Page 18 of Volatile

“If you bite me, I’m giving you a wedgie,” I whisper.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t attack me. He kisses my cheek as he coos like a nutcase, “Nice, Tali.” His small hand runs over my head and he fucking pats me like I’m dog.

Dani gasps as I roughly pull him out of her arms. I blow raspberries on his cheek while digging my fingers into his ribs to tickle him. “Do you think I’m a doggie, little Val?”

His giggles get louder as he nods and Dani’s disagreement is ignored.

“He was being nice to you.”

I drop Dominik on his feet while he’s still giggling and disoriented to prevent him lashing out at anyone. He’s a little weirdo but he’s my nephew and he’s cute when Dani has him under control. He takes his mom’s hand and hugs her leg as he pulls faces at me. I’ve never been mature so I do it back as Dani asks Vlad, “Do you want me to take them in the kitchen for their snacks?”

He kisses each of their heads before he sets them on their feet to walk on their own. As soon as the trio are back together, I stare at them, making sure they walk straight into the kitchen without diverting to me. Inessa will complain about me avoiding them since she thinks it will give them a complex, but there’s no denying that violence is inherited.

As soon as they’re away from me, I relax into my seat and look over the back of the sofa to the kitchen to make sure no one’s eavesdropping before I turn to Dima. “What shit have you got Stasi doing?”

His jaw tics. The tell is in his eyes as he looks off to the side, silently communicating with his husband. Vlad and Dima may not be married but they’re like an old couple, even down to not fucking each other. For as long as Dima has been in our lives I can recall the silent conversations they’d have when they were debating how honest to be with Val and me.

The former is the one who speaks despite my question not being directed at the neurotic fuck. “It’s none of your business, eat your snacks.”

The words themselves are infantilizing. I can’t say shit when my snack tub is hidden under the table to stop anyone stealing from it. But the senseless danger Stasi put herself in diminishes my appetite and I look at both of them as I say, “She went into the fucker’s bedroom.” There’s no reaction and I add, “Alone.”

Both of their heads snap up and I know I’m not crazy, Stasi is for thinking she could pull that shit.

Husband and husband do their creepy eye contact thing as they cut me out of their conversation. I’m not a kid anymore yet they refuse to treat any of us like adults unless we leave the house. The threshold of our front door is like magic, it allows us to grow up while we live in a perpetual state of childishness behind it thanks to our actual parents who are still staring at each other like I’m not right here.

Both of them walk away, leaving me behind as though I’m a child, and I follow after them into the office as Vlad types on his phone. Dima doesn’t sit, always acting like a soldier, and there’s no information given from my controlling brother, only an order that has care buried so deep inside it it almost can’t be heard.

“You good with seeing some of this?”

I shrug. It’s the most honest answer I can give. The auction fucked with my head, and my stomach, but they were adults. I could lie to myself and say they chose to be tortured or deserved it in some way. The photos on Stasi’s laptop were children, not teenagers or little shits who think they know everything and are already adults. Toddlers and pre-school-aged kids, children my niece and nephews’ age who I allow to beat the shit out of me because it makes them giggle.

The door is pushed open behind me and I don’t need to turn to know who it is when floral perfume floats behind Vanya’s stomping in her shitkickers. Every member of my family has the ability to scare the living shit out of a person, but she’s the only one who does it in a way that you want to protect. She’s like a cute little killer with her immaturity on full display as she pokes her head around my arm and smiles.

I hook my arm around her neck and kiss the top of her head as I ask, “Want to get burgers when we’re done listening to your old man?”

She pulls her head out of my loose headlock and drops down into the seat opposite her dad’s desk. “No, Adrik wants to go and see the stars with Vasy and Dom.”

I steal the other seat as Stasi walks in, so she’s left without a seat. I widen my legs along with my smile as I call her over. “I can write your name on it if you’d prefer.”

There’s another seat I’d like her sit on, right above my neck, but I stop myself from saying that, so I don’t get slapped in the mouth by my own niece.The traitor shifts over, making space so Stasi can perch anywhere but on me as says, “You can sit next to me.”

My girl is beautiful and glares at me, knowing I’ve snitched. I’m going to have scratches going down my back tomorrow morning, the perfect marks, and I’ll skip away with the knowledge that she’s safe so it’s a win-win situation.

My focus is on Stasi as I zone out of their conversation to prevent hearing the foul shit. She’s a little liar, pretending she’s high all the time, and there are so many questions in my head as to why. Her stepsister is a snake, hungry for power and perverted to fuck. But her mom is known as being decent enough. There aren’t any rumors about her family amongst the guards despite them all talking shit about Stasi.

I’m pulled back into the room at the sound of my name and look towards it dumbly as Vlad says, “Tali can go with you from now on, I’m not having my wife complain when you get yourself hurt.”

I’m smug and sit taller as she chokes on her argument, stopping it in her throat. It’s going to be fun spoiling her fun and getting under her skin. She’s always so tightly wound, it’s probably why she comes as beautifully as she does, her body needs to get rid of the tension and she can’t hide shit that way.

Her angry stomp is cute as fuck and I’m on her heels so she can’t disappear. Grabbing her hand, I pull her towards the hidden stairway and up to my floor. Viktor’s bedroom door is open, so he’s probably decided to hide out somewhere else and I won’t have to make my girl mute herself.

There’s no argument from her until we’re sealed away from the rest of the house, and she pulls her hand away.

“What the fuck is your problem?!”

A lot of things.

But I don’t answer her and grab her nape, sealing our lips together. I’m not a sex addict, I know what I like, and I like having it every opportunity I can get it. Whether it’s fucking, fighting, or food I’m a strong believer in overconsumption.Especially where Stasi is concerned because I love watching her when she drops the masks and shows me who she truly is.

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