Page 97 of Owned By Shadows

“Rowan,” Nik calls, and I glance up to find all the rest of the guards dead, mostly from bullet wounds, though a couple have their throats slit, their blood decorating the walls beautifully. “Fact time is over. Time to go.”

“Oh, coming!” I pull my knife out, wiping it on the dead man’s trousers before hopping to my feet and heading over to a bookcase. “Old school, I like it.”

“You are one crazy fucker,” Dima rumbles, and it’s the first time I’ve heard him talk this whole time. The man is eerily silent.

“Gotta keep the fans happy.” I give him a wink. Taking out the grenade I saved for this very moment, I give it a kiss. We suspected Sergi would take to his safe room, and so planned accordingly. Nik will open the door, just enough for me to throw this in, then boom! It may be bombproof, but all the better, so the explosion will be contained to the room itself and hopefully not kill Sergi in the process, as we want to play with him first. We’re betting that his bodyguards will help protect him, it’s what they’re paid to do, die for him, right?

Nik gives me a nod, and I pull the pin at the same time he opens the door. Shots ring out, but it’s too late. The grenade goes sailing into the room, Nik slamming the door shut before we take cover behind the desk.

The floor shakes, the door swinging open, smoke and debris flying out of it into our room. A few coughs and moans of the injured and dying sound from the room beyond, and we wait for the smoke to settle, to see if anyone will come out before we go in.

“I know she’s having my baby. That labour has started, Nikolai,” Sergi’s voice fills the silence, and the hairs on my arms raise as my vision tunnels to that fucking doorway. “I’ve been monitoring her condition through my security systems. She’s getting closer.” He pauses, Nik frozen next to me. “It’s fitting that my son will be born in this house.”

“He’s not your fucking son!” Nik snarls, leaping to his feet, and I place my hand on his arm as I get up too, the smoke wavering as a figure slowly emerges from the safe room as Dima stands as well.

Sergi doesn’t even have his hands raised in surrender. Fucking bastard. He just strolls out of the room, as if he’s untouchable. The smoke clears more, and a growl rumbles from my chest at the Cheshire Cat grin on his fucking cunt face. My free hand flexes around the handle of my knife. I want to carvehis lips off and then turn them into a frown so I never have to see his sick smile again.

He makes atsknoise, like Nik is a naughty child. “Her contractions are getting closer together. She’ll be giving birth tomyson within the next hour, I believe. You can’t deny biology, Nikolai.” He tilts his head, like he’s listening to something, and it’s then I notice the earpiece he’s wearing. My chest tightens. “More guards are on their way to her right now, twenty to be exact. Against your three comrades and that teenager, they will be slaughtered, and then she will be brought to the place I’ve set up for her here, seeing as you destroyed the other facility.” His jaw clenches, his smile faltering, and I know he’s pissed about us taking out the other building. It makes my lips twitch, even as chills fill me at how much the odds are stacked against us right now. “You know, it was clever of you to turn so many of my men against me, son. Worthy behaviour of my heir. I’m almost proud.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re proud of me, and I will take your empire and destroy it,” Nik snarls, practically vibrating next to me behind the desk.

The bastard laughs, fucking laughs. “Oh, Nikolai. You will all be dead. Your newfamilywill be nothing but ashes after I burn them all to dust, and I will make you watch as I end each and every one of them, saving you for last. Or maybe I’ll keep you alive and chained, making you watch as I impregnate Iris again. And again. And again.”

I tighten my grip on his arm, even though rage lights up my veins and my inner beast howls for violence.

“He’s stalling us. He’s planning something,” I hiss, my gaze darting around, trying to work out why he’s keeping us here and why my gut is telling me to stay with the desk between us for the moment.

“So, here’s the deal. If you and your comrades surrender to me now, I will tell my guards to stand down and call my medical teams in and get Iris and the baby help.” The offer is tempting, even I can admit that. It’s so fucking dangerous for Iris to give birth under these conditions, and I know Sergi probably has the right medical team on standby in the mansion somewhere, which would mean she’s safe.

But she wouldn’t be safe, not if the prison cell we discovered in that facility is any sign of Sergi’s intentions. He’d just trap her, raping her over and over again until she’s pregnant with more of his children. Who he’d only raise like he has with Nik. No love. No affection. Just coldness, abuse, and hate. And I won’t let another child suffer through that.

A sound down the hall has my head turning that way. It’s multiple booted feet, and Sergi’s smile grows.

“Ah, there are my reinforcements. Clock is ticking, Nikolai, otherwise I just kill you all and take Iris anyway.”

“You’ll kill us anyway,” Nik seethes, and Sergi cants his head to the other side, looking unhinged.

“True, but how about I let you all see the baby after he’s born? Something to take to the afterlife with you? And I will keep you alive, Nikolai, so you can know the cost of betrayal,” Sergi offers, oh so reasonably.

Movement behind him has my gaze flicking to see a panel of the wall silently opening, and none other than Alexei Volkov, aka Belial, covered in blood steps out. He catches my eye, places his finger on his lips, and quietly steps towards Sergi, who is oblivious.

“What do you say, Nikolai? Do we have a deal?” Sergi is still smiling, believing he’s won.

My grin hitches up as Alexei positions himself right behind Sergi, and Sergi looks at me, his own smile faltering. He clearly senses something, but before he can turn around, Alexei has abeautiful knife at his throat, the blade red and glistening with blood. I bet it is his father’s, and a pleasurable shiver works its way through me at the thought.

“Call them off, or I slit your throat right now,” Alexei whispers as his arms encircle the older man, tugging him closer into Alexei’s body.

He holds him lovingly, and I recognise his brand of crazy because it matches my own. There’s a special kind of relationship, a beautiful connection between a man and the person he intends to kill. It’s something precious, something that cannot be replicated.

Like a coward, Sergi hisses something in Russian, and the sounds of pounding boots stop immediately.

“You are much more compliant than my father, who is dead, by the way, as are his men,” Alexei states as we move from behind the desk. “It was beautiful, his blood my paint and your walls my canvas as I tore into him, ripping him apart like he tried to do to my soul because you men never learn.” Alexei shakes his head in disappointment, his grip tight on a quivering Sergi. Seems like Nik’s dad isn’t all stupid. He knows that the biggest predator in the room is the man holding him hostage, because if the stories are true, Alexei is crazier than I am. “My men are working through your mansion, eradicating all those soldiers you hired. The fun continues.”

My fingers trail along the leather-covered surface of the ornate desk, an idea forming as a plan comes to mind. Ignoring the others for a moment, I sweep my arm over the surface; the items crashing to the floor until the top is now bare.

“Bring him over, would you?” I ask, looking up and finding all eyes on me. “And get rid of the comms. Please.”

Alexei shrugs. “This is not my kill, though I wouldn’t mind staying and watching if it’s okay with you?” He looks from meto Nik, asking both our permissions, and I dip my head. I don’t mind an audience while I work.

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