Page 126 of Lilies from Hell

“How?” His silence makes me even more impatient. “What exactly happened?”

“That day when I came back for you, all I found were bloodstains.” His bitter smile and sad eyes turn my stomach. “I was fucking scared thinking something had happened to you. The last I heard, you were in a coma from a car accident. He’s a fucking imbecile, but he still managed to sneak you out of that house without anyone noticing and get you to the Ottawa border to do who the fuck knows what.”

I don’t understand any of this. Was his brother planning to kidnap me or something? James? Or Viktor. Whatever his name was.

“You woke up after a few hours, but you didn’t remember anything that happened during those weeks. I almost died when I saw your eyes looking at me as if I were a stranger.

“It must have been horrible,” I say in a low whisper.

“It was. But it was worse when I went to see you that same night and you were gone, vanished like you never existed. The only one who knew where you were was Viktor, but he never wanted to tell me where you were. Since then, I’ve hated him more than myself.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“There isn’t a single moment when I don’t regret leaving you that night.” I kiss his lips, interrupting whatever he was about to say.

“I know you did it to protect me and that you would have done anything to keep me safe. You have nothing to regret.” I attract him to myself and wrap my arms around his body as I speak. I can barely wrap my arms around his torso, but it is enough to feel his warmth. I stroke his back feeling his breath on my neck and his arms holding me with despair, afraid I may disappear again if he doesn’t.

After a while we move to the living room downstairs. There is no one else inside but us, and outside, the bodyguards continue to watch the perimeter. I turn on the TV and tense up when I see him staring at my breasts. I know from his hungry gaze he may have very different plans than I do. That makes me end up pressing the button on any random series in an attempt to distract him with something other than my naked body.

I grimace when I see the Game of Thrones intro. Fantasy doesn’t appeal to me, but I don’t want to pick up the remote control that I accidentally left near him either. I feel like he’ll jump on me if I get too close. Of course, I don’t have to lift a finger to be close to him, because he makes sure I can’t escape when he traps me in his embrace.

“I’m cold,” I murmur, throwing my head back.

He takes his fingers away from my nipples and gets up, returning a moment later with a black blanket that he uses to wrap me up like a burrito. I rest my head on his chest. His hands return to my nipples, caressing and squeezing them gently. When he moves his hand down my stomach, now playing with my belly button piercing, I unconsciously squeeze my thighs together, but he does nothing else and my eyelids close against my will.

¹Ya lyublyu tebya, lyubov’: I love you, love.

²Blyat: fuck

40

I turn my attention to her as she moves on my chest. I spent the rest of the hours waiting for news from Denis while I finished the series, although in reality I was paying more attention to how she slept and the memories that the big screen brought to mind.

It was nighttime, and Lena had offered to watch a movie before going to sleep. She wasn’t one of those people who fell asleep easily at night unless she was very tired.

We went to the living room where there was a movie screen in front of a long sofa and a rug, apart from other furniture around it. We put some of the cushions on the rug and sat down among them. Lena was in my arms with her head right on my chest and her hands on mine. The only thing I noticed on the screen was the title of the movie. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

“I love this movie,” she said, lifting her head to look at me. “And you?”

“I’ve never seen it,” I forced myself to pay more attention to the movie after that little revelation, reluctantly brushing her hair away.

Then I began to move my thumb over the back of her hand. One of the characters appeared on the screen hanging from a meat hook. Lena bit her lower lip as she did every time she was unsettled by not knowing something or something bothered her.

“You said next time we’d do it together. That you’d teach me things.” I smiled and brushed my lips against hers for a moment as I remembered what had happened a couple of days earlier. She hadn’t stopped reminding me of that since then, becoming more and more insistent.

“I know.”

“And when will that be?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. When I didn’t answer, she snorted. “I want you to teach me. Please.” She pursed her lips in a pout, deliberately widening her eyes.

“I will.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. We don’t have anyone.”

“Well, let’s find someone then. We can go to the mall or to some club,” she continued, her eyes sparkling as her brain considered the possible scenarios. When I didn’t say anything, a small wrinkle appeared on the tip of her nose, reflecting her annoyance. “Please, Alek,” she added in a velvety voice. Hearing that word next to my name had done something to me.

From her satisfied smile, I knew it wouldn’t be the first time she’d used that phrase, but I wanted her to repeat it so I could agree to anything she asked of me. I would do anything for her.