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No matter how harsh and abusive he was towards them, they didn’t feel even a quarter of the abuse I’d put up with for years. Until I finally got the upper hand when I found out one of Bogdan’s darkest, deepest secrets.
That was the reason I was still alive.
The cards were in my hands, but it was too soon to show them all.
Half a bottle of whiskey later, and an entire pack of cigarettes was gone. It was already nighttime. Hours flew by quickly, and I struggled to stand up. My legs were numb from sitting in the same spot for too long.
I burned the letter in the sink, watching as flames overtook the paper. Until the last piece of it turned to ashes, I remained fascinated by the fire. It was so pretty—way too pretty. It was captivating, warm, and gave me a sense of familiarity.
It was beautiful, yet it was only meant to be looked at. No one touched fire and remained unharmed.
A quick shower was much needed. My muscles relaxed under the hot water. The plan was to go out for the night since the little puppy wouldn’t return. He was too scared to even set another foot inside.
I left the bathroom only after hearing a car pull up. Quickly, I threw on a pair of pants and a shirt. Most of my clothes were still in the suitcases and as I pulled it all out, a locket slipped out.
I opened it and saw a picture on each side of Rhea and me. She’d gotten this locket made for both of us for my birthday last year. It was as big as my thumb and as thick as two of my fingers combined. It was too damn ugly, but I put it on, regardless.
It reminded me of the bracelets she got for us a long time ago. On their own, they seemed like little chains with a weird pendant. But put together, the three pendants formed a star. One for Rhea, one for Davina, one for myself.
I pushed the useless memories aside and walked down the stairs. As soon as I did, I came to a halt, and my blood ran cold in my veins.
There, on the same couch Felix had sat on not that long ago, was the man I yearned to see.
Davorin wore all black, his mask was on his face, and a passive smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. His green eyes were a prison; they captured me the moment our gaze met. Something twisted inside of my stomach, something dark and vile. It was a feeling I’d been looking forward to.
Silence.
His eyes scanned every inch of my body, not giving me enough time to remember what it felt like. His dominant aura had me unmoving, locked under the harsh stare.
I couldn’t utter a word.
Shivering, my throat closed up. A lump had formed, and my heart raced against my chest, almost to the point of breaking through my skin. It was a struggle to breathe, as if my airway had been restricted.
“What’s wrong, little lion?” he taunted, his voice deeper than I remembered. “Did you miss me?”
All of the feelings, all of the things I wanted to say, vanished. An alarm rang in my head. All I could do was try and act as if I’d expected him, though it would’ve been a lie. As someone who was often prepared for the unpredictable, this took me by surprise.
Davorin took a step closer, and I went up a stair.
He tilted his head to the side, clearly enjoying my lack of response. My teeth gritted together, and my hands fisted by my side. An uncontrollable amount of rage spread through my veins, and the rational portion of my brain told me to run. This man was going to be my doom sooner or later.
Yet, I couldn’t ignore the way he made my heart skip a beat. The fluttering sensation in my stomach overpowered the anger too easily.
Forcibly, I swallowed the knot in my throat.
Then, without even so much as a glance thrown his way, I bolted upstairs.
I had the upper hand since I’d memorized the outline of the house perfectly and knew where all of my weapons were hidden. Guns were unnecessary and too messy. Instead, I opted for a dagger that I had hidden under my pillow.
My ears perked. The rest of the house had the lights turned off, giving me a little time to hide.
Although the goal wasn’t to truly hide. All I needed was an actual upper hand in the attack so I could maybe stab him once or twice as my revenge.
It crossed my mind a few times how to truly get back at him. When I was learning all about him, I knew exactly who he was, why he approached me, and how it all went down. From the beginning, a revenge plot was on my mind, though it was an afterthought—a last resort.
I was grateful that my father hired him to kill me back while I was in Russia and even more grateful that Davorin didn’t take my life. In my eyes, it was destiny that brought me to him years later, and it was destiny that put me on his radar.
The only thing I didn’t know was that on the night I celebrated my birthday, he was going to kill someone in the alley behind the club and I’d witness it. That was the moment I knew that we were bound to each other’s shackles, bound to be together, forever.
