Chapter 36 Nyx #2
She marches towards me, gripping hold of my arm, and I allow a small tether of control to snap.
My elbow jerks upwards, in a fluid movement that cracks her nose.
She backs away, blood gushing from her fingers as she clutches them to her face.
Fuck that felt good. “I bet I’ve made you your plastic surgeon’s favorite customer recently.
” I taunt her, keeping my tone full of boredom.
I’m ready to reach her again, but my hands freeze midway, the click of a gun severing through my motor function.
Graves lazily holds the Glock, visible now that he’s untucked his hands from behind him.
“You touch her one more time and this bullet goes right between daddy's eyes.” My eyes focus on his gun as I grind my jaw, and I reluctantly pull away.
Natalia grips a fistful of my hair, yanking me to her front.
She saunters us over to a metal beam, shoving me the best she can against it as I whip round to face her.
She curls a claw, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, and I fight with every fiber of my being not to break her neck, hands fisting at my sides.
I could kill her in less than a second - easily.
But Graves's gun burns like a warning in my peripheral, and I won't be quick enough to stop a bullet.
Natalia’s breath fans loose hair across my face as she leans in to murmur.
“You took something very precious to me, now watch me take something of yours.” My eyes are locked to my dad, and I telepathically scream for him to wake up, to show any signs of life.
But my calls go unanswered. I lazily drag my gaze to hers, the need to torment her strong.
To keep her distracted until I can gather some form of plan.
“Did you practice that in the mirror this morning?” That sets her off, and she slams my head against the pillar with a scorching thud.
A laugh barks out of me, meeting her glare and lowering my voice so only she can hear.
“You know, your brother had me in this exact same position.” I lean in closer, so that my lips brush her ear, her breathing rapidly increasing as she fights to control herself.
“Right before I dragged my knife along his neck and watched him bleed to death.”
My vision temporarily blurs as she throws her fist into my temple.
I'll give it to her, Natalia can punch better than she can shoot.
She grabs me by the collar of my hoodie, pulling me back to eye level so she can hiss in my face.
“The only reason I never killed you in the club is because you're going to earn me a lot of money. I'm going to whore you out so bad, Nocturne won’t even want to look at you.” Annoyance licks its sticky tongue along my skin at the mention of his name on her lips.
But before I can throw another insidious insult back at her, the radio on her belt crackles to life, static cracking and voices battling their way through it.
Rushed words are spat in rapid fire Russian, and Graves comes pounding over as she listens intently.
The radio continues to fade in and out, and she clicks the receiver several times as an angry groan drawls past her lips.
I have no idea what’s being said, and going by the tightness of Graves face, he's struggling to work it out too with the tempo she rattles her own words out.
Natalia turns to head for the door, calling out “I'll go check.” But Graves grips her by the arm, pulling her back towards him, placing the gun in her hand. He wraps her fingers around it, like he’s just given her the key to the forbidden city.
“I'll go. You keep an eye on her. If she moves, shoot him. If she touches you… make sure not to get her in the thigh.” My toes curl at his sadistic jab towards Blitz.
Fucking Breathe, Nyx. My fists flex at my back to release the built-up tension soaring to the surface.
Natalia looks down at the gun, then back to me.
I huff a humorless laugh. “You should be careful with that.
Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, I've seen your aim—” My words are replaced with a forced exhale as she slams her fist into my gut, then whips the gun across my cheek.
I drop to the floor, a feral groan rumbling through my chest. Fuck this.
My muscles tense, itching towards breaking that same hand she used against me, when the bite of the familiar steel presses into my collarbone, Natalia forcing me to follow it back to the ground.
I want to disarm her, but I don’t want to risk a stray bullet hitting my dad with how tightly she has her fingers wrapped around it, and the wall beside us is in a metal casting.
It could ricochet. Her other hand reaches back, pulling a knife from her belt, the metal winking at me as it reflects from the overhead light.
She brings it to my neck, dragging it down the side with enough pressure, that I feel the hot liquid running down my skin and into my hoodie.
She still has the gun compressed firmly against my bone, and my teeth grind that I've let myself get into such an exposed position, but there’s too much at stake.
Too many fucking risks and nothing screaming out at me to solve them.
She leans over to my other side, undoubtedly turning my neck into a canvas.
Her hand drags the sharp paintbrush along my neck, and down the other side.
It’s not deep enough to kill me, but the knife is sharp enough to slice through the first layer of skin.
My eyes flick up to my dad, and I stiffen. He's not there.
I force my breathing to steady, my face remaining indifferent as my eyes focus downwards.
My blood drips in small, rain-like splatters across the ground from the razored edge.
Natalia yanks the sleeve of my hoodie up my arm, no hesitation as she digs the knife into my unscarred arm, pulling down and stopping just above my veins.
“Can't have you missing out on all the fun.” She pulls the sleeve back down, tapping her approval of her masterpiece. “When you look at these, you’ll be reminded you have the mark of a Volokov.” The blood seeps from my arm as she squeezes it tight, my fingers now coated in it as she glares at me.
The pain doesn’t even register as white hot rage burns in me, coiling me like a cobra ready to strike.
She swings the knife at my face, and my control is obliterated.
My hand shoots out, throwing the gun hand in the air, shots piercing the roof.
My leg springs up and boots her in the chest, sliding the gun from her grip as I send her flying back with a thump.
Her skull cracks off the ground and it sends a sickening thrill of satisfaction through my veins.
Like an addict that's been lurking around their fix, and they’ve finally caved to its call.
I rise to my feet to loom over to her, aiming the gun as I pick the knife up.
My finger skims the trigger at the same time the ground rumbles beneath my feet.
A large explosion thunders around us. The lights quiver above us, dirt and dust drift from the walls and ceiling, trickling over us and filling the space in a gritty haze.
Natalia’s wild eyes search the room, and a guard comes rushing in, calling out to her.
I raise the gun and fire two shots whilst keeping my gaze locked on her.
He crashes to the floor mid sprint, slumping in a heap at her feet, bullets pierced through his eye and forehead and thick red liquid starts to pool around him. Aim as sharp as a fucking tack.
She scrambles backwards on her hands; that earlier cockiness has now evaporated, her wide eyes staring at me, pathetically pleading with mine.
I lazily wander towards her, gun hanging loose at my side as I twist the knife in the other.
Her eyes dart to each of the weapons and it summons a villainous, sinister smile to my face.
I can smell the fear radiating from her.
“I’ll give you a head start Natalia,” I say, watching the dread spread across her as I whisper.
“Run.” She scurries to her feet, but as soon as she turns, she’s blocked by a rock solid form - one cladded in black tactical gear.
She clutches him, arms trembling and eyes tearing up as she stares at his hooded and shadowed face.
Muffled bullets begin a harmony from all around us, and the dark figure drags the hood from his head, then tugs the mask from around his mouth.
My smile only grows. Noc has a forbidding gleam in his eye as he stares down at her, disgust curling his lip into a sneer as she presses her trembling body to him.
“Nocturne,” her whisper drips with hysteria. “Please.”
His eyes drag from her to meet mine, like magnets instantly finding the source who commands them.
They continue their bone idle stroll, taking in my neck, wrist and the blood covered grey material that sticks to my body.
His jaw ticks as his zone back to her. “What size are you?” His words have goosebumps erupting all over my arms. Anyone listening in would think he was casually browsing clothes, but I recognize the dark undertone.
Natalia lets out a rush of breath. “What?”
Noc’s movements are like lightning, so fleeting and executed with such precision, she doesn’t even see it coming.
His left-hand latches to her like a viper strike, gripping her jaw as his dark gaze burns holes through her.
He spits his words through gritted teeth, “What. Size. Are. You.” She starts to ramble incoherent nonsense, his free hand pulls the gun from its straps, the long sleek barrel now firm against her forehead.
She finally manages to speak, stuttering her words. “A. Small.” Then a sob breaks free, making her choke, and an evil smile spreads over his face. His eyes look completely black, menacing.
“Good. My woman needs a new coat.” He looks at me and winks.