Page 14 of Thorns of Lust
Hello stage two… anger.
My ears rang. Whether from the glass or blood rushing through my veins. Or maybe it was the screams that pierced the air.
The hot buzz shot through my veins. My vocal cords scratched my throat.
The air escaped me in a rush as hands came from behind me, one wrapping around my mouth and the other around my waist.
“Tatiana, snap out of it,” Vasili growled.
It should have been my warning. His words were rougher. His Russian accent came through. But I was too far gone.
I clawed at his arms. Bit his hand. Then I screamed. I screamed until my throat ached and I tasted blood on my tongue. I screamed until my ears buzzed. I screamed until my soul bled.
Until there was nothing left but emptiness.
And then I blacked out.
* * *
I woke up with tears staining my face and sweat rolling down my back. Panic still tore through my chest, stealing oxygen from my lungs. My lip stung and I licked the cut on my bottom lip. I had no idea how I got it, but it hurt like a bitch.
“She has to get help.”
Vasili’s voice was a hushed whisper. My body shifted back and forth as Vasili drove like he was pissed off and ready to lose his temper. It must be bad if he was driving like a maniac. He rarely did that anymore since he had his kids.
A little green monster slithered through my veins. Envy and hate were a bitch. I had never experienced them before. Not like this. Not so strong. Until now.
I kept my eyes closed, listening to the hum of the engine.
“You’re not shipping her off,” Sasha hissed. “It’s our job to help her. It’s only been a month. She’s slowly getting better.”
He didn’t believe it. Even I could hear the doubt in my brother’s voice.
“She just destroyed a restaurant bathroom in her rage,” Vasili hissed. “She bit me. Hit me. And sliced her lip in the process. How in the hell do you think she’s getting better?”
Silence followed. I didn’t bother moving. Let them think I was asleep. It was better than participating in this shitshow of a conversation.
“What set her off?” Sasha asked. “Did you say something?”
“No,” Vasili clipped. “I went to check on her since she was taking so long and found her beating on the mirror, her hands bloodied from shards of glass cutting into her palm.”
Silence, louder than a gunshot, followed. It was thick, heavy, and ominous. Deafening.
“She’ll get better,” Sasha grunted. “It’s not like our family is great at grieving. Our own mother went to extremes. Father wasn’t far from it.”
“Tatiana is nothing like Mother and even less like Father,” Vasili snapped.
But we all knew that was bullshit. Every one of us had our parents’ qualities. Good and bad. Our control was non-existent, our jealousy deadly, and our fury destructive.
The car came to a stop, but I heard cars passing by us. Had to be a stop sign.
“Just take her to see the doctor,” Sasha muttered. “Her hand will probably need stitching.”
“Isabella can do it.”
“No!” The single word, hoarse and raw, came out without realizing I’d spoken out loud.
My brothers turned in unison. “You and Bella are best friends,” Vasili reasoned.
