Page 49 of Malevolent King

What the fuck am I doing?

“Forgive me,lastochka, I need to get rid of this cockblock once and for all,” he muttered through clenched teeth. He reached behind him and pulled a gun from the back of his jeans.

“No! You can’t kill Angelo,” I said quickly, panic filling me again.

“I can kill whoever I want,” Niko said, brushing off my hand as I reached for him.

He started toward the door, and I acted on pure instinct. Ripping my skirt upward for a second, I grabbed my knife.Paranza cortawas the knife art of an assassin. It favored close quarters, and you didn’t have to be a strong man to be good at it. Being small and nimble was preferred.

I darted toward Nikolai, reaching him when he was halfway across the floor. Raising the knife, I aimed for his shoulder first, in a wide, obvious swing that he’d see from the corner of his eye.

He reacted quickly, feinting to the side. I allowed my momentum to carry me in front of him, swinging around at the last minute as he reached to catch me and slashed at his face.

Blood hit my hand and face in a sudden shock of heat. Nikolai went to one knee, still catching me as I stumbled. His hands pulled me close and wrestled the stiletto blade from me, throwing it into a corner.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

I looked up at him, and my stomach lurched sickeningly as I took in the blood running freely down his face. In all the years I’d practiced the art, I’d never hurt a real person. I’d never drawn blood. Sudden, unwanted tears gathered at the corners of my eyes.

Nikolai frowned down at me, his anger fading quickly as he took in the tear running down my cheek.

“Lastochka, why are you crying? I’m the one who just got his pretty face sliced open,” he reminded me.

The sounds of Angelo banging on the door had stopped. Maybe he had gone to find someone to let him in.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, unable to stop watching the way the blood seeped from the horrible wound. It was deep and bleeding a lot.

“It’s shock. You’re a good girl, and it feels wrong to hurt people, even a man like me.” His hand threaded through my hair, calming me. “Don’t cry. I don’t deserve your tears,” he said quietly.

My eyes shot to his. We stared at each other for a long, painful moment, and I knew I’d never forget it. Something passed between us that was unbearably honest, silent yet irrevocable. I knew in my gut that I would be forever changed by knowing this man.

Nikolai pulled his eyes from mine to glance at the door. “Since Angelo will be back shortly, and you seem attached to his survival, I’ll go.”

He shifted me carefully to the floor. His blood was splattered liberally across my white dress and sash. I looked like an extra fromCarrie.

He loomed over me, cupping my face with one hand, his brutal touch gentle for once.

“Goodbye, prom queen. Be a good girl while I’m gone.”

There was something final about his words, and my confused heart clenched in my hollow chest. He made for the door, grabbing a small towel laid out on the vanity as he went and pressing it to his face.

“Are you done with me?” I called out. I didn’t know what the hell prompted me to ask it, never mind care about the answer, but I was a mess. I had no control around this man, no mask to hide behind. He saw it all.

Nikolai paused at the door, his formal black outfit drenched with the blood from his face. I wondered wildly for a moment if he’d dressed up for me, for my prom night? It seemed impossible, but as soon as I thought it, I knew it was true.

He pressed the towel against his face, and his voice was muffled beneath it. “Missing me already?”

I couldn’t answer that. I was scared he’d see through my lie if I denied it.

Instead of calling me out, he merely checked his blood-splattered watch and pressed the towel tighter. “I won’t be around for a while. My father’s sending me to Russia, so you can rest easy.”

He’s leaving. This is it. The last night of feeling alive.

Nikolai seemed to read the feelings I couldn’t say. His gray eyes peered into my soul, and he nodded, satisfied with the wretched, torn emotion he found there.

“When I get back, I’ll find you, Sofia De Sanctis. I’ll always find you wherever you go. You are still and will always be—my prize.” With a wink, he turned on his heel and went to the door. Unlocking it, he slipped out without a backward glance.

I sat in shock on the floor, bloodstained, with Luca’s unconscious body lying beside me. His last words played again and again in my head.

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