AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Listen, I am trying to understand her, so help me." I pleaded desperately because I needed answers no one else could give.
"Hanna's…" Angel paused for a second, her face twisting in thought before biting out, "Complicated."
Another pregnant pause staled the air before Angel's heavy sigh broke it. "Even I have to admit that, so you really don't have it easy when it comes to Hanna and relationships and attachments. She does likes you, plain and simple, but with all the trauma she's been through, it makes it hard for her to form a relationship in a typical manner. She's guarded, like very guarded, and it's not going to be easy, but you need to force your way in with her. You need to tear down those walls and keep to her to prevent her from putting any back up. Yes, distance is good and nice, but with Hanna, distance is often not the answer because that gives her the time and excuses to push you away and build those walls back up."
Letting out a deep breath, I quickly poured myself another shot and downed it before setting the glass down with a heavy hand. Basically, I fucked up, but at least she said it nicely. So, that was greatly appreciated. She could've called me a total idiotic asshole and left it at that.
Angel continued after I gave her a slow nod of my head once things started to sink into me a little more. "You need to be persistent with Hanna, even if it seems counterintuitive, that's how you need to be with her. As much as I don't like it, but Kolya's right, you need to grab her by the back of her neck and lead her where you want. I mean it, you're going to have to be a little forceful with her and be in her face. Show her that you're serious about her and keep reassuring her day in and day out because she's the kind of person who needs constant reminders. Even I have to do that with her more often than not with our bond, even if she knows better because she practically grew up with me after my father took her in after the incident."
"What incident?" Most of Hanna's life remained a mystery to me, so Angel's words instantly piqued my interest and curiosity.
Sighing sadly with an apologetic smile, Angel shook her head softly at me. "It's not my place to tell." Her lips were locked down tighter than Fort Knox on the matter.
"Does it have to do with how she got her burns?" It was the only thing I could think of at the moment, and I did plan to bring up the subject of Hanna's burns with Angel for more insight.
Unexpectedly, Angel's soft face hardened with sharp, narrowed eyes as her upper lip curled slightly with her scowl. The hostility from my sister-in-law came out of nowhere. "How do you know about her burns?"
Very touchy subject, got it.
I noted mentally while leaning back in my seat with my arms crossed guardedly. "I saw them." It wasn't a lie; I did see them last night after cleaning her face off.
Scoffing, Angel rolled her eyes at me, "No shit Sherlock, I meant how. Hanna never, and I mean never shows anyone her scars, not even me."
"I cleaned her up after we had our fun and saw them." Again, not a lie, but I omitted a huge part of the truth.
Unfortunately, Angel saw right through me. "She wouldn't have let that happen, nor would she let you clean her face. You better start spilling your guts right now before I spill them for you and have Alexei shove it all back in so I can do it again." And there's the well-feared bratva bride.
Looking over at Nikolai, I raised a brow at him in a silent question. "Don't look at me for help, she'd gut me in my sleep if I try to stop her."
"Well, thanks for having my back, asshole." I playfully spat at Nikolai with a chuckle.
He may be the big, bad brute of a bratva boss, but he was putty for his wife. Which I found funny and cute because he's the Dom between the two of them, yet Angel called the shots more than he'd care to admit.
Their marriage might've started out unconventionally. It might be hard to believe, taking in the fact Angel and Nikolai were strangers courted into an arranged marriage out of the blue, but one look at them and the chemistry between them shined brighter than the stars on a clear night. Was it a fairytale love story? No, not even close, but the two loved each other deeply as if they were in one. They weren't much for PDA, but seeing how they looked at each other with such warmth and adoration was more than a clear indicator of their true feelings for each other.
I couldn't help but wonder when that'd be me and Hanna. Yes, when, not if. If what Angel said was true—and I have no doubts about it—then Hanna will be mine. I just needed to play my cards right.
A plan quickly brewed in my mind, one that'll either make us or break us.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I zoned my focus back to Angel, who glared at me with dagger-like eyes. "I might or might not have seen her through her window…" I admitted sheepishly.
The urge to duck my head away from Nikolai and Angel's widened eyes filled with disbelief and disapproval threatened to crane my neck. "You what?" Don't know if Angel's question was rhetorical or not.
Groaning softly, Nikolai brought his hand up to his forehead and rubbed at his temples with his thumb and middle finger. "Stepan, what did you do?" Nikolai sighed heavily with a scrunched-up face.
Okay, how was I going to put this in a non-creepy way? Or, at the very least, in a way where Angel won't stab me twenty-thousand times because she was going to kill me; that much was clear from her piercing glare.
"Why the fuck are you Volkovs so… Ugh! I swear, you are all a bunch of idiots sometimes. Is it too much to ask for some normalcy in you guys?" Angel exclaimed with a long groan after hearing my confession about stalking Hanna and breaking into her place nightly. Obviously, I didn't go into detail, but I gave them the bare gist.
"Y'all need therapy, I swear." Angel muttered with a roll of her eyes.
"So do you." I retorted with a playful scoff and smirk.
"I do not, I am perfectly fine." Angel argued weakly with averted eyes.
"Angel, you're married to Nikolai and love him, nothing about that is normal. That's not even mentioning the fact that you're a triad princess and have a penchant for pain and torture, you little sadist." No one, and I mean no one, in our family was remotely normal, and that included Angel.
"Nikolai is perfectly fine." I couldn't help but burst out laughing at her statement, receiving a glare from my older brother for my reaction. "At least he didn't stalk me."
