I walk past Kharon, shoving the phone into one of his hands. “Turn him towards me so she can’t see,” I hiss, barely sure of my decision even as I’m making it.
Kharon spins and does as I ask, flipping my uncle and holding him beneath his armpits so he dangles like a rag-doll in front of me. Kharon’s arm shakes with rage. Uncle Pavel keeps twisting to look behind him, unable to see what or who is holding him up.
“Who are you talking to?” he demands.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Uncle,” I say, swiftly pulling a knife and holding it to his stomach so his daughter can’t see. “I want you to remember this moment and know howvery muchI want to gut you where you hang. I’ve envisioned this moment a hundred times. YouknowI know how to make it hurt. I’d enjoy watching you squirm, beg, and cry as you died like the rat you are.”
He wets himself, and I smile.
“You saw how easy it was for me to get to you today. The best part is you’ll never even understand how.” To Kharon, I say, “Give him a little shake to remind him of the power I wield. Power he’ll never understand.”
Kharon shakes him like a dog until his teeth rattle and then drops him to the floor.
I lean down. “No matter how many men you surround yourself with or what hole you crawl into, you’re never safe from me. And if you foolishly decide to come for me, you’ll be snatched from the land of the living by forces you could never hope to comprehend. Don’t misunderstand. This is not mercy. This is you using your daughter as a shield, which only works once.”
I turn and sprint from the room and up the stairs. As soon as I reach the top, I all but leap into Kharon’s arms. That damn phone is still going off, but obviously, he can easily hold it and me as he runs and leaps out the door right as the Politsiya arrive. He’s faster than the armed officers spilling out of their cars, thank god. Ending up in a Russian prison is not how I envisioned ending the night.
They lift their guns, and bullets start coming our way. I’m not sure if they can see me magically floating through the air or just because of the damn ringing cell phone. Either way, Kharon shields me with his back, tucking me closer against his chest as he sprints across the back courtyard, clearing the fence and not stopping.
His motions are so fluid, and I’ve finally become somewhat used to this mode of travel. As long as I squeeze my eyes shut and cling to him, I’m not too bothered. Especially because he does provide a very efficient method of escape.
He flies down an alleyway that would be narrow for a car, and when I next peek an eye open, I see that we’re in downtown St. Petersburg and he’s scaling up the side of a high-rise. I slam my eyes shut again and cling even tighter to his neck, my hair whipping around in the wind as we go higher and higher.
He finally stops when we’re on the roof.
“You should have let me kill him!” he roars. Then he lifts the phone. “What is this noise-making abomination? It draws attention. I will crush it!”
“It’s not mine,” I say, landing on wobbly feet as he lets me down and holds out the phone. “It was in the backpack. Your family must have packed it.”
He frowns down at the device, which has just started ringing again.
“Just answer it,” I say tersely, hands going to my head as I start to pace, not sure what to do now that I’ve failed in my revenge. “That’s the quickest way to stop it making noise.” I’m furious and upset, and all I want to do is climb back into Kharon’s arms because he’s the only thing that makes sense in this stupid world.
“Answer?” He stares down at the thing, befuddled.
I push the green button, then hand it back to him.
“Finally!” I hear a voice shout from the other end. I accidentally put it on speakerphone, but that might be easiest.
“Romulus?” Kharon asks.
“Brother, get back here! Now! We’re under attack!”
THIRTY-ONE
KHARON
My attention is divided.I’m still trying to keep watch over the top of the building to see if we are being followed—Ksenia must be kept safe at all costs—but my brother’s words finally sink in. My eyes widen. “What do you mean. Who? How?”
Hannah’s voice comes next over the small device. “We don’t know who. We just know that all of Romulus’s wards started going nuts ten minutes ago. Someone’s trying to break in. Someone who can use angel runes and attack Romulus’s wards.”
“Are you and the baby safe?” I demand.
“We’re heading down to the dungeon now.”
“Get back here,” comes Abaddon’s voice. “Now!”
“I’m on my way,” I say urgently. “Brother? Brother?”
