Chapter 33 Eva
EVA
The video call with Babushka Sasha fills my phone screen with her lined face, and relief floods through me so powerfully, my knees weaken. She's sitting up in her hospital bed in Moscow, color returned to her cheeks, her brown eyes bright despite the exhaustion shadowing them.
"The surgery went perfectly, vnuchka," she says in Russian, her voice stronger than I've heard in months. "The doctors say my heart is already stronger. I'll be home in a few days."
Tears blur my vision as I press my hand to my mouth, trying not to sob. "I'm so glad, Babushka. So glad."
"Don't cry, malyshka. This is happy news." She reaches toward the screen as if she could touch my face. "Now tell me about this Halloween party you're throwing. Alexei says the house is very grand."
I glance around the guest room where I've been getting ready, the opulence still jarring even after living here. "It's… yes, it's grand. But tonight is for Alexei. To help him learn some American traditions and meet people."
We talk for a few more minutes before she tires, and I end the call with promises to visit soon, to bring Roman to meet her properly. The thought of introducing my grandmother to the Pakhan makes my stomach clench with complicated emotions I don't have time to examine.
I finish my makeup and study my reflection.
The witch costume is simple but effective, a black dress that hugs my body in ways that make me hyperaware of my changing shape, a pointed hat perched on my blonde hair that I've left loose.
The dress's neckline is modest, but it emphasizes my breasts, which have grown fuller with the pregnancy.
I catch myself wondering if Roman will notice, if his blue eyes will darken the way they do when he wants me.
Stop it.
I force the thought away and head downstairs, my heels clicking against marble floors that have been transformed for the evening.
Carved pumpkins line the entryway, their flickering candles casting dancing shadows.
Orange and black decorations soften the estate's usual austere elegance, and the dining room table groans under an elegant catered spread.
Roman stands near the windows, and my breath catches despite everything.
He actually dressed up. A vampire in an expensive black suit with a dramatic cape that somehow makes him look even more dangerous than usual.
His short black hair is perfectly groomed, his mustache precisely trimmed, and when he turns those piercing blue eyes on me, the intensity in them makes my pulse quicken.
The costume shouldn't work on a man his age, but it does.
God, it does. He looks like something out of a Gothic novel, all controlled power and predatory grace.
His gaze sweeps over me, lingering on the way my dress hugs my curves, and I see his jaw tighten slightly. Heat floods my cheeks as I remember his hands on my body, his mouth claiming mine. Even now, even with everything unresolved between us, my body responds to his presence.
"You look bewitchingly beautiful," he says, his accent thicker than usual, and the compliment sends warmth through my chest despite my best efforts to remain distant.
"You make a convincing vampire," I manage, my voice steadier than I feel.
Something flickers in his expression. "Perhaps because I am a monster, solnyshko."
The endearment catches me off guard. Little sun.
He's never called me that before. Before I can respond, Alexei bounds down the stairs in his mad scientist costume, his blonde hair deliberately mussed, fake blood splattered on his white lab coat.
His enthusiasm is infectious, his blue eyes bright with excitement as he takes in the decorations.
"This is amazing, Eva!" He spins in a circle, grinning. "America really does Halloween right."
I pull him into a hug, grateful for his presence, for the normalcy he brings to this increasingly surreal situation. "Go explore. Try the candy. Just… stay on the main floors, okay?"
He nods and disappears toward the dining room, already sampling the elaborate spread. I watch him go, my heart aching with love and fear in equal measure. He has no idea what kind of world he's walked into, what kind of man his sister is bound to.
The doorbell chimes, and Megan arrives in a cheerleader costume, her usual sunshine slightly dimmed as she takes in the estate's opulence.
I see her brown eyes widen at the crystal chandeliers, the artwork on the walls, the obvious wealth surrounding us.
When her gaze lands on the security guards positioned throughout the house, their costumes unable to hide the weapons beneath their jackets, her smile becomes strained.
"Eva." She pulls me into a tight hug, whispering against my hair. "This place is insane. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I lie, the words automatic now. "Come on, let me get you a drink."
Lev arrives with Irina, and I force myself to greet them with polite warmth.
Lev wears a simple black mask, the Phantom of the Opera, his dark eyes watchful behind the disguise.
But it's Irina who makes my skin prickle with unease.
She's dressed as a glamorous 1920s flapper, all fringe and pearls, her green eyes assessing me with thinly veiled hostility that I still don't fully understand.
"Eva, darling," she says, her smile not reaching her eyes. "What a charming party. So… domestic."
The word feels like an insult, though I can't quite identify why. I thank her with practiced politeness and excuse myself to check on the catering.
David Brennan arrives fashionably late, wearing his regular three-piece suit with a briefcase. When I raise an eyebrow at his lack of costume, he adjusts his titanium-framed glasses with a slight smile. "I'm a lawyer. Scariest thing I could think of."
Despite everything, I laugh. The sound surprises me, genuine and unforced.
The party proceeds with forced normalcy.
Music plays from hidden speakers, a playlist of Halloween classics mixed with current hits.
People eat and drink, their conversations filling the space with the hum of social interaction.
Alexei is in his element, sampling American Halloween candy and listening with rapt attention as Megan tells stories about college life, her animated gestures making him laugh.
But I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong.
Roman remains hypervigilant, his blue eyes constantly scanning the room, his body coiled with tension beneath the vampire cape.
His men are positioned throughout the house, their presence a constant reminder that this isn't a normal party, that danger lurks beneath the festive decorations.
I catch Roman watching me from across the room, his gaze dropping to my breasts, then lower, to where my dress hugs my hips.
Even from this distance, I feel the heat of his attention, the way his eyes darken with desire.
My body responds instinctively, my thighs clenching, my nipples tightening beneath the fabric.
I force myself to look away, to focus on being a good hostess, but I'm acutely aware of him tracking my movements.
Megan finds me in the kitchen, her cheerleader costume somehow making her look younger, more vulnerable. Her voice drops to a worried whisper. "Eva, have you seen Tyler? He hasn't answered texts or calls in almost a week. His thesis advisor says he missed important meetings. It's not like him."
My stomach drops to my feet. Tyler. I open my mouth to respond, but before I can form words, Alexei bursts into the kitchen.
His face is white, his blue eyes wide with shock and fury. "Eva, there's a man locked in a room downstairs! In the basement! He says his name is Tyler Chen and that Roman is holding him prisoner!"
The kitchen tilts sideways. Megan's hand flies to her mouth, her brown eyes filling with tears. "What? No. Eva, what is he talking about?"
I can't breathe. Can't think. My brother's expression shifts from shock to understanding, and he gently guides a protesting Megan from the kitchen. I find Roman in his study, Lev at his side, both men's expressions hardening when they see my face.
"Tyler," I say, my voice shaking with fury and fear. "You're holding Tyler prisoner in the basement."
Roman's blue eyes meet mine without flinching. "Yes."
The single word, delivered with such cold finality, ignites something in my chest. "Release him. Right now. Release him, or I'm taking Alexei, Megan, and Tyler, and we're leaving."
"You're not leaving." Roman's voice is low, controlled, but I hear the steel beneath it. "None of you are."
I move toward the door, my heart pounding. "Watch me."
Lev steps in front of the doorway, his hand resting on the weapon concealed beneath his Phantom costume. His dark eyes are flat, professional, and I realize with sickening clarity that he'll stop me. Not with violence, not while I'm carrying Roman's heir, but he'll stop me, nonetheless.
"Eva." Roman's voice cuts through my panic. "Sit down. Let me explain."
"Explain?" My voice rises, hysteria creeping in at the edges. "You're holding my best friend's brother prisoner! What possible explanation—"
"He was hacking into my systems." Roman's tone is matter-of-fact, like he's discussing a business transaction. "Building a case against me. Gathering evidence to take to the authorities. I couldn't let him go."
The room spins. "So you just… what? Kidnapped him? Locked him in your basement like some kind of—"
"Like the criminal I am?" Roman finishes, his blue eyes boring into mine. "Yes, Eva. Exactly like that."
Megan appears in the doorway, Alexei behind her, both their faces pale with understanding. "Eva, what's happening? Where's Tyler?"
I look at Roman, at Lev blocking the exit, at the security guards I can see positioning themselves in the hallway beyond. The truth crashes over me with devastating clarity.
I'm not a guest in this house. I'm a prisoner.
Roman nods once, a subtle gesture that carries the weight of command. His security team moves with practiced efficiency, and I watch in horror as armed guards approach Megan and Alexei.
"No!" I lunge forward, but Lev catches my arm, his grip firm but not painful. "Roman, please, they haven't done anything—"
"They know too much now." Roman's voice is cold, final. "They'll be comfortable. Guest rooms on the second floor. But they're not leaving until I decide it's safe."
Megan starts protesting as a guard takes her elbow, guiding her toward the stairs. Alexei's face twists with betrayal as he looks at me, his voice cracking. "Eva, what have you gotten us into?"
I have no answer. I can only watch as the people I love most are escorted away, their doors locked from the outside, their freedom stolen by the man whose child I'm carrying.