Chapter 31
HARMLESS
Poppy
As Bronte and I climb from his car and cross Indigo’s parking lot, I wave at Circe, Cas, and Bax. They’re practically bouncing on the balls of their feet by the entrance, the three of them having agreed to keep Bronte company inside the bar while I rendezvous with Nik.
None of them know the coroner I’ve been spending my time with, and they’re more than excited to meet him for themselves. Circe is brimming with spritely curiosity while Cas and Bax look like they’re ready to get the new guy hammered to spew his secrets like a frat boy during rush.
“Go on,” I insist as Bronte pauses, lingering by my side instead of parting from it.
His murderous glare doesn’t leave the mercenary lingering in the shadows outside the blue neon glow of the bar’s stylish sign, watching us with the same uncertain hesitancy we’re watching him.
“Enjoy some drinks with the crew while I take care of this.”
Bronte’s cheeks hollow as he drags deeply on his cigar. “I don’t trust him.”
“Do you trust me?”
“That’s not a fair argument, and you know it.”
Stretching to the tips of my boots, I kiss the edge of his frown. Instantly, his arms are around me. He holds me so close, I can feel his heart trying to beat from his chest to mine.
“I’m a big girl, mon ange. I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“I know you’re entirely capable of taking care of yourself, Petit Diable, but your track record with every Volkov so far has been less than ideal.”
“He won’t hurt me.”
“He could.”
“Let’s not forget you were once planning to turn me into a book. Yet here I am, in your overprotective embrace.”
“I’m not overprotective. I’m just protective enough.”
“Says the man crushing me with a hug.”
He nips the arch of my ear. “I’m exerting dominance.”
I snort then bite the sensitive spot beneath the corner of his jaw. His answering growl reverberates through my bones, making my toes curl. “You can exert dominance all you want later. Do as I say, and go inside. I need to do this alone.”
Bronte sighs cherry smoke through his nostrils. “If he tries anything, he’s getting shot in the head. Period.” He gifts me with a single harsh kiss that will definitely bruise my lips before releasing me and stalking toward the trio at the entrance.
Stifling my shivers in the absence of his heat, I close the distance between me and Nik. Trying to focus on the chill of the night and the muted bass pounding from inside the bar to keep my thoughts from straying to the hundreds of possibilities this meeting could end badly.
“Your guard dog isn’t pleased with being dismissed,” Nik remarks, smug as Bronte casts a final warning glare over his shoulder before disappearing inside with Circe, Cas, and Bax. “Does he lack faith in your abilities?”
“Do you?” His imperious smirk fades. “That’s what I thought.”
“What sparked the need for a private chat, printsessa?”
Keeping my hands close to my knife and gun, I tell him of St. Aurelius’s Cemetery and his family’s connections with Leviathan’s founding father. He listens with clinical detachment, his features betraying no emotion.
When I’m done, Nik turns his gaze to the night sky and asks, “Why are you telling me this?”
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“Bullshit.”
“Pardon?”
“This is a test. You wanted to see if I’d switch sides based on learning I’m a Leviathan legacy.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s at least partially true.” His gunmetal eyes drift back down from the stars and drop to my hand anchored to my hip an inch above my gun. “You think I’d turn my back on you from a single sliver of archaic history as if it means more than you ever did?”
A pregnant silence passes as my brain struggles to catch up. “I…”
“This endless mistrust continuously stems from the biggest mistake of my fucking life.” Nik drags an agitated hand over the jagged scar stretching like a lightning bolt from the back of his scalp to his left eyebrow.
“What I did to you was wrong, Poppy, and I know that. I did it because we never would’ve worked.
You’re a Morgenstern; I’m a Volkov. I’d been acting on instinct and made a split second decision that will haunt me forever. ”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “I don’t understand. What is this? A confession?”
“It’s the explanation I never gave you. I’m giving it to you now in the hopes you stop fucking insulting me by questioning my loyalty.”
The puzzle pieces finally begin snapping into place. “You did what you did to me because you wanted me to hate you? Because of some stupid war between our families that hung over our heads our entire lives before mine beat yours? Do you hear how childish that sounds?”
“Don’t get pissy. You should be thankful we weren’t another shit retelling of Romeo and Juliet. What you have now is a far better fit.”
A broken shard with his name on it still lodged in my heart dives deeper. Before I realize I’m moving, my blade is at his throat.
“This isn’t an explanation,” I spit, unbidden tears blurring my vision. “This is a pathetic excuse for a pathetic man who’s running from his demons rather than facing them. Face me, Nik. Hear me now and hear me true: You didn’t just hurt me when you locked me in the dark. You shattered me.”
There, a flicker of anguish. “I know.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t understand that I loved you, Nikolai Ivanovich Volkov. I loved you with everything I had to give, and you tossed me into a fucking closet like I was nothing but a broken toy you didn’t want anymore.”
I never told him I loved him. But I did.
Though, I’ve stopped counting the time that’s passed since the moment I met a certain coroner who cauterized that old wound shut.
Shame drags Nik’s chin down. “I know, printsessa. I’m sorry.”
It’s the first time he’s ever apologized for what he did.
I flatten my blade beneath his jaw, forcing his somber stare to mine.
“I forgive you, Nik. But next time someone offers their heart on a gilded platter, let yourself be loved. No matter who they are. You deserve it as much as the rest of us.” He nods, and I withdraw my blade.
“You have my apology for doubting your devotion to me and mine. Get inside, get wasted, and make bad decisions. That’s an order. ”
Nik chuckles, slow and slightly sadistic, but it’s benign. Harmless. As he’s been to me all this time. To think I almost killed him out of pure rage when I gave him that scar.
Guilt, heavy and destructive, crashes through my cranium as he walks away. Deafening white noise rises like a wave, numbing my senses. My vision darkens. My limbs lock. I sag against the building.
Then I see a demonic mask before my knife rips from my fist and spears into my stomach.