38. Tatiana #3
“Umm, he can’t talk yet,” Vasili remarked, suspicion in his eyes about my clear head.
I grinned. “Well, he talks to me.”
“Impossible,” Alexei protested matter-of-factly. “He’d talk to his papa first.”
“Go home and find out,” I uttered, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
“She’s really eager to get rid of us. Isn’t she, Brother?” Alexei asked calmly.
“I think you might be right,” Vasili agreed, letting out a sardonic breath. He stood up, then straightened his impeccable suit, the move reminding me of my husband. “Shall we then?” he asked Alexei as he joined him by the door.
“Yes, yes, he shall,” I answered on his behalf.
Then without any warning, I ran to both of them and hugged them. Alexei stiffened slightly, but then relaxed. I didn’t take it personally. It was his instinct.
“Okay, no more hugging,” I announced after a short moment. I didn’t want to torture Alexei, but I needed him to know he was as important to me as Vasili. We were family. “Now, get lost. Get lots of sleep and catch your flight out.”
Both of my brothers disappeared through the door and my eyes glanced at the clock. I let out a small breath, then counted to one hundred before I headed out. I walked out of my room, my eyes darting to the end of the hallway, before I headed downstairs.
My pulse fluttered with each step I took. I missed Illias. It was so goddamn easy to get used to him and his presence. Maybe I had an addictive personality and never noticed it until that man slammed into my life. Or maybe it was all about this man who was part of me before I even knew about him.
The first floor was empty. The entrance hall was so quiet that I thought I’d heard footsteps of old ghosts roaming the halls. I held my breath, listening. It almost sounded like an echo of moans. I frowned, or maybe they sounded more like cries.
I followed the sound. The closer I got the easier it was to distinguish the cries of pain. They carried up from below and made me shiver. I took another flight of stairs, this one made of old stone that looked to be part of the castle when it was built.
My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands and my chest squeezed. I paused for a moment, wondering if it was wise to see what was going on. Clearly, Illias nor my brothers wanted me to see it if they all feigned oblivion.
I pushed a heavy steel door open then peered down another long, dark staircase. Jesus, how far down did this castle go? I held my breath as I crept down the remaining steps.
Another cry of pain carried through the hall. It was close. I was almost there. A heavy wooden door with iron bars was just a few steps away. I swallowed and took a step closer, scared of what I might see but I knew I couldn’t stop. Not when I was so close.
One more step and I leaned forward, coming face-to-face with the reality of what my husband had been doing for the past few days. A woman, drenched in blood, hung off the ceiling, her cries of pain traveling through the room and passing me right along the hallway.
From the looks of it, her fingers were broken. Black, purple, and bloody. Nails, if there were any left, were covered in crusty blood. Her knees were broken.
Bile shot up my throat.
Alexei leaned against the dark wall, his complexion stone cold, but there were beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He hated basements. He hated enclosed basements. But it was the sight of Illias that shocked me.
I knew he was ruthless. I knew it was required to survive in our world. But it was different seeing it like this. His white shirt was covered in blood. His rolled-up sleeves revealed those strong hands that held me. That loved me. Except now, they were drenched in blood.
And my husband’s face was pure terror. There was no pity, no mercy. Absolutely zero emotion. Just a granite mask. Judging from his expression, he didn’t feel anything.
“Give me information on Sofia Volkov,” he snarled, holding the pliers against her wrist.
“It can be over,” Alexei said, his voice so cold that goosebumps rose on my skin. “You aligned yourself with the wrong person. She kidnaps, tortures, and traffics children. Just tell us and this is all over.”
She laughed. “Go. To. Hell.”
Illias’ lips curled. Cruel and cold. “Lady, I’ve been there. And they didn’t want me.”
He clamped the pliers together, the sound of bones crunching filling the air.
My eyes widened. The dinner I ate made its way up my throat. I hunched over just in time to throw up all over the stone floor.
“Tatiana!” Illias’ voice registered, but I was too busy emptying the contents of my stomach. “Fuck, Alexei, get her out of here.”
I straightened up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Alexei advanced on me, imposing and cold. The arctic look in his eyes froze me down to my soul.
“A-Alexei,” I rasped, feeling a semblance of fear in my brother’s company. Not of him. But of the past that lurked in his eyes that gave me a glimpse of the shit he had to endure. It was all there, staring back at me.
“Go to bed, Tatiana.” He didn’t touch me, however this time it was because he feared I’d reject his closeness. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
I swallowed another flood of bile threatening to come up, my eyes darting to the battered woman hanging from the ceiling. Her eyes met mine, green like Adrian’s, and recognition washed over me.
“You!” I said.
She smiled, a batshit crazy smile. “She’s gonna come for you all,” she murmured. “All of you. There’s no stopping it. I can’t wait to see her burn your babies alive.”
“Shut her up!” Alexei growled, his eyes never wavering from me. “This bitch won’t tell us anything tonight.”
Illias took tentative steps towards me, still covered in blood. The coppery scent hung like fog in the air, clogging my throat and I couldn’t stop it. Another round of vomit came up and I hunched over.
And the whole time the woman cackled and cackled. Like she had lost her mind.
Maybe she had. Maybe I had.
Because I felt no remorse or pity for her.