Page 103 of Emperor of Havoc

Even as I try to reassure her, my own pulse thrums with terror.

Ryu groans from his spot on the floor—deliberately chained too far away for either Nina or I to reach. He’s pale, his breathing shallow, and the blood on his shirt has turned dark and sticky. A fresh pool spreads beneath him, the metallic tang of it hanging sharp in the air.

“Hey,” I sign as his eyes flutter open, his hazy gaze drifting toward me. “Stay with me. Stay awake.”

He grunts, his eyelids fluttering. “I’ve been worse,” he mutters weakly. I don't believe him for a second. His wound is deep, and without medical attention, he won’t last long.

The door to the room creaks; I flinch at the sound. Sergey Vorobev strides in first, boots thudding on the floor. Rodion follows, his smirk wide and lecherous, flanked by four other Bratva men. Their malicious laughter grates on my nerves.

“Well, well,” Sergey drawls, his voice oozing satisfaction. “The Ishida princess and her loyal guard dog.”

Rodion sneers, his gaze flicking to Nina. “And what’s a princess without her handmaiden?”

One of the men steps forward, grabbing Nina by the jaw and yanking her head up. She whimpers, her eyes filling with fresh tears. My chains rattle as I lunge toward them, a growl rumbling in my throat.

“Let her go!” I sign furiously, my hands jerking against the manacles.

The man holding Nina ignores me, grinning down at my friend. “I like this one,” he growls in Russian. “I’d love to see those lips wrapped around my dick.”

“I bite,” Nina hisses back, also in Russian.

The man grins wider and leers at her. “Then maybe I knock your teeth out first.”

Sergey chuckles cruelly. “First things first,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. “I believe my son has been waiting for something.”

Rodion grins, stepping closer to me. “Yes, waiting,” he purrs, his predatory gaze raking over me.

My stomach churns as I yank at the chain again, the metal cutting into my skin.

“Such fire,” Sergey muses coldly. “But today,malen'kaya printsessa, you will learn the consequences of insulting me and my son.”

He turns to Rodion, clapping his disgusting offspring on the shoulder and smiling. “Have your fun. But leave her alive. We need her to fetch a nice ransom.”

And with that, Sergey strides out of the room, his cruel laughter echoing down the hall.

Rodion moves closer, four other men flanking him like wolves approaching prey. His fingers brush his belt buckle, and terror claws at my throat.

I jam up my middle finger, the gesture defiant despite the panic surging through me.

Rodion grins. “Oh, no, princess,” he purrs. “It’smewho’s going to fuckyou.” He turns to his men. “Then I'll let them have their fun, too. I’m a generous man.”

The others chuckle darkly, grinning savagely at me.

“Fuck you!” Ryu snarls, instinctively trying to lunge at Rodion. But he can barely get up on one knee, and instantly crumples back to the ground.

The Russians laugh and Nina screams when one of them kicks Ryu hard in the side.

“Time to play,bitch.”

My blood turns to ice as I’m grabbed from the floor, my mind going numb. Nina is screaming. Ryu is spitting blood as he tries to get up again, even as that one guard keeps kicking him.

There’s cold fire in my veins as Rodion unlocks my manacles, whips me around, and slams me hard against the rusty metal table. I blanch as he shoves me forward across it.

No.

Not this. Please.

It feels like I’m watching from a distance, feeling sick to my stomach and curling in on myself as Rodion grabs the back of my yoga pants and yanks them down over my ass. Hands paw at me, making me retch. I try to push him away, but one of his guards grabs my arms and drags them tight across the table, both pinning and silencing me.

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