Page 24 of Marked (Russian Sinners 1)

Her hands were bloody and dirty as she put them on my face. “I’ll be right back, my love. You have to be brave. Okay?”

I wasn’t brave, no matter how much I tried… I was scared of the dark and always looked to my parents to save me. My breathing was getting heavier as the man pushed his face in between us and his black eyes leered at me. His hand curled around my neck and squeezed, causing a burning pain in my throat.

My mom headbutted him, and the moment I took enough breath into my lungs, I screamed as blood started trickling down her face.

“That’s enough,” another man came over and punched the guy. He went tumbling onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“What the fuck, Vlad?” He spat onto the floor, blood on his mouth and a whimper left my mouth. The guy that my mom headbutted turned his face towards me. Instinctively, I scooted backwards, as far away from him as possible.

“Get upstairs before I kill you,” the guy he called Vlad ordered him. Finally his eyes left me and his focus was on the man that just punched him. My eyes were trained on both men but all I could see was Vlad’s back. He never turned his face to look at me or mom.

“Bring her upstairs,” a loud voice bellowed from the top of the stairs, causing my eyes involuntarily to immediately snap up, two men forgotten. I recognized him immediately. Our eyes connected and guilt rose inside me. The shame burned so strong, it choked me.

“Let’s go,” Vlad said to my mother, almost exasperated. I wanted to see his face and beg him to let us go but he never even designed to look my way.

“Mommy, please,” I whimpered, realizing it was the first time I’d called her mommy in years.

Vlad ordered the gruesome, bloody guy to get up the stairs and then he dragged my mother along with him.

A scream tore from my lungs, burning in my throat making it raw. I screamed, piercing my own ears as Boris grabbed my mother by her hair and smashed his lips against hers. Then he slapped her across the face so hard, her head flew to the side.

“Anastasia, baby,” her voice trembled. “Shut your eyes.”

Tears streamed down my face, as I shut my eyes blocking the scene in front of me. I could feel my mom’s pain almost as if it was my own. Her torment and agony traveled over the stale air.

I shook with fear. Unable to hold my screams inside me, I screamed praying someone would hear me; praying it would make it hurt less. I wanted to fix what I have broken.

I screamed, pouring all my mom’s suffering and terror into it, hoping my Dad or Grandad would come for us. It was as if there was nothing in the dark of the night but my screams and the wind howling outside. Maybe it would carry my voice to our saviors.

“Wake up!” A man’s hands shook me, as I reached for my mom trying to stop the man through the haze.

“Stop,” I shouted through my screams, my voice raspy.

“Anastasia, wake up. Now!” Shaking continued, and a deep voice ordered. “Open your eyes.”

My breathing was heavy, my heartbeat erratic. I kept gasping for more air, the haze around me lifting as I kept blinking my eyes.

I heard a loud crash and I desperately tried to clear my vision so I could see what was happening.

“Anastasia, talk to me.” I knew that voice. I glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Dimitry still in his clothes.

I didn’t remember going to sleep. I couldn’t remember how we got here; my brain still stuck in the horror of my past.

“Why the fuck was she screaming?” Sergei shouted. “Did you hurt her?”

Glancing at Dimitry, I realized he must have been sleeping next to me.

My hand trembled as I reached for my throat, my whole body trembling. My crazed eyes darted between three men, noting Sergei and Nikolai had guns in their hands.

“No,” my voice was raspy and breathless, like I just ran a marathon. “It was just a bad dream.”

“Are you sure?” Dimitry’s eyes told me he didn’t believe me.

“Princess, that must have been some damn dream for you to wake the whole household up,” Sergei commented, although he didn’t sound upset.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I was aware of all three of them watching me like an animal ready to snap.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered in a shaky voice.

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