January 12th
Nikolai
Ayeeeee good luck meeting the in-laws.
If she has any hot cousins or something let me know.
Thought I could get in with blondie, but that kitty has claws, and this face is too pretty to be scratched.
Aleksandr
What the fuck are you talking about?
Right there.The words wereright thereon the tip of my tongue, ready to spill from my lips.Alek, you should know: my nameisEvangeline Vale. But it wasn’t always.
It was one of the many things that changed after the accident. My wound still had all of its stitches when my mother dragged me to the courthouse and signed paperwork to change my name. Anything to distance themselves from me. Anything to finally rid themselves of me.
And for a long time, I was devastated.
I felt like I wasn’t a part of my own family, an outsider who lived beyond the walls they’d built. It took me years to realize that my family was the people I chose, not the ones who shared my last name. My family was Jules and Mia. Maybe Charlotte. And, if tonight went well, Alek.
I was getting ready to tell Alek about my name when the door to the dining room opened. I knew instinctively by the dark andimposing presence that it was my big brother. A nervous smile took over my face as I prepared for the two most important men in my life to meet.
My brother stepped into the room.
And immediately pulled out his gun.
I screamed at the sight of such a vulgar weapon pointed in my direction. A strong hand gripped my arm and wrenched me behind their body. All the air escaped my lungs when I saw that Alek had pulled me behind him, his body shielding mine while he had another gun pointed at my brother. I might have screamed again, though I wasn’t sure. My blood was thundering in my ears, too thick for me to tell.
What’s happening? Why do they have guns? Why are they aiming them at each other?
My hands instinctively wrapped around Alek, my soul craving some form of comfort. His body was hard, tension radiating from every pore. I couldn’t see his face, but what I did see reminded me of the Angel of Death. Shadows lined his handsome expression, and his eyes were pitch black. I shuddered at the sight of his thin, determined lips, at the fury in the gaze aimed at Jules.
“What’s going on?” I whimpered, clutching Alek even tighter.
“Stay behind me, solnyshka,” Alek growled. “I’ll keep you safe from this fucking bastard.”
“Annie, get the fuck over here.” I peeked out from behind Alek’s back to find Jules standing in a similar expression, his eyes promising wrath if I didn’t follow the quiet order. Wrath not for me, but for Alek.
Oh my God. They’re going to kill each other.
Alek didn’t take his eyes off Jules, though I felt his attention flicker to me. “Annie?”
“It’s a childhood nickname,” I explained. “Only my family calls me that. I don’t really know why. I guess because Ev-an-geline.”
His jaw tightened. “Let me guess:you’reAnnie Vallen?”
I frowned. “I mean, kind of? That was what I was trying to tell you. My name used to be Evangeline Vallen, but my parents changed it when I was four.”
“Seventeen damn years ago,” he hissed. Alek narrowed his eyes at Jules and clicked his gun. I didn’t know a whole lot about weapons, but I knew that wasn’t a good sign. “Julian Vallen. Such apleasuremeeting you in the flesh.”
Jules did the same thing with his gun, and my breath quickened. “Aleksandr Drakov. I wish I could say the same, but you’re holding my baby sister hostage. If you harm one hair on her head, you and your entire fucking family will burn.”
“I wouldneverhurt, Evangeline, you bloody?—”
“Wait,” I said, my head spinning as I tried to put together all the puzzle pieces floating around me. But they all felt out of reach. My heart quickened from the stress, and my vision temporarily blurred. I could feel the voice in the back of my head growing louder, meaner, hungrier for my pain.
“You did this. You caused this. You ruin everything. You’re not perfect.”
