I encircle my hands around my body as my eyes frantically dart between Dmitri and Ivan, who is at my feet. Am I dreaming? Are D and Ivan truly here to save me?I'm too afraid to pinch myself in case I jolt awake back in the makeshift cell at the villa that will forever haunt me.As Dmitri rolls away, getting to his hands and knees, I suck in a sharp breath when his fingers blindly brush across the golden cross. He takes a quick glance at the cross now in his possession, and a maniac laugh erupts from the nest of his chest as he firmly grips it.A savage roar spills from his lips as he swings the golden cross with all his might. The blunt end of it strikes Konstatin in the side as he lunges straight towards Dmitri. Blood flies through the air, splattering across the church, and crimson droplets tarnish the train of the wedding gown I am forced to wear. Konstatin grunts as he falls back, with a howl filled with rage and agony echoing through the church. The frightened screams of wome
My eyes wander over his face and all I can think about is, how is he still alive?“I should be, but fate has other plans for me.” He says in a strained tone.I drop my hands and clear my throat. “What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here, Leo. If any of Konstatins' goons see you...” I ask him softly, wriggling in his arms, gesturing for him to put me down, and he lowers me onto the grass. “I had to come. I had to make sure that you were able to escape from my father and Konstatin before your vows were said. I was hobbling towards the church entrance when the cars exploded, I knew that someone had come to your rescue, and I made my way around the back of the church, so my father wouldn't see me.” My pulse spikes as I see Ivan jumping out of the van, storming towards Leo with a murderous look erupting across his face. The instant he grabs Leo by the scruff of his collar, shaking him. I reach out and slap Ivan across the face. Hard. Harder than I had initially intended and he l
DMITRIS' POINT OF VIEW. The sound of someone weeping rouses me from my sleep with a grunt. My brow furrows, and the tinge of my aching body begins to bite into me as I come to and realize it is Zeynep who is whimpering. I jerk upright and wince. Christ, my body aches like a bitch. I snarl, getting to my feet, and I rush to the opposite end of the room where she is sleeping. “Please… You don't have to do this. I am your sister… it is wrong for you to touch me like this… no… no, please… NO!!!” BLYAD'!!! [FUCK!!!] I scoop her bruised, trembling body that is covered in sweat into my arms, “Printsessa,” I say gently, but scream erratically in my head, not wanting to startle her. “Printsessa, wake up and find your way back to me.” My voice cracks. That mat' ublyudok!!! [mother fucker!!!] I will skin him alive and set his body ablaze under a full moon as I offer the moon goddess his filthy soul as a sacrifice to purify Zeyneps again. Brushing her hair out of her face, I swallow
I was drowning in my nightmares that were suffocating me. I was in a box of sand, sinking, unable to catch my breath. Then out of nowhere, Konstatins' hands were snaking around my waist, and the cold chill of his gun glided over my shuddering body. The sound of a door creaking open fills my ear canals as I look up and watch Sandro approaching us. The foul scent of cigarettes, the whisper of Nicos' next line of threats, and the guard's goading ring in my ears as he egged them all on. Leo's fists pound and pound… into a faceless figure that lies motionless on the ground.Grunts filled with savage rage resonate through the air.Fingers feather over my arm, and I am hauled upright with a sharp inhale. Two liquid bronze eyes with flecks of amber locked on mine, and soft hands pressing my shoulders down. He smells like fresh snowflakes and almonds, and despite my terror; it's the best thing I have smelt in days.Ragged breaths tear through my lungs as Amani leans over me with a look o
I follow Dmitri outside the hotel building we are staying at, and I walk straight to the driver's door. Amani lowers his window in the blacked-out SUV, with his gaze still transfixed on something straight ahead of him. “You cannot come with us, Amani. You need to pack your things and book the next flight out of here.” I tell him in a hushed tone that is saturated with gratitude. “This is not your fight, and I cannot bear the thought of anything happening to you while we are in a foreign country.” He slowly turns his head to look at me, his eyes shielding the true emotions that thrum through his veins. “I can't leave, not now,” He replies in a low, baritone voice. “It seems that this is my fight too, and I haven't been as forthcoming about the truth as I should have been.” I take a step back, pulling my fur coat tightly around my body. “He will explain when we return, printsessa,” Dmitri growls as he joins my side. I stare at Amani, lost in the depths of his irises that hold secre
There comes a time in one's life when one must learn to draw the line between reality and fantasy. As I'm pouring the third candle wax over Konstatins' shuddering body, admiring how there are now three considerable and brilliant red patches marring his flawless skin that is covered in tattoos, I try to shove the goody-two-shoes Zeynep back into the realm of fantasies. I will mourn her another time.Or maybe, I won't.That is a dilemma for another day. “These burns will heal, mladshaya sestra! [little sister!]” Konstatin bellows, foaming at the mouth. “But the shit I have done to you…" He snickers. “Will stay with you until you take your dying breath. When you close your eyes at night, all you will see is my face, all you will hear is my panting as I take your body and the sound of me coming as I filled your womb with my seed.” Dmitri lunges at Konstatin, “Stop him!” I yell at the top of my voice, directing my attention to Ivan. As soon as I give Ivan the order, he rushes forward
Amanis’ Point Of View:When I see a glimmer in the stillness of the night, I immediately raise my head and glare in the rearview mirror. I shift my body, turn around to look out the back window of the vehicle, and duck as a single shot pierces the air.“Merda! [shit!]” I grunt, turning around to face the front of the vehicle.Turning the engine on, I beep the horn, warning Zeynep that we are no longer alone. Planting my foot down on the accelerator, the tires spin across the gravel before the car lurches forward. I look into the rearview mirror through the cloud of dust I’ve just created and pray like fuck that they heard the horn.Speeding through the abandoned car park, I take a left, then make a sharp right down a narrow alleyway only to come to a standstill when a black van is heading straight towards me. Swallowing thickly, my hands grip the steering wheel tightly, and I straighten in my seat.The instant the van stops, I’m going to slam my foot on the accelerator and pray like
My heart violently beats in the nest of my chest, drowning out my surroundings; silencing the noise.They have Amani…What am I going to do…I know what I want to do, but what 'should' I do?I wish my father had been straight with me. He must have known that his past would come back and leave a path of devastation in its wake. Too many people I have loved have already been sacrificed for a life I know little about; a life that isn’t supposed to be mine.But here I am, thrust into the underworld that is dominated by men who are nothing but bloodthirsty and trigger-happy.“What are you waiting for, damn it, Dmitri!” Amani roars with impatience and rage, igniting the fire of death at his side when the sound of the gun is pressed against his head cocks.Dmitri revs the engine on his bike again, waiting for me to give him a command that is stuck in my throat.I can’t do it. I cannot abandon Amani and be responsible for his death.“Vai, amore mio e salva te stesso. [Go, my love, and save y