“I’m leaving,” she cuts me off and stands.
“Like hell you are.” I sneer.
“You can’t make me stay here,” she says, darting past me, or trying to.
I grab her up and toss her on the damn bed. “You’re going to calm down before you have another fucking panic attack.”
“I did not have a panic attack,” she stabs herself in the chest with her perfectly manicured finger. “I’m Sofie—fucking —Fairfax, I don’t panic.”
“I’m Aleks fucking Kilovac, and I know what one is. I saw my mother have them until she bolted overnight, never came back, and left me and my brother with a fucking sadistic drunk.”
Before it even registers that I’ve just told her more than anyone has ever heard me say, fucking ever, she gets soft.
“Aleks,” she whispers.
“Neyt.” I shake my head. “No.”
“Aleks, I?—”
“This is not about me, this is about —”
“Her.”
“No, fuck her, she made a choice. This is about you, and fear that crippled you and the bullshit armor of being Sofie—fucking—Fairfax, and thinking that’s going to protect you, when the opposite is the truth, it puts you more at risk, Tsarina.”
“Why do you even care?”
“Because I’m human.” I climb into bed and grab the pillow, placing it between us. “You believe this could keep anyone away if they wanted to fuck you? That’s bullshit, regardless of what your name is, yet you seem to believe it. So right now, you’re going to lie your little ass down and rest, and then you’re going to let me keep you calm.”
“Newsflash, Killer, you don’t have a calming effect.”
“Well, tough shit.”
“If you can’t stand me, why would you even try?”
I roll my eyes as I kill the light, “Because I’m a selfish prick and don’t want this affecting my game.”
Her phone spouts off again, and this time I do snatch it out of her hand.
“Hey!”
“Password,” I sneer, holding it up, knowing she won’t answer, but the screen will open because it’ll scan her.
“Never going to happen.” She grabs for it, again, I pull it back and look at the screen.
“Matteo is asking if you’re coming home.” I type back a response. “Staying with the girls, send.” I turn and look at her… after sending myself a text, fucking with her phone a bit, and deleting all evidence off her phone so she doesn’t know the information I just gained. “He lives with you?”
“He’s my father’s best friend.” She holds out her hand.
“Do you want me to put it on my charger, or do you want to hold a phone that’s on ten percent until it dies?”
“I need an alarm. What time do the guys get up?”
“Practice at ten.” I grab my phone. “What time can I give you a lift home?”
Chapter 12
Awakened
