Page 11 of Sinful Embers

I’m twelve, lying on a hard cot just like the one in this cell. My arm burns, the pain excruciating. A man with icy blue eyes looks down at me.

Vivienne’s voice cuts through the memory, sharp and desperate. “You can’t take her without me!”

The man turns, his expression cold. “What the fuck have you done?” His voice was low and dangerous. “Look at this mess.” His eyes glance toward me before they turn back to Vivienne with a look of utter disgust. “Just how low and perverted does a person have to be to do this to their own daughter?”

“I told you, she stole from me and had to be taught a lesson when she refused to give what she took back,” Vivienne hisses. “You can’t judge me. You forget—I know who you are and what your tastes are.”

“They’re not children!” He says through gritted teeth. “And would certainly never be my children I’d drag into a place like this. So congratulations, Vivienne, you’re not only the world’s worst human being but the world’s worst mother as well.”

“But I’m still a mother,” Vivienne growls back and points behind her toward me. “Her mother. And without me, you’ll never get her!”

“Fortunately, we don’t need you for that anymore, Vivienne.” His cruel laugh echoes in my mind, sending a shiver down my spine. “It’s always been Leigh that is important to me, ” he says, his voice calm and chilling. “She’s the key that unlocks everything I’ve ever wanted.” His eyes narrow a bit more. “You? You’re just an obstacle in our way.”

My gaze falls on Vivienne’s purse, and her words echo in my ears: The silver arrow is for the man with your father’s face. The gold one... that’s for the Ice Man.

I snap back to reality, dumped into the present. My mind spins like an out-of-control top. My lips part, the words spilling out before I can stop them. “I shot you with the gold arrow.”

The silence in the dungeon is deafening as I sit and swing my legs over the bed.

“The gold arrow was supposed to kill you,” I say, my voice shaky and rising as the memory becomes clearer making me frown and shake my head. “No, it can’t be you. I shot you. I shot you in the heart with the golden arrow.”

The bolts grind open. My heart stops as a very tall, broad-shouldered man steps into the room. He’s wearing a mask, but his presence is unmistakably menacing, and familiar.

“So, you do remember,” he says, his voice deep and unmodulated.

“No, just pieces,” I reply. My heart races as my fingers dig into the cot. “If you think I remember you, why are you still wearing the mask?”

He pulls it off slowly, and I gasp.

Fear slices through me like a knife.

His icy blue eyes pierce into mine, a stark reminder of every nightmare I’ve ever fought to forget.

The edges of my vision blur, the world tilting as I fight to stay upright. I fight the dizziness overtaking me. But the darkness is too strong and reaches for me, pulling me under.

As the world fades, I utter one word: “Oleksi.”

Chapter 4

RADOMIR

Temur enters my office, rolling in Sabrina’s murder board with a satisfied air. The oversized whiteboard teeters on its wheeled frame, and my eyes narrow at the absurdity of it.

“A murder board?” My eyes meet Sabrina’s, and she gives me a big grin. “Really?”

I glance at Temur, raising an eyebrow. His only response is a shrug and a casual, “Sabrina asked for it.”

The room feels tighter as Sabrina stares at the board as if it’s a lover and holds all the answers to the universe. Nikolas sighs, casting me a glance that says he’s resigned to this nonsense.

“She loves doing shit like this,” he mutters, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Just go with it.”

“I don’t really have an option,” I reply dryly, my eyes shifting back to Sabrina, who is practically vibrating with excitement.

Temur sets a pack of colorful markers on my desk, nods curtly, and walks out without another word. The room fallssilent, save for the faint scrape of chair legs as Sabrina slides her seat back and stands.

I stare at the huge board, sure Temur found the biggest one we had. “What the fuck are we, detectives now?”

Sabrina doesn’t even flinch. “Yes,” she says simply, starting to walk around my desk. “Just give it a try. It’s not like we have anything to lose. Especially since your way hasn’t exactly been working, has it?” She gives me a smug smile, batting her ridiculously long eyelashes at me.

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