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Seeing her ignited a series of memories as painful as getting electrocuted had been. It was a sharp pain that radiated throughout my entire body, negating the ability to breathe or think about anything other than making the pain fucking stop. I’d know that smug bitch anywhere and from the look she gave me, she recognized me too.
Swearing softly, I tossed back the rest of my vodka.
“Stay here,” I said to Roan, hoping to God he actually listened this time. Despite the interest he’d shown in my past, this was something I didn’t want him knowing about. Ever. I needed to get her the fuck away from him before she destroyed the one good thing in my life.
“Where are you going?” Roan asked.
“It’s a problem,” I replied before marching into the sea of masks and tuxedos. Thankfully most of the people got out of my way, so I made it to Daria before she could slither away.
Her ruby-red lips twisted into a vicious smile once I was within ear-shot. “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Or should I say, the Wolf?” she said in Russian, that taunting smile firmly in place.
“You won’t be smiling by the time I’m done with you,” I snapped back in Russian. Wrapping my hand around her slim arm, I yanked her out of the ballroom.
“Ouch! You’re hurting me!” She made a point to say it in English, as loud as possible, the fucking bitch.
More than one person turned to watch us, exchanging gasps and wide-eyed looks with the people near them. A few women nudged their male companions forward, but none of the men actually made a move to stop me. Like they could have.
Ignoring herandthem, I dragged her further down the hall and ducked into the first unoccupied room I came to. Shoving her into the library, I kicked the door shut behind me and advanced on her. “What the fuck are you doing here, Daria?”
“Didn’t you hear? I live here now.” Without an audience, she switched back to Russian and dropped the helpless act. Walking the tips of her red nails up the center of my chest, her tongue peeked out along her canine tooth.
Tempted as I was to break her fucking hand, I managed to refrain by slapping it away from me. “Since when?”
“Just recently. Aren’t you happy to see me?” She stretched up on her toes and wound her arms around my neck. “It’s been such a long time.”
Reaching behind me, I unhooked her hands but kept a hold of her wrists, squeezing as hard as I could until she rewarded me with a wince. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I came with Misha.” She ripped her slender wrists free and rubbed one of them, glaring at me behind her red, lacy mask.
Fuck me. Misha was here? I suppressed a groan and focused on the bigger problem standing right in front of me. “So what the fuck do you want?”
“Nothing.” She smiled sweetly. “I swear.”
“You swear? You know what I swore?” I seized a handful of her hair and yanked her against me, holding her head at an awkward angle to increase the pain. She shrieked and clung to the front of my suit, actual fear flashing in her green eyes. “I swore I would fucking kill you if I ever saw you again. And now here you are. Time to honor my word.”
“Please, Sasha! I missed you, that’s all.”
I shoved her away like she’d burned me. “Missed me?” A stunned laugh actually came out. Of all the bullshit I thought she’d say, I never imagined that. “You fucking missed me? You had me thrown in prison, you crazy bitch! I took the fall for your goddamn family! Because of you!”
“It was all a mistake…” She held her hands up in front of her, like that would stop me from murdering her if that was what I wanted. Truth be told, I still hadn’t decided. I mean, Ididwant her dead, just not right that moment. I wasn’tthatstupid.
“A mistake?” I took a step forward again, wrapping both hands around her throat and squeezing slowly, like a python. Her diamond necklace dug into my palms, but it wasn’t nearly enough to deter me. “Do you know what they did to me because of your fucking ‘mistake’? The police? The prison guards? The enemies of your fucking family?!”
“You know who I am, Sasha,” she wheezed, clinging to my wrists and digging her nails into my skin. “That wasn’t me. They made me do it! I saw what they did to you and I was scared!”
“Did you hear what I did to your brother? How I killed him? The steam cut through him like fucking butter. And before that? I peeled his fucking face off. Now... what do you think I’ll do to you?”
A couple of tears spilled down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering and whispering, like she was praying. Or begging. When she opened them again, black streaks ran beneath her eyes. “I’m not Yuri.”
“No. You’re worse.” I gave one final squeeze and threw her backward into the bookcase. Straightening my jacket, I pivoted on my heel and started for the door. “If I ever see you again, Iwillfucking kill you. I don’t care who is around.”
She sucked in a ragged breath behind me. “I came to warn you, Sasha.”
I didn’t stop walking.
“Fine. Just remember, when my father comes, you’re the one who sent me away. I could have helped you, but you didn’t want it.”
I stopped abruptly, keeping my back to her. “Kazimir is in prison.”
