Page 32 of Kings of Violence

“I had nothing to do with that,” I say again, trying for bravado despite the waver in my voice. “Sean was?—”

“Sean.” Yuri says the name like he’s swallowed something nasty. “I’m not surprised he double-crossed Petrov. I knew he was a snake. He’s only lucky that I know how to keep my mouth shut around cops.”

I notice Konstantin frowning, and I wonder if that means that he didn’t know about this.

“Yura…” Konstantin squeezes Yuri’s shoulders. “You want revenge? Is that why you were upset?” He lets go of Yuri and walks closer to me. “I will hold her for you. You can mark her as you want. We can invite Nikolai to join, too. He’s been waiting for you before he properly made use of her.”

I canfeelmy face paling. “Um.” I swallow thickly, trying to break into the conversation. “Hold me? I don’t… I’ve already…”

Fuck. They’ve already marked me. I don’t need more marks. I don’t need more touching.

Nikolai finally comes in behind them, out of breath and looking anxious — then relieved. “Yura! Good. I was going to have you come meet our pet.”

I back up a few more paces, although fuck knows there’s nowhere to go. “We don’t need to do any of this,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Let’s talk things out first.”

Yuri scoffs. “Talk? Talk is for people who like each other.”

That hurts more than I care to admit. I’d thought Yuri and I had connected at least a little back then. I guess two years in jail was enough to make his mild interest in me sour horribly.

I glance helplessly at Nikolai and Konstantin, but they don’t look inclined to help.

Nikolai moves to stand behind Yuri, his hand on the flat of Yuri’s stomach. “We left her mouth and ass untouched, just for you,” he says helpfully.

I swallow hard, trying not to outright panic.

Back then, of course, if I’d had a chance, I’d have consented in a heartbeat. Now, though?

“Yuri…” I croak out.

Yuri pauses to look at Nikolai. “How nice of you. I almost expected you’d completely ruined her while I was out of sight, out of mind.”

“Yura!” Konstantin chastises. “We didn’t forget you. But we had an opportunity.” He comes up to me and grabs my arms to hold me still. “She’s your type, right? I didn’t know about Sean. But it’s good she’s alive, with us, so we can show Sean and Kyran Winters just what we do to people who betray us.”

I feel sick.

I don’t want them to show my brothers anything, even in theory, even in thought.

I don’t know if I can handle my whole family knowing what’s being done to me here.

Then again, it’s not like it’s rocket science.

“Please,” I try to reason with them, “I didn’t do anything wrong. Please go easy on me. I already said I’d do… anything.”

And there’s that word, that hated word that feels bitter on my tongue.

Yuri turns his glare on me. “Anything?” There’s nothing lustful about that glare, only hard rage. “I want her mouth.”

I hate how they talk about me, like I’m not here at all. I hate how they treat me like I’m an inanimate object, just a toy. I hate them.

I can feel Konstantin nodding behind me. “That’s a nice image.” He lets go of one arm to stroke my hair. “Are you excited, Sierrochka? Yura has a nice cock. You’ll get to worship it and show us just how agreeable you are.”

I don’t want to be agreeable. I want to be as disagreeable as I can, but it’s not going to help anything. They’ll just threaten my mother, my brothers… maybe even my niece and nephew.

Bile threatens to rise up in my throat as I think of another imageof bodies, of death, of innocents paying the price for what others have done, and I swallow hard against it.

So I nod, for all that I stare at Yuri like a deer in headlights.

“Come on,” Nikolai orders me, letting go of Yuri after a brief squeeze to his middle. “Get on your knees, zaya.”

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