Trapping His Angel (The Petrov Legacy #4)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

I sadora Paéz

Seventeen Years Old

The Academy

I hated living in this old church. The Academy forced me here. This old place with its catacombs running through the basement, a secret known to only a few. I spent extensive time down there when I was younger. Just the thought had me running full force on the treadmill, my legs burning, my lungs screaming for air, but I didn’t care. I needed the pain, the numbness it brought, to keep the chaos in my mind at bay. My shoes pounded the belt beneath me in a frantic rhythm, drowning out the noise of everything around me. The gym was mostly empty, just the way I liked it. I could pretend, just for a little while, that I was anywhere else but here.

Lost in the steady thrum of my heartbeat, I barely noticed Valentina’s approach. She always moved so quietly, like a ghost haunting these hollow, sterile halls. I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye, just before she reached over and slammed her hand on the red emergency button. The treadmill jerked to a stop, and I stumbled, catching myself on the handrails before I could hit the ground. My chest heaved as I steadied myself, disoriented and annoyed.

“What the hell, Valentina?” I snapped, yanking my earbuds out. My pulse thundered in my ears, adrenaline still coursing through me. I turned to face her, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. She looked nervous, her eyes darting everywhere but at me. Something was wrong.

“Are you running another sewing class?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light, but I could feel the tension radiating off her. My stomach twisted. I could read Valentina better than anyone, and the look on her face wasn’t good. I waited for her to answer, but all she did was shake her head, her mouth pressed into a tight line. My irritation faded, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

“What’s going on?” I pushed, my voice lower now, tinged with anxiety. I hated when she got like this, skittish and quiet, like she was holding back something awful. She finally met my eyes and the sadness there made my heart drop.

“Headmaster Mikhail wants to see you in his office.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, each word heavy with dread. I froze, the air around me thickening, suffocating. My stomach clenched, as panic clawed its way up my throat.

“No,” I said automatically, shaking my head, as if denying it would make it untrue. The last time I’d been called to his office, it had nearly broken me. I’d spent weeks recovering from the injuries, both physical and mental, and the thought of going through it again made me sick. My hands shook as I wiped my sweaty palms on my leggings.

Valentina just stared at me, her expression a mix of anger, fear, and helplessness. She couldn’t change it any more than I could. My mind was spinning, replaying the last time Mikhail dragged me into his office, the cold steel of restraints against my skin, the sound of his voice, sharp and commanding. I didn’t know if I could do it again.

My head spun, and I felt myself slipping away, retreating to that place inside, where the fear couldn’t reach me. I’d learned to dissociate during the worst moments, to shut down and disconnect, even if it was just for a while. It was a survival mechanism, one that kept me sane when the world around me was falling apart. I stared blankly at Valentina, my body here, but my mind far away, safe in a void where nothing could hurt me.

She must have noticed because she squeezed my arm, snapping me back to the present. I forced a bright, empty smile, the kind I’d perfected over the years. “Guess I better not keep him waiting, huh?” I said, trying to sound unfazed, but my voice cracked at the end. My heart pounded, each beat a reminder of the terror I couldn’t quite hide.

Valentina’s eyes welled with tears, and she looked away, blinking rapidly. She was the only teacher I could trust. She treated me like a little sister. I hated seeing her like this; so defeated, like she’d already given up on me. I knew she couldn’t protect me, no one could, but it still hurt to see her look at me like I was some lost cause.

I brushed the white streak of hair out of my face, feeling a pang of bitterness. My poliosis was just one more thing that made me different, a glaring reminder of how messed up my life had become. Sometimes, I wondered if the patch where my hair lacked color was seeping into my soul, draining me of whatever strength I had left. But I couldn’t afford to think like that. Not now.

As we walked out of the gym, Valentina reached for my hand. Her grip was warm but trembling, and I knew she was trying to offer me whatever comfort she could, even if it was pointless. My legs felt heavy, my steps slow, every inch of me resisting the pull toward Mikhail’s office. I tried to distract myself, imagining Valentina’s made-up trips to faraway places, her voice chirping about exciting flights, and adventures. Anything to keep my mind off what was waiting for me behind that door.

We stopped in front of the Headmaster’s office; the door looming like a dark, menacing mouth, ready to swallow me whole. Valentina squeezed my hand one last time, her eyes pleading with me to be strong, to endure just a little longer. I tried to muster up some of that strength, but all I felt was fear.

“Isa?” Valentina turned to me. “I love you so much. I’m going to miss you while I am away.” She knew people listened, and watched, everywhere within these walls.

“I’ll be fine,” I lied, giving her the same bright smile I’d been faking for years. But we both knew the truth. I wasn’t fine, and I hadn’t been for a long time.

Valentina pulled me into a quick, tight hug. “Remember what I said, Isa. I love you. Hold on to that,” she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears. I nodded, holding on to her for just a second longer, before pulling away.

I watched Valentina harden her heart against my troubles, so she could do whatever awful assignment Headmaster Mikhail required.

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders, as I reached for the doorknob. My hand was shaking, but I forced myself to turn it, stepping into the lion’s den again. The door closed behind us with a heavy click, and we were alone with him, the familiar terror settling in, as I prepared myself for whatever fresh hell Headmaster Mikhail had in store.

“You may leave,” he addressed Valentina, never taking his beady eyes off of me.

He said nothing until the door was closed. “Have a seat, Isadora. Do you know why I called you in here?”

I shook my head no. “Did I do something wrong, Headmaster?” It was best to play stupid. Maybe he would have an off night, and send me back to my dorm with a lecture.

He shuddered at the sound of his title coming out of my mouth, ick. “Not wrong per se, my child. I had some troubling reports of your behavior.”

He moved the paperwork on top of his desk, like he had the real report right in front of him, and not that it was made-up bullshit from the other teachers. Women sometimes could be frustrating.

“What did I do wrong, sir?” I folded my hands in my lap, waiting for the charade to end.

“Well, you’ll be eighteen soon, and it looks like you are failing Household Management, and your Art of Entertaining classes, which is surprising from someone of your background.” He tsked.

“You mean because my father is the head of the Venezuelan Cartel?” I clarified numbly.

“Hm, I was thinking with your roots,” he shot me a pointed look. “You’d already know how to do this. Your people have spirit, don’t they?”

I would not call him racist to his face. That would catch me a punishment, but just because I was half Latina, didn’t mean that I had some kind of generic fiery temper for him to get off on.

Part of me wanted to kick his ass, but growing up in the shadows held me back, hidden like a terrible secret, and I guess I was, in some ways. I refused to let him see anything ugly in my personality, giving him no chance to blame my roots or home training, like he had since the moment they shipped me off to this godforsaken tomb.

“No, my people , as you so eloquently put it, don’t all know about these things.”

He snapped his fingers like he’d had a eureka moment. “I’m just saying, with a whore as a mother, shouldn’t you excel in these classes? Are you trying hard enough? ”

I ground my teeth together to hold back my tongue. “I guess.” I shrugged.

“Kids these days. Well, I’m going to have to put you in sped-up classes. Your family, along with your soon-to-be husband, are not fans of this report card and neither am I.” He put on his ‘I’m so disappointed in you’ look.

He shuffled some papers around and then stood. I knew not to get up. He would tell me what he needed from me. He walked towards me and unbuckled his belt, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

“Open your mouth,” he demanded.

I didn’t. I wouldn’t. His foul appendage dangled weakly in my face, and all I could think of was to bite it off. The last time I attempted that, was the first time he sent me to the tombs though. I couldn’t go back down there.

For now, I sat.

He chuckled, his menacing presence over the top of me like a plague. “You think you’re being brave right now.” He leaned forward, his halitosis breath wafting in my face, nauseating me. “You’ll regret that.”

I shivered in my seat, but if this was the last act of defiance, then I was damned sure going to make it count. I was almost an adult. If he killed me now, my father wouldn’t be too pleased, not when the Cartel almost had everything in their reach.

He pinched my cheeks, trying to force my mouth open, but I wouldn’t budge. He swung my face back and forth, losing his temper, then he slapped me.

“Open your fucking mouth!” He screamed in my face, spittle hitting my eyes.

I kept it closed.

He took a step back, then went over to his desk and reached inside a drawer. He withdrew a vial filled with an iridescent, blue substance.

My father had talked about creating this drug, but I didn’t think he had finished it. Last I heard, it had broken down in the lab, and the effects lasted thirty minutes at best, before the body metabolized it.

He lifted his head and inhaled deeply, as he inserted the needle into his veins. I couldn’t hear anything over my racing heartbeat. This was going to hurt. He could go for hours, and I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“Once I finish satisfying myself, I’m going to break you,” he warned. “Your, what do you girls call her? Your sister cannot protect you now,” he added.

I gulped, and he walked toward me. The drug was already taking hold. I jumped out of the chair, but it was too late. He caught me around the waist and I kicked out, screaming.

“No!”

His cock was hard against my back as he chuckled. “Don’t fight me now.” He slammed me on the floor.

I tried to squirm away, reaching for nothing, as there wasn’t anything on the floor to fight back with. I lifted my leg and tried to kick out, but he bore his weight down on top of me.

“Please stop,” I begged.

He ripped my clothes off, and shoved himself deep inside me with no hesitation. I screamed, and he laughed loudly above me. “No one cares, but you will submit to me, and be my little fuck toy.”

I couldn’t get away, but I screamed until my voice grew hoarse. I held onto my fight for hours, as he assaulted every hole. He turned me every which way but loose. He tore me apart.

As he thrust into my ass for the third time, I stared at the floor. My tears had dried long ago. I kept trying to kick out weakly. He laughed, and called me all kinds of names, as he forced his cock inside of me.

It burned so much.

I cried and tried to elbow my way away from him, but he held me tighter and forced himself deeper. The pain was excruciating, but I couldn’t escape it. He kept going until I knew nothing but pain, and him. I could barely ball my fists. My body felt weak when he finally pulled off me.

His glazed eyes glared at me. “Your fight is no longer cute.”

“F-fuck y-you,” I said weakly, trying to move my hands to give him the finger.

Sweat dried on his chest, as he grabbed me by my hair. I screeched, trying to get away, but he dragged my body through the halls. No one cared about my cries. No one checked to see what was going on. He mumbled about my disobedience, dragging me down the stairs, without a care that my naked body hit every step on the way down. The bastard relished it.

All I could do was cry, and try to rip his fingers out of my hair. I weakly kicked, trying to stop our trajectory, but that just succeeded in getting my legs hurt worse, as he swung me into things purposefully.

Another flight down, into the dark and cold cellar of the school. They never allowed us down here. Headmaster Mikhail pulled me along the dirt floor until he stopped. He let go of my hair abruptly and I fell face first to the floor.

I looked up in horror as I heard a cement casket cover. He pushed it aside and came for me. I tried to flip around and scramble backward away from him, but it didn’t work. He grabbed me by my arm until he could pull me close enough to grip my throat.

“I bet, after some time down here alone to think about your actions, you’ll be a bit more obedient, hmmm.” Headmaster Mikhail lifted me, and tossed my body inside the coffin, like I was a rag doll.

The older adult’s decrepit body was all bones, and I screamed as I tried to get away. The lid slid over my head and I tried to reach up to stop it. He wouldn’t close it completely, but I was too weak to move it enough to get out .

“N-No!” I cried out, scrambling to get out of this tomb.

“Next time you’ll be compliant, won’t you?” Headmaster Mikhail demanded.

Sobbing, I cried out, “Please let me out, I’ll be good.”

“Too bad I don’t believe you.” I heard his footsteps grow fainter and screamed, trying to claw my way out.

I dug my nails into the cement, uncaring that they broke and bled all over my face. I screamed until my vocal cords gave out, and I tried to pry my way out.

“I can’t breathe!” I sobbed, clutching my chest as I gasped for breath.

There was no response. Headmaster Mikhail wasn’t coming back to take me out of this hellhole anytime soon. My arms grew tired from trying to get out of the casket.

“Please,” I whispered, using my last breath.

That was when the rats came.