AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something scratches over the phone’s microphone. Rachel complains something inaudible, and I get mentally ready to destroy Conor over the phone.
“She’s with us,” Lik’s sweet honey voice invades my ears and my heart. The beat doubles, a drummer getting ready for the intro song to a rock concert.
I catch my breath, gather my thoughts and try to figure it out. Okay, so they all left somewhere together this morning.
“We went on a little trip to New York to kill the brothers this morning,” he explains like he could hear my thoughts.
“What—”
“Don’t worry, they’re still impossible to find and very much alive. We just thought we’d release the tension by giving each other orgasms.”
My blood boils, my ears ringing from words that I refuse to accept as truths.
“Actually…that’s a lie. I’m the only one who didn’t get to come. Maybeyoucan help with that, princess.”
“Put Rachel on the phone,” I hiss, sitting up in my chair. My legs start to bounce, my hand squeezing the cup I’m holding until my drink overflows.
“We can all hear you,” Sam’s voice rings out.
“Rose.” Rachel’s sorry tone pisses me off even more. “I can explain.”
I cackle the most sarcastic laugh that’s ever past my lips. Layers and layers of protection wrap around my heart, turning my body cold and freezing my veins.
“I’m not asking for any explanation. We don’t owe each other anything. You want to let Sam use you in his revenge against me? That’s your own decision.”
Sam’s mocking laugh makes me bristle. I resent him when he thinks he’s smarter than me.
“Why are you still fighting, Rose?” he asks me. “Yesterday was a great example of what could be. Be ours. All of us. Let us own you. Let us play with you however we want. We won’t just own your body. We’ll own your heart too. Your mind, your every thought. Your soul. And in exchange, I’ll let you live. I’ll tell you what. I’ll even drop my contract on the Volkov brothers. Aleksei might be stupid enough to get caught. But you know as well as I do, that Viktor is the smartest and I might never catch him. He’s the one who managed to keep you to himself for two years after all.”
While the whole speech felt manipulative, his tone turns truthful when he repeats, “I’ll drop the contract, Rose.”
I know he hates my silence because it gives him hope. So, I stretch it for as long as I can.
“Forget about the hate we share. You’ll get the attention you’ve always craved. The certainty that three people would give everything for you. You’ll be our queen.”
This time, my response is instant, his words so deeply disappointing.
“I’m no queen.” It’s a hissed whisper gathering all the disgust I can muster. “Don’t you think I’ve been through enough on my own to be something as tedious a queen? I was too many people’s obsession to want to be something as docile as one. I am too strong to be so dull.”
“Your pride will be your downfall.” I’ve heard those words from him so many times, they make no sense to me anymore.
“I’m the supreme ruler, Sam. I own all of you. I own myself entirely. No one will ever bring me down. Not through fear or pain, and not through love.Iam the king. I’m the king of my life, the king of my body, the king of my heart. And I’m saying this to every single one of you: you don’t want to play games with me because Ialways.Fucking. Win.” My last words come through gritted teeth, translated into a furious tone I cannot control.
I hang up on them, desperately trying to understand the pressure building behind my eyes, the feeling of stabbing in my heart, and the excruciating pain crushing my bones.
I drop the phone on the table and let go of my drink, letting it spill. I wrap my hands around my thighs, just above my knees. I squeeze tightly, cutting the blood flow. Then I release. I do it multiple times, feeling a sense of relief every time I allow my blood to run freely again. Then the listing kicks in.
Salvator Mundi, Interchange, The Card Players, Nafea Faa Ipoipo, Number 17A…
I don’t really notice the moment a strong presence sits at my table. I’m too focused on my own despair, selfish and uncaring for anyone else around me.
“Why do you look so distraught, Rosalind?”
It’s his voice that takes me out of my own coping mechanism. My heart almost gives up before I can take my next breath. Even if I hadn’t recognized the smooth and elegantly formed vowels, which I did, there would be no doubt from the use of my full name. The only person on this planet who uses my full name.
I look up, letting my eyes fall on the man who kept me from the world for almost two years. Desperately trying to gulp down some air, I watch him in complete shock. It’s mixed with fear, admiration…and utter respect.
“Viktor.” I can barely whisper his name, like a curse that could kill me.
“It’s time to come home,” he tells me. “I’ve been waiting long enough.”
I can’t answer. I’m scared if I talk or make a noise, he’ll disappear…evaporate.
And I don’t want that.
Not after I’ve missed him so much.
To be continued…
