31. Chapter Thirty-One #3
Nikolai froze, the blade hovering right above Dario’s eye. His gaze snapped to me. I was surprised he was even able to comprehend anything, given how much anger was blazing in his blue eyes.
“The kill is mine.” I pulled on the restraints.
“Please, get me down.” Despite how thankful I was at him for showing up before anything more happened, despite how much relief was flowing through me, I couldn’t stand another moment being tied up like that.
I needed to get down. I needed to cover myself.
Distress flashed across Nikolai’s face. He pulled Dario’s arm out straight, flattened his hand on the ground, palm up and drove his knife deep through it, pinning him to the floor. Dario screamed. Nikolai did the same thing to his other hand, effectively keeping him trapped right where he was.
“Lukyan!” he called out.
His brother came running into the room, a machine gun in his hands. Nikolai pointed to Dario on the floor and Lukyan nodded, running over. He kept his gun aimed at him as Nikolai sprinted over to me.
“Tati,” he breathed, eyes running up and down my body. His jaw clenched as he pulled my pants back up and then his hands were gripping the sides of my face, holding me tenderly. He lay his forehead against mine and let loose a deep, relieved sigh.
I closed my eyes and leant into him, breathing him in. He was there. He came. Somehow, against all odds, he’d found me.
My Knight.
He kissed me softly on the cheek, reverently, with all the love and care in the world before he quickly cut the restraints away.
I fell forward and he caught me, his strong arms wrapping around my waist. My limbs felt weak, my wrists and ankles aching with pain.
He supported my weight as he dragged me away from the table and down to the ground.
“I’m okay. I’m alright,” I reassured him, but he continued to sweep his hands over my body, needing to see for himself that I was unharmed.
“I was so worried. So scared. Fuck, Tatiana.” He held me tight, burying my face into his shoulder, squeezing me so hard, I struggled to breathe.
“Ty v poryadke. Ty v poryadke.” You’re okay.
You’re okay, he whispered into my hair. He wasn’t saying that to me.
No. He was saying that to himself, like he was trying to reassure himself that I was alive.
I hugged him back, the comfort and support he was providing instantly putting me at ease.
For one horrible second, I thought I was done for. I thought Dario was going to rape me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I’d never felt so powerless. So helpless. I didn’t fucking like it.
My eyes snapped to him, pinned to the ground with knives in his hands, still crying out in pain.
Vengeance surged in my veins, this overwhelming desire to make that despicable human being bleed and suffer all but consuming me.
I wanted him to see what it felt like to be fucking powerless, to have someone do something to you that you had no way of stopping.
I wanted him to feel helpless, like I had.
“Do we have time?” I asked, never taking my eyes off Dario.
Nikolai watched me closely. Because he knew me so well, because he was my Nikolai, he knew without hearing the words what it was that I wanted. What I needed.
He looked over his shoulder at his brother. “Lukyan. Time?”
Lukyan glanced at his watch. “Two minutes.”
Nikolai nodded. He helped me get to my feet and then walked me over to Dario, despite my protests that I could do it myself. His hands never left my body, like he was afraid that if he stopped touching me, I would disappear.
“Hold him still,” I commanded.
Lukyan threw his machine gun behind his back, the strap it was connected to stopping it from falling to the ground, and gripped his ankles, holding him down.
Dario fought, screaming and thrashing, cursing and spitting, but every time he moved, the knives in his palms would cut more into his skin, making him cry out in pain.
I dropped to my knees at his side. “Help me with his pants.” Nikolai didn’t hesitate, yanking his pants down.
“What are you doing?! Stop! Stop it!” His voice was filled with panic, and it made me smile.
Good. Let him fucking panic.
“Don’t! DON’T!”
Nikolai didn’t listen, pulling his underwear down next. The material pooled around his ankles and Lukyan adjusted his grip, making sure to keep his legs still.
I held out my hand and Nikolai slapped the hilt of a blade into my palm.
Dario’s eyes widened. “Wait, just wait. Please, don’t do this,” he begged, crying.
A sadistic smirk curled on my lips. I gripped his jaw roughly, holding the knife up for him to see.
“How many times were those words uttered to you right before you raped someone? Hmm?” I carved into his cheek and he screamed, blood trailing down his face.
I forced him to look at me, staring him dead in the eyes.
“ This is for all of those women who didn’t have a knight of their own to come and save them. ”
I clutched his flaccid dick in my hands and cut it off right at the base.
Dario screeched so loudly, it hurt my ears, his whole body thrashing and convulsing.
I pried his mouth open and shoved it inside.
Nikolai darted to the tray in the middle of the room and grabbed a roll of duct tape.
I kept my hand over Dario’s mouth, making sure he couldn’t spit his dick back out as Nikolai wrapped the tape around his head and over his lips.
Dario cried, whimpering and moaning. He was losing a lot of blood. I didn’t think he would last much longer.
I kicked him in the side and spat at him. “Svoloch.” Motherfucker.
I looked up at Nikolai, my heart so full of love and gratitude. He stretched his palm out in offering and I took it, placing my hand in his.