Alina
My heart thrummed hard like the wings of a bird. I climbed out the window, and when I reached the ground, my legs felt weak. I stumbled for a moment. Looking around me, I didn't see anyone.
Relief filled me and I took off running toward the woods behind the house. It was a long way, and the muscles in my legs burned as I ran full force.
C'mon, Alina. C'mon. Don't give up. Not now.
Suddenly, I heard shouts behind me and my heart stuttered. Turning my head, I saw a few guards running after me. I looked back toward the woods and kept my eyes focused on my escape.
I was almost into the woods when the steps drew closer, and all of a sudden, someone grabbed my arm. I screamed and tried to escape, but I was dragged down and someone sat on my back. My arms were pulled back and my attacker held on forcefully.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. It was no use. No matter how hard I fought, they wouldn't let me go. He pulled me upward and I stood on shaky legs. Closing my eyes tightly, I sobbed and begged.
"Please. Please let me go. Please."
My chin was grasped firmly by a rough hand, the fingernails biting into my skin. Whimpering, I tried to move away, but he held on hard.
"If you come with us quietly, we won't have to hurt you. And I sure as hell don't want to hurt you, Alina."
I let out a cry. I knew that voice. Opening my eyes, I saw Viktor's angry expression.
I made a weak attempt at struggling. "Stop moving," another voice growled in my ears. Nikolay. He was the one holding me.
"Do you understand, Ayla?" Viktor demanded. He always looked so scary, and a dangerous aura surrounded him, just like Alex and Nikolay.
As he stared at me, I cowered back in fear. He looked murderous, and his voice was filled with fury. "Please," I whispered.
"Alina, do you understand?" Viktor snarled. Nodding, I let myself go limp in Nikolay's arms.
"Good," he said through gritted teeth as he let go of my chin. My skin was burning and itching where he had touched me. Moving my jaw around a little, I winced at the pain.
Taking a few steps backward, he nodded at Nikolay and started walking back to the mansion. He led the way as Nikolay pulled me forward. My feet were dragging behind and I resisted.
"Fuck, girl. You really don't understand."
He let go of me, but before I could run away, Nikolay wrapped his arm around my waist. Sending me a fierce glare, his hold was unyielding as he pulled me over his shoulder.
I tried to kick, punch, slap, scratch, and scream, but nothing worked. Nikolay kept walking, his body hard as a rock.
When we got inside, instead of taking me up, they turned to the left and walked down a dark corridor. The air was cold and it was dark. I instantly froze on his shoulder.
A feeling of dread crept up from the pit of my stomach, and a cold wave overtook me as the hairs rose on the back of my neck and my mouth went dry. I was paralyzed over Nikolay's shoulder. A menacing aura gripped me.
We stopped for a moment, and then I heard a door squeak open and I shuddered at the sound. There was the rattling of a metal, it sounded like a heavy chain.
A shiver ran through me as I felt my blood run cold. My hands balled into tight fists and I closed my eyes in terror.
The door banged shut and I saw light underneath my closed eyelids. Slowly opening my eyes again, the first thing I saw was shiny white marble floor. I was placed on my feet.
My head spun at the sudden movement and I stumbled, but Nikolay caught me. Looking up into his dark eyes, I silently begged. Please let me go.
But he stared back, expressionless, his eyes cold.
I felt a hand grasp my arm, and then I was being pulled back. I opened my mouth to scream but found that no words came out. My throat closed up and I couldn't breathe. Panic filled me and I went numb.
Viktor pulled me to a chair and pushed me down so that I was sitting. He twisted my arms back. Nikolay walked past me until I couldn't see him.
A few minutes later, I felt something around my wrists, and realized that I was being tied down.
"No!" My screams echoed around the room. I tried to move, but the rope held me immobile. As I struggled, the roughness bit into my skin and scratched until my skin felt raw and hot.
"You are only hurting yourself. If you keep moving, your wrists are going to bleed from the rope," Viktor said behind me. "I suggest that you stop moving."
"Please…"
There were noises behind the door. A moment later, it opened with such force it banged against the wall. Flinching at the sound, I pushed back against the chair, my body trembling with panic.
My body froze in terror. Alex walked into the room with two other men.
One of them closed the door as Alex walked toward me.
He wore the same suit as the last time I saw him, but this time his hands were covered with black leather gloves. Slowly bringing my eyes up to his face, I let out a gasp when I met his fierce glare. His eyes glowed with such ferocity that it took my breath away.
His dark presence loomed over me, dread filling me as my spine prickled with unease. The tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up straight and my skin itched.
Alex bent down at his waist so that we were eye level. I whimpered as I stared into his cold eyes.
I had seen him angry before, but this time, he looked deadly. His blue eyes crackled with fury, his face red, and his jaw twitched.
The Alex standing before me was ruthless, and I could see the killer he truly was—the monster I had always heard about.
And there I was, trapped in the lair of the monster everyone feared.
My heart hammered so hard that I could feel it in my throat. My nails dug into my palms and the slight pain brought me comfort.
Pain meant I was still alive, still breathing.
But for how long?
Alex
"Boss, we got her in her basement," Phoenix said breathlessly through the phone. I felt the side of my lips tilt upward at the news.
Let's see if you can run away from the truth now, kitten.
"I'm coming," I snapped and then hung up. Throwing on my suit jacket, I fixed my tie and then opened my drawer to take out my black leather gloves.
I always wore them when we had a problem in the basement, just in case I had to get my hands dirty.
Closing the drawer with a bang, I swiftly walked out of my office. Each step I took, I let the anger inside of me build again. It consumed me, and all I saw was red for my betrayer.
My blood roared in my temples and I could feel the veins throbbing. I grasped on the fierce rage inside me and pulled, hard.
My body tensed, my muscles locking as I stomped through the dark corridor. The cold air crackled with my hot fury, and only my footsteps sounded off the walls as the frigid atmosphere became deadly. It sang to me and my body fed on the scent of death.I wanted to squeeze the life out of someone. I wanted to see the life leaving my traitor's eyes until there was nothing left, just another corpse.The monster inside of me was raging, begging to be unleashed. I had kept him in for too long and it was time to let him free. And so I did.
As I drew closer to the door, I saw Phoenix and Artur. I pushed the black wooden door open with such force that it banged hard against the wall.
Inside, Alina had been strapped to the wooden chair. She was folded into herself, sobbing and begging to be released. Her eyes widened at the sight of me and she cowered, terrified.
My monster laughed and fed on it. He wanted more.Keeping my eyes fixed on the frightened kitten, I walked straight up to her, stopping only an inch from her chair. I bent down until we were eye level and she whimpered. Perfect. Just the way I wanted her.
She flinched and pushed back, trying to escape from my cold, angry stare.
She stared at me for a few seconds, her mouth gaping as silent tears streamed down her round, rosy cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and at the sight of her vulnerable face, my heart constricted. Just a little, but it was enough to weaken my resolve.