Page 68 of Cognac Vixen


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Ivan groans in my ear. I hope he’s finding release, too. I wish I could talk to him. I wish I could take him to the same place I am.

“Fuck, Cora,” he pants. “You are… You’re incredible. Mysolnishka.My little sun in the darkness.”

I’ve never gone from arousal to tears quite so quickly before, but I sniffle and swipe at my eyes.

“You’re going to get out of there,” he says softly. “Captivity is nothing but a state of mind.”

It’s been impossible to latch onto hope the last few days. But hearing how much Ivan believes in me, I can’t help but believe in me, too.

I will get out of here.

No matter what happens, I’ll get out of here.

Or I’ll die trying.

* * *

I wake up to a crash. I’m out of bed and on my feet before my mind can catch up to what my body is doing.

There was a bang. A loud bang.

And voices.

I blink into the dim light filtering through my curtains and see people moving into my room.

“What is it?” I rasp. “What is going—”

Someone clicks on the lamp next to my bed. I hiss away from the sudden brightness.

“Come on, Cordelia. It’s time to go.” I don’t need my vision to know that is my mother’s voice.

“Mom?” My eyes are starting to adjust. I can see Alexander standing in the hallway. He has his hands folded behind his back, his eyes cast towards the stairs. “What’s going on? What is—Is everything okay?”

She moves towards me, reaching for my arm. “We’ll talk about it. You just need to come with—”

“No!” I jerk back, smacking into the wall behind me.

She lowers her head, brows pinched. “Cordelia, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Makewhatharder? I don’t even understand what is happening! Why are you here?”

My mom opens her mouth to respond, but another voice cuts in. “If you can’t control your daughter, then I will.” Mikhail steps into my room, and I swear a dark cloud of sulfur rolls in behind him.

I’m wearing a cotton t-shirt and flannel shorts, but I might as well be naked for how exposed I feel. I wrap my arms around myself. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

“I go where I want.” He holds out a hand. “Come with me or I’ll have to make you.”

I recoil from his touch. “Alexander, this is your house. You can’t—Tell him to leave.”

I hate that I’m turning to my stepfather for any help, but he’s the only one who can stop this. I know the relationship between him and the Sokolovs is all fucked-up. Maybe if I can poke at that connection, he’ll stop whatever this is.

“It’s late, Cordelia,” he sighs. “Don’t be difficult.”

I didn’t know I still had the capacity to be shocked by these people, but here I am. I’m stunned. There’s no humanity in them. No empathy.

“I don’t even know where I’m going. Someone tell me what’s happening!”

Maybe if they tell me what is going on, I can stop it. Maybe I can get out of this.

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