6

Sofia.

I had been roaming in literal circles for the past thirty minutes to get them to lose my trace and confuse them into buying me some time to figure out whatever the hell I was going with this.

I walked for a few minutes before stopping in my tracks when I heard distant yelling and shouting. Damnit, they were closer than I thought, the three idiots caught up to me.

Curse you short legs!

My feet padded across the damp dirt as I tried to get my running pace back on track to warm up my shivering body and avoid stepping on any more rocks and twigs.

I started to feel the blood oozing out of the small cuts on my feet from running barefoot in the middle of a forest and to be honest it wasn't the worst of all this so far, till now.

I always hated running, even in PE classes at school it was my least favourite thing to do, to put it fairly but yet it seems as if it was the only thing that I had been doing my entire life.

The irony.

I halted mid step when I heeded the loud and fast footsteps coming closer in my direction as I tried to get into a huge and empty log of a tree that was a few feet away from me while keeping my head low, I crawled inside the log not caring about the cobwebs or the insects flocking it.

My knees and feet hurt, and my nerves glided with intensity holding back tears as I struggled to breathe without making too much noise. Fuck a duck, how I hated my life.

Silently, pulling a few long leaves from near the log to cover up the side that I was in leaving a small hole to direct my gaze toward the approaching footsteps of possibly one of my kidnappers.

I squinted my eyes to have slightly better vision, identifying the intruder from his dirty blond hair and massive frame as Nikolai. He looked around to spot something or someone.

That someone being me.

He suddenly stopped a few feet away from my hiding spot that I was currently taking coverage in, looking around and cupping his hands around his mouth to roar out effectively sending chills of terror down my spine.

Gods, men were complicated creatures.

"I SWEAR TO GOD SOFIA EITHER YOU SHOW YOURSELF THIS INSTANT OR ELSE!" I slightly shifted in my place from the evident anger in his voice and desperation?

Why the hell were they so adamant about finding me? If I was me, I'd just leave my annoying ass alone and not waste my energy over someone I didn't even know.

"I'M WARNING YOU ONE LAST TIME TO SHOW YOURSELF TO SPARE US THE TROUBLE. BECAUSE WE WILL FIND YOU.." He trailed off.

His threatening words clouded my head.

I cleared all the thoughts and doubts considering and assessing the damages of coming out of hiding and not complicating the difficult situation I was in.

In the middle of nowhere away from civilization,

In a foreign country,

In chilly cold weather,

Barefoot, hungry, and chased by some idiotic overly soft kidnapping psychopaths.

If they wanted to hurt me they would've already, right?

I could just come out and fakely apologize for hurting and running away from them to possibly bargain and give them what they want to let me leave

To go home. To my life. To my job.

To Carter, the only one that I'd ever call family.

Looking at Nikolai resuming his words by roaring out with so much anger my name as if to scare me out of hiding. Which did work by the way.

"SOFIA!"

Oh, fuck it.

"I'm here., I'm right here!"

And me being me I hastily and ungracefully pulled myself out of the opposite direction of the empty log making Nikolai let out a harsh breath of relief. He strode over in the split of a second to lift me over his shoulder getting me to squeal out of surprise from the sudden action.

"You put up a good chase sweetheart but now we're going home," he sighed, "That was dangerous and fucking terrifying. You won't get a chance to repeat it," he strained out his words with so much conviction that I almost laughed at him.

I tried to hold myself from retorting back at what he said. I didn't want to let him see past my 'innocent' façade that I had been holding up for quite a long time.

I ran the first time and I sure as hell won't stop until I succeeded and went back home.

Felt his fingertips touching my bruised and bleeding feet. I hissed when he touched a recent cut that seemed to hurt the most making him slap me on my bum.

What the hell was that?

The action caused me to whine involuntary and roar internally. Who the hell did he think he was to touch me like that? Gritting my teeth, I chose to not speak a word as my mouth would get me even more trouble with devilishly handsome blond.

He shifted, changing my position from his wide shoulder to carry me bridal style and gaze sternly yet softly at my shaky form, the cold weather catching up to me as I glared at the golden haired man, dismissing his efforts to warm me up

"Why did you think that running away from a place you didn't know of was a good idea, hm?" He shook his head not waiting for an answer, "We need to get you bandaged up, Love. This must hurt a lot," his eyes showed a hint of palpable guilt.

My eyes widened as a wave of anger ran through me. I wanted to open my mouth to cuss him for spanking me and for kidnapping me but I couldn't. Who knows, maybe that would make my situation even worse, provoking someone bigger, stronger and faster wasn't something a sane person did.

So, I averted my attention elsewhere.

-

A few minutes into running with me still in his arms. The mansion came into view. A pissed off looking Nadei near the black wooden double doors pacing muttering to himself.

Nial was nowhere in sight.

Four men in suits and long coats were on either side of Nadei. He stood stiffly, undoubtedly scaring his henchmen by the dangerous and murderous aura coming off of him. Geez, He really needed to sort his anger issues out.

I looked up at Nikolai to see him stoically staring ahead marching towards his fuming brother, the slight twitch of his jaw noticeable as he caught our sight. More like my dishevelled state that was clinging to his brother.

Dismissing the guards to their positions his long arms pulled me out of Nikolai's safe warm hold. I was fucking crazy for wanting to whine and cling to him like a damn monkey. He was just so warm and smelt so darn good and his pectorals made the perfect pillow.

Okay, okay, that was a very wrong thing to even think about doing but very tempting as well, I couldn't resist a man with huge pecs. It was an anime lover thing.

We stan a big man with big man titties.

"We have a lot to talk about to you, Sofia. Come on. Let's go, brother," He announced ruefully shaking his head.

The pang of shock that stroke me from catching the concern in his jade eyes was too much for me to handle. I stilled not wanting to dwell on it.

People oftentimes faked their emotions but I hoped that I was right this time and that these men cared enough to not kill me and throw me to the wolves. Literally.

Because, Gods, those woods were next level creepy.

Not noticing that we were in a huge and fancy bathroom. Nadei set me down on the counter, the cool surface sending a cool chill up my spine.

He turned around to get the first aid kit to bandage and clean my cuts while Nikolai goes to bring me something to change into as he said.

This is too weird to be true.

And a few minutes, Nadei finished treating my cuts. He set the kit in its place and Nikolai came back and silently handed me the grey large sweatpants, an oversized men's black and a t-shirt that looked like a damn dress.

Locking the door behind them, I hastily changed out of the dirty clothes that I had been wearing for at least fifteen hours from when they kidnapped me while I was asleep.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I also realized that they might have drugged me as well because my naps never took longer than two hours and I would have woken up earlier since a flight from the US to Russia was eleven hours or so.

I fastly ran a brush that I found in the drawer, through my long dark brown locks to wash my face and hands to look at least presentable.

The goddamn perfect idiots made me self-conscious.

It was so damn unfair. While they looked like freaking models and I looked like a goddamn wet smelly raccoon, especially from all the running I did, I bet that I could knock out someone with the horrible smell that clung to me.

But hey, at least I was not a kidnapper like them.

I slightly limped out of the bathroom to find all three giants leaning on the wall facing the bathroom door looking as delicious and enticing as ever.

The sight made me feel madder that their looks were completely wasted on them. They freaking thought that kidnapping people was okay for their own selfish reasons. We were the same for fuck's sake.

All human, so what gave them the right to fucking think that I was anything other than that and compelled them to take me from my home?

Noting how their smirks widened as they noticed that I was obviously ogling but glaring at them. They pushed themselves off of the wall to surround my small and short frame.

They trapped me.

Nadei to my back, his warm breath fanning my skin. That same scent of sandalwood and pine surrounding me. I wanted to punch him, hurt him but want to kiss him too. He had too much of an effect on me and I didn't need it.

I shouldn't have wanted it, yet I fucking craved it.

Yes. I was that crazy.

Nikolai was facing me. Those full lips stretched into a wolfish grin, strong arms flexing at his side and those honey coloured eyes piercing through my soul. Gods, you really took your time with this one. He was so damn beautiful.

I gulped and Nial skid to my left his hot body centimetres away from mine, his musky fresh scent enveloping me and those eyes. Those fucking brown eyes, warm and so full of love. His smooth skin glinting in the lit hallway just begging to be kissed and licked.

"Like what you see, Love?" Nikolai muttered, sensual and that accent did things to me. My pussy throbbed involuntarily shutting out any comprehensible bone in my body, my brain included.

My cheeks burned for eyeing them so shamelessly and I slightly shifted on my feet bumping into Nadei's front making me blush even more.

"Love, we're going to kiss you, now."

The words weren't registered in my brain, till I felt a mouth more specifically Nadei's mouth planting small kisses on the back of my nape.

I revelled in their touch but so desperately hated how my body reacted to it.

Nial guided my chin upwards. His lips looked so smooth and soft. I wanted to taste them. And as if reading my thoughts he slanted them over mine in a feverish and passionate kiss.

His lips moulded in with mine, perfectly.