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Roman lets out a grunt but doesn’t pull away. A real unguarded smile spreads across his face as he pats Alina’s back gently.

“I’m fine, milaya.” He wipes her tears, cheekily smiling at her. Roman is such a conundrum, hating on humans yet he would burn the world for his sister.

I have seen him do it. And he’s done it with an unhinged smile on his face.

“Don’t cry now, you wouldn’t want Sergei catching sight of these big, fat tears now, would you?”

If I wasn’t contemplating murder earlier, I am now.

I fix him with a sharp glare, but he merely chuckles, his hand coming up to pat Alina’s head with infuriating ease.

“Oh…hi, Sergei.” Alina turns towards us, a shy blush creeping across her cheeks as she finally notices our presence.

I give her a tight-lipped nod, and before she can say anything else, Alec steps directly in front of me.

Alina’s gaze hardens as she fixes Alex with a glare. “Why didn’t you tell me he was hurt?” She accuses him.

Alec takes a slow step towards her. “You were sleeping—”

“Yeah, well. I wasn’t dead.” She throws her hands in the air, like waiting for the God’s above to strike Alec with a shred common sense.

“You guys were together?” Roman asks, one brow arching as his gaze flicks between them, and I catch the exact moment Alina’s body goes rigid.

“Yeah.” Alec shrugs as though it’s the least interesting thing in the world. “She couldn’t sleep, so she called me.”

He turns towards her with the brightest smile I’ve seen all day.

“Didn’t you, Alina?” He leans in until they’re nearly nose to nose.

Alina doesn’t answer, she simply stares at him, anger churning within her as she clenches her fists.

She turns to her brother instead, offering him a small, relieved smile. “You scared me.”

Roman lets out a quiet chuckle. “I told you.” He gives a lazy shrug. “I’m so fine even the doctors are trying to get rid of me.”

“Still not telling me who hurt you?” I ask placing a pillow behind Roman’s back as he sits on his bed.

His eyes have that unmistakably unhinged glint again, yet the corners of his mouth keep twitching upwards as if he’s fighting an ongoing battle with a smile.

I eye him warily, he’s been daydreaming ever since we left the hospital. Frankly, it’s concerning. Or, knowing Roman, I’d probably say catastrophic.

He was discharged soon after the doctors cleared everything. He has to keep the sling on for weeks though.

“By a fucking car.” He slumps back. “And if you ask me one more time, I’ll fucking jump in front of one this time.” His sigh turns irritating and he looks away from me, pouting.

“Fine, I believe you.” I don’t. I’ll have to hack into the nearby cameras and see for myself. I’m done being nice.

“You don’t.” I sigh.

“Yeah, I don’t. But I’m not asking again only to hear you shit out some more lies.” He chuckles again at my clipped tone.

“What about Elara, now?” He probes, the amusement from his eyes long gone and I shrug contemplating a kidnapping.

Considering the avoidant that she is, she won’t willingly follow me to my home, not again.

C’mon, I’m not that lucky.

“I need to know what Vasily is doing here.” I settle down on the couch in his room, resting my ankle on my knee and he nods.