Page 115 of Where the Wind Whispers

She held her hands up in front of her, needing the distance and the space. The anger was far easier to deal with than the pain and the fear. “You know what—no, Kaz, I don’t even want you near me right now. I don’t want to see your face.”

Ouch.

That even hurt her to say.

Kaz winced but hid it well enough by glancing away. And then as fast as he was giving her space, he was closing it, wrapping her tightly in an embrace that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get free of. His quiet, dark murmurs in her hair, and his hands splayed wide across her back made her break.

He wouldn’t let go.

Not when she asked.

Not when she hit him again.

Not when she yelled.

It was only when Violet felt the hot tears staining her cheeks did she realized she was crying, and even her chest hurt from the force of her sobs.

“I’m sorry,” Kaz said above her, his arms tightening impossibly harder around her middle. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

She knew he was.

Even with what she’d screamed at him before, she knew in her heart that this really wasn’t his fault. Neither of them could have done anything to stop this from happening. Alberto had a plan, she was just now realizing. Everything he had done before was simply the art of violent escalation to put Kaz on the path Alberto wanted him.

One where he felt it better to send his family away.

One where Alberto could easily step in and ruin everything Kaz worked so hard for.

That was exactly what he had done.

Violet only spoke when she could finally get a half-decent breath. “I’m sorry—it’s not your fault.”

Kaz kissed the top of her head. “I knew you didn’t mean it, krasivaya. Anger does terrible things to people.”

How right he was …

“Tell me it’s going to be fine,” Violet mumbled.

“You don’t like it when I do that now.”

“Lie to me.”

Kaz sighed. “It won’t be a lie.”

She didn’t know about that.

Before Kaz could reassure her, a form was darkening the doorway of the room, interrupting their moment. Violet couldn’t see who it was, but guessing by the way Kaz didn’t let her go, she suspected it was someone he didn’t mind seeing them as they were.

“Stop wasting time standing there. Speak,” Kaz said.

“We’ve got … something happening,” Ruslan said.

Kaz let go of Violet instantly but gave her a look over his shoulder that told her to stay put a second before he disappeared from the room.

Violet scrubbed her hands through her hair then down her face. Stress was eating her alive, and so was the absolute terror roaming freely in her mind and body. She was sure that was Alberto’s only wish in this whole shit show.

To terrorize her.

Well, he fucking succeeded—