It was mutual anyway.Why do I feel this nagging guilt as I let Melanie lead me back in the house? No, I shouldn't be feeling that. We don't even have an exclusive relationship. And now, I'm letting myself be pulled in by sentiments. Again. If my brain isn't lagging when I'm around Liliana, it's shutting off completely. It's like my body now obeys a different command that's not issued by me. “Where have you been, little brother?” A voice booms from behind me.I spin around to find Zoran walking down hallway towards us and by his side is Selena. Relief unfurls within at the sight of them and giving him a hug is a perfect excuse to extricate myself from Melanie's death grip. Apart from that reason, I'm genuinely pleased to see them.“It's been ages.” Selena says, landing a
LILIANA“Fuck, yes. That's it,” he growls. “Show me how bad you want it.” And that's exactly what I do. My tongue traces the line under his cock, trailing it down to the base and back up again. By the time I repeat this a couple of time, he's panting so loud and my eyes blur with pain from my burning scalp. The ache in my jaw increases as I widen my mouth to take him in deeper. The only thing that rings in my head is to give him pleasure. His every pant and hoarse groans drench my panties in my wetness. Everything that should feel so wrong, feels so goddamn good.The way he whispers my name like a prayer, his fists tightening in my hair, the way he raises his hips to pump into my mouth—I should feel used, degraded. Instead, a thrill of excitement courses through me and my pussy is pulsing. Fast. I clamp my thighs tightly, pressing it against the pulsing in hopes to quench some of the fire down there but it doesn't give me the satisfaction. Not like his hands will. Or his cock. S
LILIANAI drop the brush in a small bowl of water with a sound of triumph. Another completed project. “So beautiful,” I coo. The air shifts and suddenly, every inch of me is is hyperaware of him. The heat radiating off his skin. The faint scent of cedar and smoke mixing together like an alluring elixir with his masculine scent. His voice drops low and dangerous. “Is that what you see when you look at me? Beauty?”My heart begins a wild pounding rhythm I can't control. “I see a lot of things,” I whisper, almost unable to get the words out.Wait, hold on! Why is my tongue so loose this morning?He's close now. So close I can feel his breath against my cheek. His fingers reach for my chin and ever so softly, he turns my face towards him. “Tell me.”“You—” He doesn't give me a chance to speak before the rest of my words are swallowed up by his lips descending on mine. As his lips crash into mine, it feels as though the air evaporates from my lungs and in that mind-numbing moment, the w