CamilaThere’s a stranger in the house.I lean over the railing near the staircase to get a better look. Blonde hair down to her hips, a fur-lined ivory coat that doesn’t hide how thin she is. She’s shorter than me; I can tell because she’s standing next to Mila and barely reaches her shoulder. Small. That’s the word I’d use to describe her. Not only in stature, but also in how she presents herself.I’ve seen beaten dogs who shake less.“Come on, Madison,” Mila says, her tone gentler than normal. “Asher is upstairs.”She’s here to see Asher? Intrigued, I remain where I am on the stairs as the pair get closer. Mila sees me, her eyes going from wide to narrow. Madison, who has been pressing close to Mila like she’s a source of comfort, stops short at the sight of me. The young woman can’t be older than eighteen. Her face, unlike her thin body, has the roundness of youth.“Did you need something?” Mila asks me with an edge.Ignoring her, I smile kindly at Madison. “Hi there, I’m Camila.”
His eyebrows shoot up. He must be surprised that Mila, such a closed-off, dangerous person, might share something so vulnerable with me. I feel him evaluating me with fresh eyes. There’s interest and a new air of respect. “Then I’ll leave this to you.”Thank God. The idea of Madison being examined like a horse at a trade show makes me sick. “Give us privacy, please,” I say.Madison darts her attention between us. She hasn’t spoken in several minutes and that doesn’t look about to change. But unless I’m imagining it, some color has returned to her face and she’s breathing easier.Asher hesitates at the door. “The fox should have three legs.”“Three?” I repeat.“Yes. The fourth, with the chain, is only added once a girl is trained and broken. She is neither.” His long, dark stare at Madison communicates to me that he has also noticed how young she is.The women who get the finished tattoo are changed forever.I wonder helplessly what Mila was like before the last leg was added.Asher cl
I don’t know what wakes me up. I only know that the darkness I’m staring at isn’t the familiar wall of my own eyelids. Everything shifts around me. Slowly, I recognize the ceiling, the walls, and the moonlight filtering through the gap in the drapes.Asher is breathing evenly beside me in the bed. It’s a comforting sound. I rock sideways to hug him, eager for his presence to lull me back to sleep. The slope of his nose and strong chin glow in the starlight through the window.And that’s when I see it.Someone else is standing over him.In the diffused light, Madison’s hair looks like cloud vapor. It drifts from side to side as she hovers over Asher with something clutched in her fist. Something sharp.Time is sluggish; it takes decades for me to draw enough air into my lungs.Madison strikes downward. I scream simultaneously.Asher’s eyes pop open. In a blur, he shoots his arm up, snatching Madison by her thin wrist just before she can touch him. Grunting, he twists his body, wrenchin
CamilaAsher is dead.I’ve never seen him so still. Even in his most brooding moments, he radiated life. But lying on the floor, his throat split apart in a clean gash, ashen skin coated in blood, he’s as lifeless as a rock. The man who was constantly strong … a symbol of power … is no more.And there’s so much blood.The trail of glistening red goes from Asher to the tip of the knife in Madison’s hand. She crouches over Asher’s body, legs bent like a gargoyle perched on a roof. She shifts almost imperceptibly to turn one eye on me.Her lips twist into a smirk as if to say, You’re next.And it’s true. Because what defense do I have against a trained killer? She took down Asher with ease. I’ll be a cakewalk.“Madison, no,” I whisper. My mouth is too dry; the words are too quiet. But again, I know it doesn’t matter. Screaming won’t stall her mission.She rises, stalking toward me with the patience of a wolf cornering a rabbit. The knife flips into her other hand, leaving a trail of bloo
Asher“You’re going there?” Camila asks me, her eyes wide, but her voice is torn between fear and hope. She hates that I’m putting myself in danger. I get it. But the reward at the end of this, if I do everything right, is something she’s been begging for daily.“I have to. The Winter Palace could be where your mother is being held captive.”Madison claimed there was an older woman there. Yannick might have put Katinka to work teaching dance. I can’t discount the idea that this is a trap. But what if it isn’t? I don’t have a reason to believe a lick of what came out of that girl’s mouth, but the Winter Palace was already on my list to investigate. Mikhail rattled off a few locations when Mila interrogated him.This was one of them.I haven’t been back there since the day I killed Pyotr.Camila, who’s now staring at me with yearning, making her eyes sparkle, brought that bastard back to the forefront of my mind. I told her that every kill stays with me, and it’s the truth. But I’ve nev
AsherKostya’s car is sticky from blood. Mila is slumped against the passenger door, her eyes open but staring blankly into the ethers. “How did the cops know?” she whispers.I don’t have an answer. My mind has been too tangled to puzzle it out yet.We roll through the gates of my mansion. Every rocking motion of the car sends new waves of pain through my leg. I wiggle my toes to make sure my foot hasn’t gone numb.Kostya jumps out of the driver’s seat. I see him through the window as he sprints to the front doors. I heard him on the phone as we sped here at top speed, so I’m not shocked when Layla, Dr. Helsan, and a few other staff and soldiers I left behind rush toward us.I don’t look at any of them.I only have eyes for Camila.She runs faster than the rest, her hair whipping behind her like a kite. Even at a distance, I spot the red rims of her swollen eyes. She’s been crying. Her lips make the shape of a single word.“Asher!” she sobs, ripping the door open beside me. Carelessly
CamilaIt’s bright outside, and oddly sunny for winter. The glare through the car’s windshield blinds me at certain angles. Asher’s sunglasses make it hard to catch the way his eyes skirt toward me before returning to the road.“Where are we going?”There’s a wisp of a smirk on his lips. “You’ll see.”“Why can’t you just say?” I ask.“Because the point of a surprise is to be surprised, ptichka.”I roll my eyes, but truthfully, I’m delighted. It’s clear he’s enjoying himself, so this “surprise” must be good. Plus, the last surprise like this involved me getting a bucket-list item of a ballet performance of a lifetime. What could he be cooking up?Having something to take my mind off how stressful the last months have been is a welcome change. It’s only been a few days since Asher’s foiled assault on the Winter Palace. From browsing the internet on my phone, I was able to find out that the news reported the incident as the cops intervening in some massive organized crime feud. Listening
AsherThe footage scrolls in reverse. I stop it periodically, staring so hard at the screen that my vision blurs. Camila peers over my shoulder while the man in front of me, tapping his computer keyboard, hunches ever closer to the screen.Nothing ... Nothing ... Come on ...“Asher, what is all this?” she asks.After leaving the in-progress dance studio, I didn’t say much about what she sparked in me. I was busy formulating the plan while my excitement grew higher and higher. It’s a miracle we didn’t get stopped for speeding.I rushed into the mansion, cornering the short, bearded man who often reminds me of a Schnauzer dog: Matvey, the tech guy who’s in charge of all my networks. I texted him while driving back. Now, he’s bent over his double monitors while I lean in close enough to smell his shampoo.“Asher,” Camila prods again. “Talk to me.”“When you mentioned the security camera, I remembered the ones Mila and I shot outside the Winter Palace.” I tap Matvey on the shoulder. “Slow
CamilaThree years laterI'm going to be late!It's the one thing I was dead set on avoiding. I'd looked Asher in the eye this morning, kissing him as I climbed into my car, and assured him I would definitely be on time for our date.How arrogant of me.It's not my fault, the Nutcracker performance is in just two weeks. It's our biggest show and it has to be perfect. It's baffling that in just a few years my studio has blown up to be recognized as the top ballet studio in the state. Maybe the entire coast, though I try not to let my ego get wind of that.But none of that matters. Today is about celebrating my three-year anniversary with Asher.Which is why I should NOT be late. Ugh.Driving through downtown, I take a familiar road that I'd be able to navigate in the dark. Street lamps being out because someone busted the glass with a rock for fun wouldn't be strange—in the past, that is.Big globe lights propped on black poles dot the entire sidewalk, glowing like a row of tiny moons
CamilaHe leaps across the room, his reflection copying him in the floor to ceiling mirrors. One spin, a second and a third, before he bends forward, arms stretching long enough they give him the illusion of being taller than he is.When he finishes his last pirouette, Roman faces me with his eyes ablaze. Some of his dark hair is stuck to his forehead.I clap enthusiastically. "That was wonderful, Roman!"His smile deepens his dimples. There's pride on his face, but his voice still has the fragility of an unsure child. "Thanks. But I keep messing up on the pivot.""You'll get it, just keeping trying."Cocking his head, he frowns to himself. Looking in the mirror he does a few quick half-bends, like he's testing my theory. "You're sure that's enough?"Putting my hands on his shoulders from behind, I study our reflections. Roman has changed in a short amount of time. It began the night he was forced to witness his father's death. The kindness that was always in his heart has crawled ful
AsherI've been lucky enough to see many beautiful things in my lifetime. Expert oil paintings, hand crafted statues, flowers that took years to cultivate into a special shade of maroon.Camila outshines all of them.I'm knuckle deep inside of her, my other hand cupping her left breast and teasing her hard nipple. She's mewling beneath me, the sound of it making me wild. My cock is hard enough that it hurts. A moment ago, she was jerking me off through my trunks, but she's too busy coming to do anything but quiver.Turning her brain and body into mush is addicting. She's the strongest, most intelligent woman I've ever known, but in my touch she falls apart. The power of that... it thrills a dark part of my soul, a hungry, primal piece of me that wants to conquer.Camila tries to look at me—her sunglasses are gone, and her face is scrunched up in the sunlight. I lift an arm over her head to create shade, lowering my face to hers in a passionate kiss. This works even better because she
Asher spins me in a circle, and to my personal horror, I stumble. Catching myself, I narrow my eyes, my competitive nature roaring to life. I haven't made a mistake on a dance floor since I was a child. "You're alright," I tell him lightly.His chuckle is razor sharp. "Just alright?""Were you trained?" I ask, my feet tapping around his, matching his pace. His palm smooths over my hip, grazing my thigh as he lifts my leg to hook onto his middle. It's not fair that he can throw me off balance with sexy moves like this. I try to maintain a cold expression, but it's impossible when he dips me low, his face inches from mine.His teeth glint in the fairy lights strung above. "I taught myself.""Bullshit," I scoff.The smugness in his laugh creates hot swirls in my heart. "So you are impressed.""Fine, maybe a little."That time, his laugh is warmer—kinder. It coaxes a smile out of me. Hoisting me up to my feet, he holds me close, our bodies swaying in unison. "It should come as no shock th
"After," he says, kissing the top of my breasts. "When we're done."A single finger rolls down my spine; he unclips the bra, yanking it off my arms by the straps. I don't know where it ends up after that.His hands palm over my naked breasts, covering them fully. He pushes inward, my soft skin pressing through the gaps of his fingers as my chest overflows from the pressure. Gasping, I toss my head back, enduring the hard jolt of delicious pleasure. My nipples firm and dig into his palms; he loosens his hold, making light circles over my nipples, playing with me until I see stars."Oh!” I moan. “Yes.”I rub myself against his pelvis, ramping the speed, the force, until I expect smoke to start forming. The friction is perfect on my clit. If I keep at it, I'll come just from this. He hikes my skirt up, rolling my panties downward. I'm not satisfied by this; the texture of my skirt is too much for my sensitive skin. I rip it up, over my chest, until it comes over my head.Asher stops movi
CamilaI've never seen so many shades of blue and green. The ocean is like a stained-glass painting, stretching for endless miles until the border merges with the cerulean sky, making it impossible to tell them apart. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.But I can't enjoy it, not with my heart wedged in my throat."Are we almost there?" I yell over the buzz of the sea-plane's engine.The white and red plane looked sturdy when I first laid my eyes on it. Now, though, with the air yanking at the wings, jolting the plane from side to side, I feel like it’s about to split in two. I wish it was as big as the one we took to the main airport. The flight to the Maldives was long, but thanks to Asher splurging for first class, quite comfortable.This is anything but that."Excuse me?" I yell louder, trying to get the pilot's attention. "I asked how much longer until we're at the Reethi Rah resort?""It's okay, Camila." Asher gives my hand a squeeze, pulling me closer to him in our seats
Asher"It's taken months, but I think we’re finally about to root out all of the corrupt cops on Yannick's payroll," Jonah says as he paces in front of his window. It's a new office, one that's on a higher floor and bigger than the last.Whatever his complaints about me, our connection has helped lift him up in his career.I nod as he finishes talking."Thank you for working so hard at this.""Please, it's my pleasure," he chuckles, spreading his arms. "With the new police commissioner's help, this city will be scraped clean. This is a day that’s been decades in the making."Camila casts me a sly look from where she's sitting across the room. She sits everywhere now, her stomach jutting out as the baby threatens to come each new day. Her eyebrows wiggle; she's trying to tell me that Jonah is a piece of work. I agree."What happens now?" I ask him."All the paperwork is being organized, the records of the Grachev Bratva should be corrected in time. But you need to keep a close lid on t
CamilaMy toes are perfectly pointed as I strut across the stage. A simple ankle-turn and I'm pivoting, another and another and I'm a flurry of motion, my white tutu fluffing like a dandelion on the breeze. I was born to dance. I know this in my soul.Curtains flutter around me, brushing me as if they want to hold me close. The only person I want a hug from is the man sitting in the audience.Dad beams proudly, never taking his eyes off of me.I'm so glad I decided to do this performance! I'd been terrified when Mom suggested it, the moves were advanced for a ten-year-old like me, but she would always click her tongue and insist that she did ballet like this when she was my age.But Dad?He caught me fretting in the studio, staring at myself awkwardly in the tall mirrors. He'd come to me, knelt, and told me not to be afraid of the stage. Even if you make a mistake, it won't matter to me. If you get nervous, just look for me in the audience, malyshka.Lunging forward, I hold my breath,
AsherNight has become day from the fires of the chattering rifles. Each time a muzzle flashes I can see the face of the man firing it. Whether an enemy or one of my own boeviki, they all have the same feral expression.Everyone is fighting for their life.Including me."This way," I urge Camila, holding her by her wrist. We wasted enough time hovering inside the front door of Yannick's hideaway. I had to get my bearings, but I know we can't linger. As helpful as this chaos is, someone is bound to come and check on Yannick.Not every one of his men is a corrupt cop, some are as loyal to him as my own brigadiers.Camila tugs backwards. "Wait!""No time," I argue, stopping on the front step. She's gawking at the fighting behind me. Her eyes shine with flashes of guns going off, the sound loud in my skull. Katinka and Roman crouch behind her. They're just as afraid. "If we stay here, we'll be found, and then?—"The wood of the door-frame explodes next to my ear. Splinters stab into my te