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“I can take care of you, Luce. Just trust me. I’ll get you away from him,” he whispers in a soft voice, which does nothing to put me at ease.
He’s been trying to get me out of here for the past five minutes. Whispering promises, telling me he loves me. It’s a little deranged.
“What are you on, Alexei?” I ask for the third time, because he’s obviously not sober.
“Why are you being such a bitch about this? My brother’s keeping you in here like a hostage! I’m trying to help you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m definitely not going anywhere with you.”
“So you’d rather stay here? With my brother? Do you even know who he really is? You’re delusional if you think he cares about you. The man’s a fucking psychopath. I’ve seen him killpeople without blinking. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but himself.”
I hate that his words remind me of Adrian and his mother in this moment. Because really, try as I might to humanize Ivan, there’s a part of me that keeps wondering how he could have murdered an innocent woman. And I can’t just ask about it.
But then Alexei’s last statement snaps me out of it. My eyes narrow.
“Are you joking? Do you have any idea what your brother has sacrificed for you all these years? Do you even feel grateful?”
Alexei scoffs, his brown eyes darkening. “Is that what he’s told you? That he’s my messiah, my savior? He’s the saint that saved me, that gave me everything? So I’m supposed to worship at his feet?”
“At the very least you shouldn’t be acting like a little child, lashing out. You’re over thirty years old, Alexei. Why don’t you try to grow up?”
His countenance shifts in that one second, becoming even more menacing.Me and my big mouth.
Alexei advances on me, his hand encircling my wrist.
“You know what’s fucked up? Even now, I still want you enough to go against him. Because despite what you may think, my fucking brother, who’s a saint in your eyes, he’ll kill me one day. Just like he killed our mother and father. He’ll kill you too, you know. I know he will.” He mutters the last statement while I stare at him in shock.
He thinks Ivan killed their mother?
I barely have any time to even consider that before he starts dragging me toward the foyer of the house.
“Let me fucking go!” I snap, struggling to get out of his grip. “Alexei, you’re hurting me!”
Why the hell is he so damn strong? And where’s Mika? Wasn’t he supposed to protect me?
I’m considering screaming my head off to notify the other guards who must be around here somewhere when the door is slammed open. Relief rushes through me at the sight of Ivan. He looks angry, really fucking angry, and I start to think maybe his presence isn’t a good thing.
Alexei lets me go immediately at the sight of his brother. As soon as Ivan starts to advance, I step in front of Alexei, trying to protect him from the rage in those brown eyes.
“Lucia,” Ivan asks cooly. “What are you doing?”
“You can’t hurt him,” I say. “He’s not in his right mind right now.”
He steps closer, intruding my personal space. He slowly lifts my hand, his gaze narrowing onto my wrist. Unfortunately, I bruise easily and Alexei’s grip was really strong. There’s a small reddish bruise already forming.
Ivan’s eyes darken, becoming almost black. I swallow at the sight.
“He’s your brother,” I say softly.
My heart is racing, because in this moment, he really looks like the man that could have killed his own mother. And Adrian’s mother, as well. I’d like to believe he’s not a heartless monster.
He shuts his eyes and when he opens them, they’re clearer, his gaze trailing over my face.
“Don’t be scared of me,milaya,” he says gently.
“I’m not.” I’m trying not to be.
He huffs out a breath before turning around and I finally notice Ruslan in the doorway.
