Page 10 of Thorns of Lust
I startled, jumping in my spot. My body shook. My ears buzzed. Adrenaline swam through my veins, as if the nightmare was real. My oldest brother’s hands came to my shoulders and squeezed as if he tried to pass me some of his own strength. It wasn’t enough.
My mind was tormenting me. Maybe I was crazy like our mother.
“You have to say goodbye, Sestra.” Vasili’s voice came from behind me. It had been only two weeks. How did one say goodbye in two weeks? I needed more time. I needed answers.
“Tell us what you need.” Sasha attempted a different tactic. I didn’t bother turning around to see them. I was scared they’d see something in my eyes that would reveal my demons. “Whatever you need, it’s yours.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I let the pain and doubts fester inside me. The ache burned through my veins, leaving me empty and confused. And I was certain it had something to do with the accident.
Except, I couldn’t fucking remember.
So I remained, standing in my spot.
“I’ll be right there,” I choked out. “Just wait for me in the car.”
They shared a fleeting glance, then Vasili nodded and they left me. Their footsteps faded with each step they took against the century old stone of the St. Louis Cemetery, leaving me alone with the ghosts and the dead.
Withhim.
I stared at the wordhusbandandfriendfor the longest time, searching for something. Something pricked my mind, but it refused to come forward.
My skin prickled. My gaze caught a movement to my side. A tall figure stood by a car, hands in his pockets and his gaze on me. It touched my skin and a shudder rolled down my spine.
My brows furrowed and I winced from pain. There was a familiarity about him. I’d seen him before. I was certain of it, but I couldn’t remember where.
Who is he?I thought as I brought my hand to my cheek and gently massaged the fading bruise. His eyes followed my movement and darkened as a muscle ticked under his stubbled jaw.
Who was this man? He seemed familiar. Important.
Now I wished my brothers had remained behind so I could ask them. The man was tall. Taller than most men, including my brothers. Dressed in all black and a gray coat that reached to his knees. He looked elegant. Dark. Dangerous.Familiar.
The feeling of familiarity pulled on my consciousness.
The voice in my head.Stay alive, Tatiana. For me. Stay alive, moya luna.
It called to me - calling me his moon. His eyes were intense, even from this distance. There was something uncomfortable in his dark gaze - borderline aching. It was as if he demanded something from me, but I didn’t know what.
A feeling I couldn’t shake off consumed me. Except, I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
Moya luna.Russian. The voice was speaking Russian. Could it have been Adrian? Except, he hadn’t called me that since that night in the gazebo. It was always pipsqueak and I had outgrown that nickname.
The intense stranger watched me, his thick brows drawing over his eyes and something about him kept dragging me into his savage darkness. His dark eyes reminded me of the harshness of Russian winters - merciless and bone chillingly cold.
I swallowed, then glanced around me. Everyone was gone. Just the stranger and I remained.
With a shake of my head, I returned my eyes to the crypt.
“Goodbye, Adrian,” I muttered softly, then rushed in my brothers’ direction. The stranger’s eyes remained on me like a thorn in my skin.
Strangely enough, it was almost a pleasurable pain.
Maybe I had turned masochistic and sought pain to torture myself.
FIVE
KONSTANTIN
The smell of roses drifted through the air. For me, it represented the stench of death. I had hated them for most of my life. They reminded me of my mother. The mother who betrayed her vow and had been executed in front of my eyes. It was the first death I witnessed, but certainly not the last.
