M I K H A I LBrody falls into a limp heap by my feet, and Sarah begins to gather her children away from the scene. Something about it looks so seamless, almost first instinct, that it makes me think that some other type of violence has been happening in his own home.And that stokes the flames of anger in my chest.Brody groans and sits up, looking around in total confusion. When his gaze falls on me, the puzzle pieces start to click. He gets up and tries to punch me back, but I swerve and catch his fist.His expression turns from annoyed to scared, which is satisfying to see.“I’ve been talking to your so-called sister,” I tell him, smiling easily. “She told me a lot about you.”“And you fucking believe her?” Brody asks. “That bitch is insane. You think I would marry her? Me?”“I think you used her,” I say. “And you’re going to continue doing that until one of your victims fall for your schemes and drag your ass out of misery. You useless piece of shit.”With that, I swing again, hi
Y A N AI stagger back into the shop as Mikhail came rumbling inside, his arms wrapped around me.At first, the sheer shock of seeing him here is what roots me to my spot, unable to move or speak. I blink a couple of times, wondering if it's all real but when his scent invades my nose and his warmth spreads all over my body, that's when it finally registers that he's here. And he's holding me like I'm the most precious thing in this world that he needs to protect.Something about that made something in me click. I don't know what exactly, but when he buries his face into my neck and sighs deeply like he's relieved . . . this flicker of wonder just explodes in my chest and spreads all over me.For the past couple of days, I've been suppressing all the bad feelings. I've brushed off the allegations, when in fact they really hurt me even though I'm not in a real relationship. I've just lived with the guilt of knowing that I put him through all of that just because I was too stubborn to li
Y A N AI open my mouth to ask what Vivienne meant, but Mikhail beats me to it and leans forward. “What event are you talking about?”Vivienne patiently flicks through her papers and hands him a sheet. “The Helping Hands Foundation.” When I tilt my head in confusion, she turns to me. “It’s a cancer research and treatment facility for children. Satellite is its biggest sponsor. Every year the foundation gathers a lot of higher-ups to an event to raise more funds. Celebrities attend too. This year, they have an auction, all donated valuables. I figured it would be great for you to have your first public appearance in this event.”“But the foundation usually does not allow a lot of press coverage,” Mikhail notes. “Won’t that be a little counterproductive?”“True that they don’t let in just anyone, but that’s what’s good about this.” She looks at both of us. “You might not get a bigger spread, but you definitely will get quality coverage from the real journalists that will be here. Do you
Y A N ATime stands still as Mikhail pulls me closer to him, our lips pressed together. He sways me in time with the music, not breaking contact, holding me softly as though I’m the most fragile thing in the world.There’s something awfully romantic about it. Not just the kiss and the music and the dancing, but doing it in front of everyone. It seems like protection, like he’s trying to shield me from everything negative that happened so far.I know that it’s not real. I know that it’s all just for show. But it just makes my heart sing.His lips move against mine tenderly, teasing out flutters in my belly that I never felt before. I inhale, and he takes the chance to deepen the kiss and pry my lips open with his, sliding his tongue in my mouth.For some reason, I find myself meeting it with my own.I know people are looking at us, but at that moment it just seems that we’re alone. This is the only time when I understood that expression, that feeling of being enclosed in a space even w
Y A N A“Mikhail,” is the only thing I can manage to say.He looks at me and smiles, setting down the box on my hands and standing back as though to admire his work. I balance the heavy velvet box in my arms, looking at the necklace.It’s even more beautiful in person, in perfect color like this. It’s almost like a dream. I can’t believe I’m running my finger across the leather straps and the turquoise.Grandma said that it shines like no other, and I can see what she means. It really doesn’t have anything that comes close. All the jewelry that I made, all the things I designed, it’s nothing compared to this piece of history and love that I’m holding in my hands.“Do you like it?” Mikhail puts in, supporting my hands as they start to shake.I can only nod, my fingers becoming numb not from the heaviness of the protective case but because of the sheer amazement I’m feeling in my chest. As I look at it more closely, I remember the price.“Fuck,” I mumble. “You got this for me for half a
Y A N AI stare at Mikhail in disbelief, not sure if I heard him correctly. I turn to him sharply, expecting him to face me, but he keeps his eyes fixed on Gwen, who blanched at his words.“When is it going to be?” he asks casually. “Is it a formal event? Is there a dress code?”Gwen opens her mouth to answer, but it’s clear that everything has taken her aback because she keeps closing it again. She turns to me as though to ask for help, but what the hell can I offer her? I got nothing in mind.“Well, it’s a simple gathering at home,” she just says in the end. “No dress code or anything. Just a gift for the birthday girl.”She lets out an awkward little laugh that sounds even more awkward when no one joins her. Mikhail just nods and says, “Sure! We will be there. See you.”With that, he takes my hand and we go downstairs. Jane comes to ask him about the building, and I don’t know what they talked about, because I begin to zone out right then and there.The only time I gather my wits i
M I K H A I LI was up early. I got everything planned out. I was pretty excited about everything, not because of the birthday or the celebration or anything directly related to it, but because it felt like I was actually making things up to Yana.Also, it felt strangely good to be this close to her, even if it meant facing the family that she seems to dislike.But of course, since I am me and things don’t go my way, the very morning of the birthday, I get a call from my parents.“Honey, we’re coming to your house to see you,” Mom says, hanging up before anything else can be said.Of course, that annoyed me to hell and back, but I had no choice but to wait for them because neither she nor my dad responded to anything I was trying to say through text.When they arrived, I fully expected it to be some sort of strange crap that didn’t really need to be an emergency, but I was wrong.They both sat me down after some small talk, ignoring me as I insisted that I needed to be somewhere impor
Y A N A“I love you.”The words are enough to freeze me, but what nearly stops my heart is the look that Mikhail is giving me right now.Full of softness. Full of care. Full of what looks like longing.“Mikhail,” is the only thing I can say, which is pathetic because god knows I want to say more. He slowly lets his hands drop, releasing me and leaving me with a bereft feeling. To shake it off, I just decide to drive. “Where do we go?”Fuck. I’m messing this up by averting the topic.“Take me home,” he says simply, looking relaxed and not at all bothered.Throughout the ride, none of us speak. I just take him to his house like he requested. But as I park right in front of the wonderful home, I just decide that I need to say something. Anything to address the situation.I know that he probably doesn’t mind. It doesn’t look like he wants to talk about it now, but still I say, “We can talk about it if you want.”He turns to me. “Do you?”I nod.“Then come with me.”With that, he climbs ou
M I K H A I LThe aftermath of what I can confidently call a war was almost . . . calm. There were no notable ups and downs, but I couldn’t really say there were no hard emotions involved. I guess what I could say about it is that it is subdued. Quiet. Defeated.We are the winners, my family and I. And yet victory is not something that we feel.Because today is the burial of Uncle Amos, and we have to remind ourselves once again that someone we considered our family has betrayed us and died in the process.But of course, we all know that the pain and fresh betrayal and perhaps even guilt that my parents and I are all feeling right now is nothing compared to what Evan is feeling.After Yana and I kissed in the hallway a week ago, I went to see Evan. He was in the morgue, crying over his dead father’s body, which was in the other side of the place being embalmed. We couldn’t see the process, only some views of it through the little window on the door.He turned to me abruptly when I wen
M I K H A I LI let go of Uncle Amos, only letting the tips of my sharp teeth graze his neck and not letting things get too far.I realize that I may have proven him right by doing that. He called me a coward, and perhaps I really was, because I have the chance to kill him right now and I'm still struggling with the morality of it all even though he never stopped to consider that for me or my family.What am I doing? How can I do this? How do I finish this fight?I hate this. I hate this so much. I hate that I have to do it, I hate that it is the only thing that would keep Uncle Amos from causing more harm. I hate that I’m the one who has to stop him . . . permanently.And most especially, I hate that after everything he’s done to me and everyone I care about and love, I still have some amount of respect and love left for him.Needless to say, I should be as cold as him now. I should be able to take him out without feeling an ounce of remorse. I know everything he did now. He basicall
Y A N AEvan moves quickly and seizes my wrists with one hand as though binding me, pushing me against the wall. I yelp and gasp, looking at him with my gaze full of questions.He shoots me a meaningful look and I immediately get that this is all for show. He's trying to make it look like he's trying to subdue me.It would make a pretty convincing narrative, I have to admit. It would look like I somehow managed to escape from my bonds and my cell just to wreck the princess up and end up killing her. The story might crack if they realize that I'm just a weak human with no special abilities whatsoever, but at least it would do for now.To add to the credibility of it all, Evan turns to the warriors and says, "I got it under control, everyone."They hesitate, and I can see their eyes flitting from him to me and to the princess, who's clearly gone.The warrior in the front who I assume is the leader steps forward. "What happened here?""She managed to get out of her chains and out of her
M I K H A I LWithout hesitation, I pull back, clench my fist, and break out of the chains that are binding me to the wall.The needle in my arm breaks, spilling the hissing formula of the wolfsbane potion everywhere, causing it to burn holes in the actual concrete. I step on it, not caring at the small sting that it causes, not caring about anything much at all except for my parents’ safety.Strength is flowing in my body like a lush river, endless and loud and raging. I face Uncle Amos, who is watching me without a clear expression on his face. But when he sees me breaking the bars of the cell with my bare hands, he smiles.“You coming to hurt me, nephew?” he asks tauntingly. “Are you going to kill me? Because I bid you good luck for that.”With that, he rushes towards me with no warning, his fists already clenched. I have to admit that I didn’t anticipate his speed at all or any kind of grace from him, so I don’t manage to parry the punch that he lands against my face.My head sta
Y A N AIt's strange seeing Evan again, even though it's barely been a full day since we last saw him. Even as I stare at him now, I can't believe he's actually here.Evan holds out his hand to me, reaching through the gaps like Sienna did. "Can you reach me?"The answer is, I can. I can definitely reach him and take his hand if I want to. The only problem is that I don't. I don't want to touch him.I don't want to trust him.I remember his father and how he attacked Mikhail like it was nothing, despite Mikhail seeing him as his father. I remember how he almost killed me. Also, I don't know if I'm hallucinating or what, but I do remember him saying that his son was involved in the whole thing somehow.Now, I can't see Evan the way I used to. I know he helped us through it all and even warned us, but I can't shake off the idea what maybe he was involved in everything somehow. Like actively involved.Hell, for all I know, he just set up a trap for us so his father could take me and Mikh
M I K H A I LI have no body.I can’t feel anything physical. The only thing I have now is my consciousness, and even that is waning in and out of focus. One moment, everything is dull and muted, then the next, everything feels sharp. Sometimes too sharp. So sharp that it hurts, even though I have no physical form to experience that pain.I’m surrounded by an endless sea of black. Nothing in the distance, nothing up close. Just a whole lot of nothing. I want to inhale and feel the air in my lungs, but I don’t know how to do that.Slowly, memories of what happened start to come back to me.I remember having a great night with Yana. I remember waking up with her. I remember the peace in my heart knowing that I will be with her like that, safe and warm and loved, but all of that gets shattered the moment I heard Evan calling.And the call was late. They were already there.What I didn’t expect was that the whole thing would be led by Uncle Amos, who I’ve confided in and looked up to. Eve
M I K H A I LMy body freezes when I hear those words. I look at Uncle Amos, wondering if I’m hearing everything correctly. I feel like I’m in a bad dream, and everything is going downhill.The only thing I want to do right now is get away from here with Yana, to save her from all of this because she doesn’t deserve it. However, there seems to be no way out. The Lycans are all over the property, and the car is still too far away for us to access.“You can let me take over,” Kingsley says to me, and I know that he won’t let me down, but I don’t want to scare Yana. I also know that I’m outnumbered.And if Amara’s ability is also present in these Lycans, I might not stand a chance. I would definitely end up risking Yana’s life, and I would not forgive myself for that. This in itself is already tough to swallow. I can’t live with myself if something happens to her because of me and with me present.Uncle Amos stares at me, tilting his head as he tries to understand my expression. Somethin
M I K H A I LI lean back against the couch, watching Yana catch her breath as the fabric of her suit falls limply down her shoulders. Something about how the light slants against her smooth skin and lights up her eyes is making me want to pounce on her and have her screaming my name under me, but I relax, taking in her beauty.I lift my hands, touching her softly, just tracing the tips of my fingers over her skin. I can feel goosebumps forming. I can feel her shivering. I can see her pleading with her eyes, but I don’t hasten my pace.“Do you want me?” Yana whispers.“Very much, yes.” I lean in and plant an almost chaste kiss on her collarbone. “I’ve wanted you like this for so long. . . .”“Then have me. Take me.”Smiling, Yana takes both of my hands and puts them on her breasts, using the tactic of using my hands to pleasure herself again. She flicks over her nipples, gently tugging and twisting them with my fingers. She moans, closing her eyes and throwing her head back when I sta
Y A N A"What?" I blurt out, a little too loudly.Evan hisses under his breath and steps forward, clamping his hand over my mouth. "I said, we will be crashing the wedding. It's going to happen tomorrow. If we get lucky now and we don't encounter any problems, we can do it today. Understood?"I nod frantically, wishing I can ask what kind of trouble we can encounter here and what all of this means, but I know that time is precious. Besides, every second he spends here is a second too long and an obvious risk. If he gets caught here, then the mission is dead.However, I just have to ask him one question. Something that's been bothering me since he showed up."Evan?" I whisper against his hand. When he raises his eyebrows, I ask, "Why does it seem like you're working against your father?"A pause, and then he says, "That's because I am."“Do you know what happened to him?” I ask again, deciding to just screw it. I might as well just know what happened to that man. “Is he . . . a bad per