I don’t understand it.
And I’m growing uncomfortable with the obvious mismatch in my patterns and the nauseating, gratuitous scene in front of me, but I refuse to leave.
I’m here to protect Nikolai, after all.
Nikolai.
Yet my attention is completely confiscated by Yulian, who’s swaying on his feet, leaning slightly against the guy.
I know he said in his distasteful text that he’d fuck Nikolai, hinting at his bisexuality, but how…could he be soopenabout it?
Though the guy obviously has a death wish. So maybe he couldn’t care less about who figures out his preferences and whether or not he’ll be punished for it.
Seriously, with a father like Yaroslav, how is he so fuckingsloppy?
Irresponsible.
Absolutely nauseating behavior.
Yulian straightens and motions with his hand, signaling his departure. I wait for a beat, expecting those in his circle—namely the guy with the drink—to follow him.
No one does.
Across the hall, I move parallel to him, silently slipping through the crowd.
He’s swaying a bit as he takes the stairs at a moderate pace.
I cast a glance at my surroundings, half expecting his shadow Cyrus to be there like a watchdog.
Honestly, I never liked that guy, which is odd, because I’ve hardly spoken to him.
I heard him talking to Yulian all the time at that summer camp, though. He always seemed half done with his shit, but he still had his back one hundred percent.
And I suppose I despise that.
Someone like Yulian should be on his own so he can finally suffer the consequences of his actions. Though if that were the case, he would’ve probably gotten himself killed by now.
I use the throngs of people standing or sitting on the marble stairs for camouflage as I shadow Yulian’s movements, strategically leaving a safe distance between us.
Then I start to get closer, but he’s too drunk to notice me.
What an idiot with no sense of self-preservation.
So what if he’s in his own mansion with his guards around? If he gets attacked right now, a knife to his throat would have him bleeding out in seconds.
Not that I’m considering the option.
Or maybe I should.
That could finally extinguish the fire that’s been raging in my soul since he sent me that sex video.
Or maybe since he appeared in that fucking restaurant.
He sways up the stairs, waving at a group of guys and girls huddling in the corner, and they raise their drinks back.
I narrow my eyes between them.
Yulian goes down a hall and stumbles against a door. As he’s about to stagger inside, a large figure appears in the doorway, wearing a mask similar to his. He’s around aninch taller than Yulian and dressed just like him in black jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
