“Maybe one day you’ll love it again,” I murmur. “Don’t count yourself out yet. You’re stronger than you think. Strong enough to do anything.”
“I’ll think about it,” she says after a beat. Then, lighter, teasing again, “Now… are you going to spoon me or what?”
A smile tugs at my mouth. “Damn right.”
We shift, fitting together perfectly, her back to my chest, my arm wrapped around her waist, my chin resting near her temple. I reach over and turn off the light.
The room goes dark, and I lie there, staring into nothing, listening to her breathing slowly even out as sleep claims her. Each breath feels like a countdown. Each second stretches tighter in my chest.
My mind won’t shut up.
How to tell Lev. When to tell Lily the truth. How to stop my world from detonating the moment those secrets come out.
I don’t know how much time passes. Minutes. Hours. It all blurs together. With every second she sleeps peacefully in my arms, the weight of what’s coming presses harder. I only know one thing with absolute certainty.
I would burn every version of myself that came before her if it meant keeping her safe in the one that comes next.
The second I hear the elevator ping, my hand is already on my gun, and I’m out of bed. It’s five in the fucking morning.
I move fast, silent, pulling it from the side as I creep toward the door. When I open it, the kitchen light flicks on, and all I see at first are long, bare legs.
Shit.
Her eyes lock with mine, and that wicked smile spreads across her mouth as she lifts her fingers in a little wave. This is like coming face-to-face with a ghost that fucking haunts you. An evil entity here to rip my life to shreds again.
That’s what Tatiana does. That’s who she is. And she hides behind a pretty face.
I press a finger to my lips, a clear warning to shut the fuck up. This is not ideal. It never was. I made contact with Tatiana. I always knew this was a possibility. I just didn’t expect her this soon.
Keeping my gun trained on her, I step out and quietly close the bedroom door behind me before striding toward the kitchen.
Today her eyes are blue. I’ve seen a dozen versions of Tatiana over the years. Different faces. Different hair. Different masks. And now, she’s used her disguise to get herself into my penthouse.
“The blonde hair suits you,” I say flatly.
She looks like a cheap knock-off of Lily, and that alone makes my stomach twist.
She bites her bright red lip. “Is it because I look like your new girlfriend?” she purrs.
I give her nothing. No reaction. No tells.
“Sit,” I order, gesturing to the chair at the dining table with my gun.
“I’ve missed this view,” she says instead, dragging her gaze over my body, stopping at my boxers, like she owns me.
She doesn’t. She never has. It makes me fucking angry that she’s looking at what belongs to Lily.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t pretend we were anything more than what we were.”
She scoffs, ignoring my command, tapping her long red nails against the table. “We were friends, yes?”
I let out a humorless breath. “I don’t know, Tat. Do friends let their brothers string them up and bleed them out in a barn?”
She nods slowly. “I am sorry about that. But?—”
“Apologies usually don’t come with a but,” I snap, keeping my voice low. Lily is asleep in the next room. This is the last woman on earth I want her to ever meet.
Evil. Calculated. A queen who feeds on chaos and pain.
