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“Of course not. I expect you’ll be the last man standing among all of us.”
I grinned widely.
Despite finding this situation rather amusing, I wasn’t an idiot. Neither was Viktor. He wasn’t someone to be underestimated. He was driven by rage and fury, and once his emotions became too bottled up, he had the tendency to snap.
It never turned out well for any bystanders, and this time, he had his eyes set on me. He wanted to get rid of me completely. On some level, I understood why. He felt like he’d been neglected by our parents, whose attention had been trained on me.
But I wouldn’t wish that kind of attention on anyone. My mother had been a responsible person, with a kind heart. However, when I’d needed her the most, she’d turned her head the other way and simply closed her eyes to all the abuse I’d endured, just because I’d been born a girl.
And my father had a tendency to lock me up in the tower he’d built for me. No sun, no people, nothing. I was trapped for weeks, even months at a time. In total, I’d spent four years, seven months and twenty-two days in that prison, oftentimes chained to the wall.
“You’re giving me too much credit, Viktor.” I grinned like a lunatic. “Who knows when I might actually die? Could be today, could be tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Davorin said loudly from next to me.
It was the first time he’d spoken since he’d come into my room. His knuckles had turned white from rage. I grabbed his hand in mine, and immediately, he relaxed and gazed down at me. His eyes softened at the plea on my face.
“Well, I should probably leave now,” Viktor announced. “I’ll see you at Aleksei’s party, Kaya.”
He stormed off like a child right after.
“You’re not going,” Davorin said. “I’ll lock you in a cage if necessary, but you’re not going.”
I blinked, pushing the trauma to the back of my mind. “Are you dumb? We talked about what needs to be done, and I need to attend in order to make it happen.”
Davorin sat next to me on the bed, and I scooted over to give him more space. His fingers were in my hair, slowly twirling the ends of it. “I’m sorry, little lion—I can’t let you jump to your death.”
“Let me?” A low laugh slipped out. “You’re not my father, Davorin. You can’t keep me hidden and locked away.”
“If it ensures your safety, watch me.”
It was a lost cause arguing with him about something so trivial.
And no matter how serious he’d been about keeping me locked up, I had once been caged like an animal. It had turned me into a monster, a weapon meant only to cause harm. I’d embraced that, but what would happen if I was forced into the cage again?
I wasn’t going to let it happen and find out.
“You’re not going” Brianne said as I stepped downstairs.
“Why the hell are you here?”
“Davorin told me to watch you for the night. And there’s like four guards outside the house.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration. I’d come downstairs to grab some alcohol while I was finishing getting ready. The dress had been delivered earlier in the day, alongside some heels I’d ordered online.
The only thing I’d managed to get done was take a shower and do my hair in a high ponytail, as per Tiana’s suggestion. She was right—the style suited me perfectly. I left two front pieces free to frame my face.
I approached Brianne, who was surprised. Each step I took towards her, she took one back. “What’s wrong,Bri?” I mocked. “Afraid?”
She stomped her feet on the ground slightly, and it made me chuckle. “No. You just caught me by surprise.”
I nodded. “Since we’re here, answer me something. Why were you snooping around my apartment?”
Shock flashed over her face before she was able to hide it. It was irrelevant—I’d seen it, even if it was for a split second.
She shrugged and sat on the chair that was behind her. “I only picked up some things for you in Davorin’s place.”
“That’s no excuse for going through my safe. Try again.”
