31
I open my eyes to find myself in a white room. The specks of intense light continue to interfere with my vision, and something soft keeps moving across my cheek.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“I’m a little dizzy.” He locks his jaw, removing his fingers from my face. I move until I’m sitting on his lap, resting my head on his chest as I curl up under the sheets.
“It’ll pass soon,” he says, then caresses my back with his lips resting on my head. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I…”
“Don’t apologize for that. It wasn’t your fault.”
“If something had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself,” he murmurs with sorrow, pressing our foreheads together. I capture his lips, pulling him closer to me. “I have no intention of leaving you, not even for a minute,” he whispers over my lips.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy now,” I murmur with a grimace. I can’t keep using Grace all the time as an excuse to get out of the house.
“If it’s because of your parents, I’ll talk to them myself. I want us to live together. At least until I can get you to safety again. You’d be safer here, with me.”
“I still don’t understand what’s going on,” I say, avoiding the topic. I frown to give more validity to my not-so-feigned confusion. He looks at me with a dangerous glint in his eye, instantly seeing through my lies, but he lets it go.
“It’s Norman. He’s furious with me because he can’t have you.”
“What? But that can’t be, he… Oh, shit.” My head starts to hurt from the number of thoughts racing through my mind.
I don’t even know when all this happened. I don’t remember having any contact with that man. And if I accepted his gifts, it was because I thought they were from Alek. I don’t understand a damn thing.
“I won’t let them hurt you again. They’ll have to get past me first.” I shake my head. The last thing I want is to put him in danger because of me.
“Don’t say that.”
“You know I would give absolutely everything for you, including my life.” His words make that familiar tingling sensation return to my stomach with more intensity than ever.
I part my lips, my breathing still rapid.
He gently presses his lips against mine.
“I love you,” he says, brushing our noses together.
The door bursts opens with a bang and we pull away. My brother bursts into the room a second later.
“Can we talk alone?” Jason asks in a tired tone. He reluctantly gets up, probably making an effort not to argue with my brother and the way he opened the door. “Are you okay?” he asks as soon as we are alone.
“I could be better,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. The effects of the anesthesia haven’t completely worn off.
“What’s going on? No one here wants to tell me a damn thing.”
“Alek says Norman wants to kill me,” I reply with a tired sigh.
“Why the hell would he want to do that? As far as I know, Ray has nothing against him.”
“He’s supposedly interested in me. Romantically,” I clarify with a grimace of disgust. Saying it out loud makes it real, far from just a few thoughts.
“Can’t you get normal boyfriends? A doctor, a teacher, a McDonald’s cashier,” he scoffs.
“That’s not funny, Jason.”
“It isn't. Every time you find someone new, the family is at risk,” he says, taking a seat next to me. “So what are you planning to do now?”
“He wants me to come live here for a while.” He raises both eyebrows, his eyes identical to mine fixed on me.
“I don’t think Ray’s going to take it very well. Not to mention Sophie. She’ll probably faint when she sees her new son-in-law,” he says, trying to stifle a giggle. I shake my head, pressing my lips together.
I’ve always found it strange that he refers to our parents by their first names.
It’s as if he feels very detached from them, especially my father.
I’ve never understood why. In my eyes, they get along quite well.
They even do things together without me and my mother as a way to bond and spend more time together.
“I know,” I say with a grimace, lowering my head.
“If you get kicked out of the house, at least you know where to come,” he scoffs, stifling another laugh. My cell phone starts ringing in the distance and my brother quickly gets up to answer it. “It’s Ray,” he murmurs, handing me the phone.
“Dad?” I say, my voice a little hoarse.
“Everything okay? You guys left a while ago, and Lance told me you left without him.” I bite the tip of my tongue, controlling the lump in my throat. Just as I’m about to answer, Jason snatches my phone and does it for me.
“We’ve been attacked and Lena is injured.
We’ve taken refuge at Alek’s house because they’re…
” I give him a look that says don’t even think about it.
He ignores me with a broad smile, leaving the word he was going to say hanging in the air on purpose.
“We’re very good friends. All three of us.
” He then nods, listening to my father’s words.
“He says he’s on his way,” he says once the call ends.
“Why the hell do you have to have such a big mouth?”
“I did you a favor so it would be easier for you to reveal the truth about your boyfriend.”
“Oh, thank you,” I spit out, crossing my arms. “I was supposed to be the one to say it.”
“Pfft. We all know you were just going to keep putting it off,” he says, winking at me.
“You’re a big mouth.”
The door opens making our heads turn in that direction. When I see Alek with a tray of food in his hands, my expression relaxes slightly. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. Jason glances at the tray and gets up from the bed.
“I think it’s time for me to go. I’ll be in the kitchen, making myself something to eat. Since no one here cares about my poor empty stomach,” he says with a pout before closing the door.
“My father is on his way,” I murmur, pursing my lips.
“Well, that’s not so bad,” he says softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
“Just thinking about it makes me nervous.”
“Don’t worry about that, just try to eat something. I need you to get well as soon as possible.” I snort, turning my face away from the spoon he brings to my lips.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” I purse my lips and furrow my brow.
“Yes, I am. It’s just a simple wound.” He tries to hide a smile, his eyes fixed on my face.
“What?” I ask, raising both eyebrows. He shakes his head.
“I’ll talk to him myself, is that okay?” I nod my head, not entirely convinced. Something tells me that conversation could end in broken bones and black eyes.
He brings the spoon back to my lips, and this time I have no choice but to swallow the thick soup until there is nothing left in the bowl. Then I settle into bed with a groan as I feel a sharp pain in my injured arm.
“Does it hurt?” I nod my head, pressing my lips tightly together.
“I think the anesthesia is wearing off,” I whisper hoarsely, feeling his hands caressing my scalp.
“I’ll get you some painkillers.”
“No. Stay here,” I whisper, clinging to his arm. He hesitates, but then sits down beside me. Almost immediately, his fingers are back on my hair, leaving sweet caresses in my scalp. I surrender to the exhaustion and fall into a deep sleep.
When I wake up, I am completely alone in the room. The pain in my arm subsides, although that doesn’t stop me from feeling uncomfortable moving around because of the stitches.
“Come in,” I say when I hear a knock on the door. “Oh, it’s you.” Sergei looks at me, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I saved your life. You should be more grateful.”
“I don’t think I should thank you for doing something you get paid for, should I?”
“You’re right, but my salary isn’t that high,” he says with a long sigh, shaking his head. “You could tell your boyfriend to pay me more. I think I deserve it.”
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Your father wants to see you.” I feel my face pale slightly. He laughs in my face, guiding me into the room they are in after.
The room is large, with a Victorian decor and those weird creepy vibes the whole house gives.
Maybe because of the tinted windows or the peculiar paintings and sculptures.
Never losing its true essence. My eyes fall on my father.
He is talking to Alek, and from the serious look on his face, it doesn’t seem to be anything pleasant.
“Hello,” I say, getting their attention. When I’m alone with my father, he comes over to me, focusing his gaze on my arm.
“It’s not too serious,” he murmurs with a hint of relief.
“Come, sit down. You and I have a lot to talk about.” His words carry a warning tone his eyes causing a tingling sensation on my forehead.
“How long have you liked that boy?” I almost want to laugh because he calls someone who is over 6’5“, tattooed, pierced even in his penis, and has so many muscles that I didn’t even know could exist a “boy,” but my lips remain in a thin line.
“I don’t know,” I reply, playing with my lower lip. Actually, I do know. That day is so deeply engraved in my mind that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it. Not even if a thousand years went by.
“You don’t know? Do you have any idea how dangerous he is? This is serious, Lena, it’s not just an adventure to entertain you in the summer.”
“I know, but I’m not playing around, Dad. It’s not an adventure. I love him.” I whisper the last part, feeling a lump in my throat.
“To fall in love with someone, first you have to spend time with that person and get to know them.” He pauses. His mouth falls open in disbelief. “Have you been seeing him behind my back?” I shake my head.
“We just ran into each other a few times, and well. I don’t know. It just happened.” He lets out an exasperated sigh as he gets up from beside me.
“Don’t you understand? He’s not good. He’s going to hurt you. Look what happened to you today,” he argues, pointing to my arm.
“Then who can you trust? I’m hanging out with people from our circle. Isn’t that what you wanted?” My voice is harsh. His features soften.