23. Vlad
23
VLAD
" S isi," I groan as I roll over, taking her with me in my arms.
Fucking Patrick. I hadn't pegged him for a loyal one. In fact, I'd have thought he would be the weakest link between the two. I certainly hadn't thought the lab would have a self-destruct mode either. And now that makes me even more curious about what they're hiding.
I get into a sitting position, annoyed at the destruction around us.
At least we got out in time.
"Sisi." I shake her, but she's not reacting.
Frowning, I drag her to my lap, using my hands to check her body for wounds.
"Sisi, it's not funny," I add, just in case she thought to prank me.
Just then, my hand brushes across her forehead, and a small rivulet of blood starts flowing down her temple, coating my fingers in the process.
My eyes become fixated on the shade of red, of her blood, my lids flutter closed as I bring my fingers to my mouth, tasting it.
Fuck.
I already feel myself slipping, the allure of the blood almost too much .
More...
My hands ball into fists as I try to resist, focusing instead on the still breathing human in my arms.
Focus.
"Sisi?" My voice trembles as I shake her, trying to get her to react.
Because if I lose it, she's the only one who can bring me back... the only one.
I attempt to regulate my breath, all the while feeling her body for more injuries. A head wound could prove dangerous. Information filters into my brain, and I focus on that. Facts are safe, science is safe.
Another deep breath.
Quickly taking my phone from my pocket, I activate the flash. Then I lift one lid, placing the light into her eye and watching it constrict when it meets the light. For the first time, as if bothered by the insistent light, she starts moving in my arms, a low moan escaping her lips.
I sigh in relief.
She's fine.
"Sisi," I use a gentler tone as I bring my fingers to her face, stroking her cheek and avoiding staring at the enticing blood staining her pale features.
God, but it's like a feast for a starving man.
"What..." she whispers, whimpering in pain as she brings her face to my shirt.
I don't waste any time in tugging her to my chest, holding the entire weight of her body as I stand up. I'm a little shaky, probably from the adrenaline overload, but right now the most important thing is to get Sisi back to my house and get her the care she needs.
I all but sprint to the car, where Seth is already outside, waiting. Seeing Sisi in my arms, he looks at me questioningly.
"She'll be fine," I tell him, refusing to believe she will be anything but okay.
The kids are quiet in the back as I load Sisi next to them, both looking at her with worry in their eyes. Considering they share the same condition as Vanya and I, they certainly look more empathetic than we'd ever been.
Seth buckled in the seat next to me, I'm ready to go .
I drive back to the compound in record time, ordering Maxim to get Seth settled in and handing the kids over to his wife, who is the only female living here and who might know how to behave with children.
When everyone has something to do, I call Sasha, our resident doctor, to look at Sisi's injury.
Getting to my room, I take off her clothes, dressing her in one of my shirts, so that she's more comfortable. Laying her on the bed, I quickly get a wet towel from the bathroom and wash her wound.
"Can you hear me, Hell Girl?" I ask, gently wiping the blood off her face.
"Mmm," She releases a sound low in her throat, turning around in bed as if she can't find a comfortable position. "What happened?" She yawns, slowly opening her eyes to peer at me.
I've always marveled at the color of her eyes, a light amber that swirls with dark specks. They are simply fascinating, and sometimes I find myself lost in them, almost as if I were lost in the redness of blood. The world falls away as she turns her gaze to me, batting those pretty eyelashes and making me lose my mind.
Literally.
As someone who prides himself on his keen intellect, the fact that I can so easily become mindless in her presence is a little disturbing.
"There was an explosion," I explain what happened, and that we are currently in my room.
She's a little disoriented as she looks around, raising herself to her elbows to have a sip of water.
Luckily, Sasha is right on time as he comes in and performs a checkup, assuring me her wound is nothing serious and that I should just let her rest, but monitor her throughout the night. Thanking him, I turn back to Sisi, who is frowning in confusion.
"I need to get home," she mumbles, scrambling out of bed and walking toward the door.
"No, you don't." I stop her, placing my hands on her shoulders to steady her.
"But..." She frowns, still looking out of it.
"I'll handle it," I tell her, already brainstorming ways to ensure no one will find out she's missing. "You know you can trust me, Hell Girl." I wink at her, attempting some light-heartedness.
"Okay." She nods, swaying a little on her feet.
"I got you." I swoop her up into my arms, returning her to bed and drawing the blanket up over her body.
"The kids?" she asks as she turns to her side, placing her hands under her head.
"They are fine. Seth too," I reply, brushing her hair off her face.
Sasha had applied a band-aid over the gash above her temple.
"Does it hurt?" I ask as I graze my hand over the gauze. She shakes her head slightly, letting out a big yawn.
"I feel tired," she whispers, looking worn out.
"Rest," I say, caressing her forehead, "I'll watch over you."
"Can you..." She trails off, and I swear I detect a blush creep up her cheeks. "Can you," she clears her throat, "get in bed with me?"
"You want me to get in bed with you?" A smile spreads over my face. "It must be my magnetic charisma that charms even the convalescent," I barely finish the phrase as her hands swat me.
"Fine, then don't." She pouts at me, moving to turn with her back to me.
"No, no," I call out, quickly shedding my clothes and getting into bed with her. "You're not getting rid of me, Hell Girl," I say as I move closer to her.
Her lips pull up into a smile as she swings an arm over my midriff, placing her head on my shoulder and giving me a quick kiss.
"Did you find what you wanted today?" she asks.
Putting my arm around her back, I tug her into me, resting my chin on top of her head.
"I don't know," I admit truthfully.
Certainly, I'd found out something. But it had only confused me more. I'll need more time to put all the pieces together to get the full picture.
"One thing is for sure. These people are more powerful than I previously gave them credit for. At least now I know the truth about why Vanya and I were taken when we were little."
"Your condition," Sisi adds, and I nod .
"If only I could remember what happened in those years... I'd have more insight into how these people operate, because it's clear that they perform experiments on people."
"Do you..." She starts, grimacing, "Do you think they did that to you too?"
"If they did, I don't remember. Maybe it was too horrific and I just blocked it all out," I joke, but Sisi doesn't find it funny.
"Don't..." She raises her head to look me in the eye. "It's not funny that they might have..." She trails off as she traces the raised ridges on my stomach.
"God," she whispers, getting into a sitting position and spreading her hands over my chest. "This is why you have so many tattoos, isn't it?" She whips her head up, her gaze accusatory. "My God, there are so many..." She shakes her head as she keeps on bumping into scar after scar.
Long, jagged lines that feel like surgeon's sutures mar my entire torso. Before I covered them in ink, I'd looked like a Frankensteinian monster, body parts sewn together to give the appearance of something human, when intrinsically it was anything but. I still remember the glances of pity that would nevertheless transform to horror as people turned away from me in disgust.
Freak.
Misha's appellation might have been appropriate, since I wasn't just wrong on the inside. I was wrong on the outside, too.
I bring my hand over hers, stopping her.
"You're too smart for your own good, Hell Girl," I say, staring intently at her.
I don't want her to know that part of my life, just like I don't want her to look at me differently. I've always known what I am, but the prospect of her truly knowing too is unusually distressing.
And how she's managed to connect what she saw in that factory to the scars on my body is beyond me.
"It's true, isn't it?" she continues, her features filled with worry.
"Might be." I shrug. "I don't remember."
It's technically true, but for the first time, I find myself uncomfortable in my own skin. No one's ever seen or touched my scars besides Vanya. But seeing that she's just a figment of my imagination, I don't think she counts.
"Vlad, that's awful," she whispers, tears accumulating at the corners of her eyes.
I freeze, stunned as I see one tear make its way down her cheek.
"You..." I blink twice, unsure of what's happening. "You're crying," I say numbly, "for me..."
"Of course, you fool." She brings her fist down on my chest in a light punch. "How can I not when I just have to close my eyes and see the child you were and the things they must have done to you." She sniffles, and more tears fall down her cheeks.
"Sisi," I say her name, speechless for the first time.
No one's ever cried for me. No one's cared enough to.
I slowly bring my hands up, swiping her tears with my thumbs, simply floored that someone would cry for me.
"Don't, Sisi," I gruff out, "I'm not worth your tears," I tell her, tenderly stroking her cheeks.
Sometimes I'm more animal than human, and animals certainly don't deserve her misplaced emotions. They don't deserve anything.
"You." Her mouth opens in shock, her eyes wide with pain. "What are you talking about?" She shakes her head at me, covering my hand with hers and bringing it to her mouth.
"You are worth it." She lays a kiss onto my open palm. "You're worth it to me," she continues, and I can only stare at her, unable to cope with the responses she's coaxing out of me.
I wish I came with an instruction manual. Then I'd know how to react when this exquisite being decides to waste her energy on someone like me.
"You're worth it," she repeats, leaning forward to touch her lips to mine, brushing them back and forth over my skin. I can taste the saltiness of her tears, and they are imbued with a strange aroma, causing a tingling in my body.
Uncomfortable. It's out of my comfort zone.
"Sisi," I groan, but she just continues her ministrations, kissing my neck before going lower, to my chest. "What are you doing? "
"Showing you that you are worthy," she speaks against my skin, licking it once before blowing hot air and making me shiver.
She takes her time as she traces each scar, her lips the cure I didn't know I needed. And as they slide lower and lower, covering every inch of my skin, I can't ignore the way my entire being is responding to her.
She's pushing me into an unfamiliar corner, and for a second I feel trapped and overwhelmed by thousands of things all at once.
I can't do this.
Instead of dwelling on the other things she's making me feel, I simply focus on my body's response to hers, and the way only she can make me react.
"Not like this." I don't know where I find the strength to say it. Not when all my instincts are telling me to take her. Turn her on her back and fuck her until she's screaming bloody murder. Pump my cum into her and mark her as mine forever.
But I can't. Not yet.
"You deserve better than a simple roll in the hay," I tell her honestly, amazed at myself and the control I'm displaying. "When I finally fuck you, I want you to be at full capacity," I nibble at her lower lip, "so I can destroy you myself."
"Damn it, Vlad," she half-moans, wedging her wet pussy right on top of the head of my cock. I close my eyes, at war with myself. There's just some piece of fabric separating us, and the thought makes me groan out loud once more.
Who told me to be so fucking noble?
But the truth is that I know it would end me if I did something wrong and she'd never forgive me for it.
There's this urge inside of me to take her like an animal, mount her and fuck her like a beast. But if I give in... I'm scared she might turn away from me. Finally realize just how unnatural my desires and I are and leave me.
I can't risk that. I can't ever risk her shunning me. And if I have to deny myself, then so be it.
"So you're just going to leave me like this?" she whines, her hands splayed on my chest as she's moving up and down my shaft.
"How could I?" I smirk, trailing my hands down her body until I reach her panties. They're so thin, so fragile, that they give way with one snap of the fabric. When I find myself with unfettered access to her pussy, I simply can't help myself.
I lower my boxer briefs, releasing my stiff cock into Sisi's waiting hands as she strokes me, her thumb playing with the head. I'm already leaking, as I always do when she's so close to me. She swipes some of the moisture from my cock and brings it to her mouth, licking her fingers clean.
She's certainly lively for someone who was moaning in pain just a short while ago.
"I love your taste," she says enticingly, flicking her tongue over my lips in a brazen move. I open my mouth, catching it and sucking on it.
"My dirty little nun likes cock." I bite onto her tongue until I feel blood spurt into my mouth. Sisi doesn't pull away, her eyes glazed with arousal as she gives me a come-hither look, daring me to consume her. She glides her tongue over my teeth, luring me into deepening the kiss. And when I do, she returns the favor, taking my tongue and biting it down until my own blood fills her mouth.
"Yes," she breathes out, moaning into my mouth. "I'm your dirty little nun." She leans back to watch me with hooded eyes, the corner of her mouth stained with our combined blood, and for the first time, the red liquid makes me want to fuck, not kill.
"And what does that make me?" I ask cheekily, entranced by the way her features react to every touch.
"God," she replies, her eyes half-closed, " my God," she continues, her arms winding around my neck as she gives me full control over her mouth.
Ah, but how can I refuse that?
Holding her close, I devour her, exchanging blood in a dangerous kiss that has me teetering on the precipice. I reach for her ass and guide her over my shaft, her pussy lips spread to accommodate my length.
"And what do you do for your God, my dirty little nun?"
My hands on her ass cheeks, I knead them as she moves in circular motions over my erection, the head brushing over her entrance, the greedy bastard pushing forward as it tries to get past her barrier. She's so fucking wet that her pussy's sliding effortlessly over my cock. It would be so easy to slip inside...
"Pray," she cries out just as my cock glides over her clit, "worship, obey." Her words make me even harder, and it takes everything in me to stop myself from coming or fucking her until she's screaming my name.
Or both.
"Fuck yes." I move my lips lower over her throat, sucking on the pulse point. "Pray to me," I rasp, wanting to hear her soft voice beguiling me, asking me to fuck her into eternity and beyond.
And ah, but I would. I'd make a deal with the devil himself if I could tie her to me forever.
"Oh my dear God," she starts, a saucy grin on her face as she peers at me, "please suck on my breasts."
"You want me to suck on these pretty titties?" I ask, my hand coming up to cup them through the material of her shirt.
"Yes, please." She bats her eyelashes at me, the minx knowing fully well that I can't resist that trick.
I tug her shirt down, her breasts bouncing free and into my face. Leaning forward, I take a nipple into my mouth while my hand plays with the other.
"Vlad," she moans my name, increasing the friction as she takes her pleasure. I bite down on her nipple, and her orgasm hits, her entire body trembling, her pussy soaking my cock even more.
Her hands are clawing at my back, her nails already digging into my skin as she's tensing, her muscles spasming as she's riding her climax.
Taking advantage of her dazed state, I turn her on her back, her legs wide open, her pretty pussy greeting me nice and sated. Pushing her knees apart, I lean down, giving her a long swipe as I taste her release, sucking her clit in my mouth and making her come again.
Hands in my hair, she's tugging at my scalp as her thighs close around my head, her voice loud as she's screaming my name.
"Vlad," she whimpers, grabbing at my shoulders and dragging me up her body for a kiss, her hands reaching for my cock.
At this point, I'm so hard I'm almost bursting. I line my cock to her pussy, thrusting against her lips as I move my length up and down, her warm juices coating my shaft and making me groan at the sensation.
Skirting by her hole, I'm almost tempted to throw caution to the wind and just take her, but for the first time, I don't want to allow my selfish desires to ruin this experience for her.
Even though I'd give anything to have just the tip of my cock nestled inside her tight body...
"Fuck," I curse out, closing my eyes to regain some control over myself.
"Let me," she whispers, wrapping her hands around my cock as she jerks me off, moving up and down, her grip firm and tight. Her fingers work their magic as I simply close my eyes, giving in to the pleasure that only she can give me. My cum shoots in hot spurts on her stomach, my release unending as I struggle to find my breath.
"Hell Girl..." My eyes snap open to see her swirl my cum around on her stomach, coating her fingers in a thick layer before dipping them lower to her pussy. She plays with herself, her fingers brushing past her clit as she spreads my cum around her lips. Two digits go lower, pushing at her entrance as she presses my seed all the way inside.
"My greedy little nun," I rasp, unable to take my eyes off the way her pussy is eating my cum, the white perfect against her glistening pink. Taking my fingers, she prompts me to do the same.
"I like yours better; they're bigger." She blushes, and I can only oblige.
Using two fingers, I press all my cum inside of her, swiping at her walls, the velvety feel of her channel only making my cock weep with envy. Slowly moving my fingers in and out, Sisi is soon moaning again, lifting her hips and widening her legs so I can fuck her better.
"That's... right there," she cries out as I stroke her deep inside, her walls immediately contracting around my fingers. "Yes, God!"
I collapse next to her, and she burrows closer, snuggling in the crook of my arm. Her fingers are back to tracing the surface of my chest, and my discomfort from earlier resurfaces. She's making my skin tingle with an awareness that wasn't there before, and I don't know if I like it. As she continues with her caresses, my breathing hitches, my mind going into overdrive. I start thinking of all the possibilities, all the things that could happen but should not.
"I'm going to take a shower," I blurt out, taking her hands off me and rising from the bed. "After that, I'll take you home," I say, not waiting for her reply as I head to the bathroom.
I spend some time under the shower, the water ice cold to calm my errant heart and bring some clarity into my turbulent mind. I don't like feeling like this... It's just like being on the cusp of an attack that never comes, my body primed for fight, my mind ready to slip.
But it doesn't.
I'm breaking down. There's no other explanation for it. My expiration date is nearing. I'd known for a long time that I wasn't going to live forever, not with the way both body and mind betray me.
My limbs start trembling, from cold or residual adrenaline I don't know. I just recognize my own failing body as it seeks an equilibrium.
Human biology is so mind-blowing; it can immediately recognize foreign bodies and expel them, ensuring continuation of life. The entire purpose of one's body is to protect itself from the outside.
But what if the danger comes from the inside?
I am the foreign entity in my own body, and I can feel it trying to rebel against my presence, wrestling with my own conscience to throw me out.
I'm running out of time.
The realization is both sobering and, for the first time, saddening.
I need to get to Katya before anything happens to me. I need to punish Vanya's killer. And more than anything, I need more time with Sisi before I lose myself.