“Tell me,” I said, forcing my voice to sound gentle instead of showcasing the rage bubbling inside of me.
Alisa swallowed, and her expression became unmoored. Her body stiffened, and it was like watching concrete settle into its final form. When her eyes clouded over, I knew her mind was drifting into that far-off place.
The recognition hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest.
“Roman’s the one who hurt you that night, isn’t he?” I said. “He’s the one that makes you disassociate.”
Alisa’s head snapped to me, the shock in her eyes confirming my guess.
Chapter sixty-one
Dmitri
When Alisa whispered ‘yes’, I raised my foot and slammed it down on Roman’s kneecap.
This waste of flesh didn’t deserve to stand. Soon he’d be crawling, begging Alisa for forgiveness while I made him repent over and over.
And I’d enjoy every fucking second of it.
Roman’s high-pitched screeches of agony sent my bloodlust creeping higher and higher. But when Alisa’s expression grew slack-jawed, I somehow managed to pause my strikes.
Alisa’s eyes were unfocused, and there was a stiffness to her body that triggered alarm bells loud enough to drown out even my anger. Sure that Roman wouldn’t be able to flee anytime soon, I lifted my foot off him.
I stepped in front of Alisa, blocking Roman from her vision.
“It’s okay, kotenok,” I said, cupping her face in my hands.
No response. She was trapped in the nightmare of that night now. I ground my teeth. I refused to let this asshole hurt her ever again.
“Alisa,” I said, my voice growing rougher. “Come back to me.”
A shudder ripped through her body as she blinked her eyes. The distant look faded, but I refused to let her slip back into it. I towered over her, blocking everything but me from her vision. Alisa’s eyes cleared as she stared straight into my face, my stature shielding her from the source of her nightmare.
A single tear trickled down her face, and something inside me crumbled.
The bloodlust screamed to snap another one of Roman’s bones in retribution for the pain he’d inflicted on her. Instead, I stroked the tear away, comforting her when all I wanted to do was quench this hatred burning within me.
“I’m here, Alisa,” I said, my voice rough despite the gentleness I wanted to exude.
Despite my efforts, I’d never be a gentle man. I softened my gestures for Alisa when she needed it, but deep down I was a raging animal whose first instinct was to destroy instead of comfort.
Still, if it prevented a single one of her tears, then I’d try to be the man she needed.
Alisa sagged into my arms, and I stroked my hand through her hair.
“He’s never going to hurt you again,” I whispered into her ear. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” There was so much emotion in the words that my teeth grit together.
A groan sounded from Roman that immediately killed any warmth I was feeling. A twin sharpness appeared in Alisa’s eyes when she focused in on Roman’s writhing form.
“Make him pay,” she said, her voice tight. “But don’t kill him.”
She kept saying that, but I still couldn’t find a good reason not to.
I slowly circled Roman, chuckling quietly to myself when he attempted to roll away from me.
I slammed my foot down on his ribs in the exact position that Alisa clutched her own. The snapping sound was pure music to my ears.
