I don’t bother with a reply. I throw myself into the driver’s seat and slam the door so hard the windows rattle.
The engine screams in protest as I push it to its absolute limit.
On the agonizing drive back to the house, darkness presses in on me, trapping me in trance where I see black clothes, black umbrellas lifted high, and rain pouring down on a fresh grave.
For the first time in my life, I consider the unthinkable—that I might actually lose my sister. The thought is like a jagged blade twisting in my chest.
I’ve survived getting shot, stabbed, and betrayed, but the thought of Tatiana’s innocent life being snuffed out because of my dirty hands makes my throat close with a cold, paralyzing dread.
When the car screeches to a halt in the courtyard of the main estate, I don’t wait for the engine to die.
I fling the door open and storm through the front doors of the house.
The air inside is heavy and thick with silence. More men patrol the front yard than usual, and a handful of them arestationed inside, at the entrances and hallways. But I ignore them all.
My feet move on their own accord, carrying me straight up the staircase and down the corridor to my bedroom.
I throw the door open and find her standing right at the center of the room.
She looks smaller than usual and utterly breathtaking, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if she’s trying to hold herself together. She’s wearing one of her baggy sweaters that swallows her whole frame, paired with casual shorts, contrasting the violence waiting outside.
I march up to her with terrifying speed, closing the distance before she can even speak.
My hands fly up to cup her cheeks. Her skin is warm, but it’s damp. She’s been crying. She’s already heard the news.
The sheer agony of seeing her tears fractures whatever restraint I had left. Desperate for her to anchor me, I slide my arms under her hips and lift her effortlessly off her feet, bringing her lips down to mine in a bruising, chaotic collision.
The kiss is intense, urgent, and desperate, like that of a drowning man clawing his way to the surface. I need her life, her heat, her existence to remind me that I haven’t lost everything yet.
After a few breathless seconds, she pulls back just a fraction, her chest heaving like she just ran a marathon. Her hands leave my shoulders and cup my cheeks, forcing me to hold still.
“You’re shaking,” she whispers against my lips, and her breath hitches as she feels the violent tremors wracking my massive frame.
I don’t say anything. I can’t. The words are caught in my throat. Instead, my trembling fingers reach up and gently tuck a stray lock of honey-blonde hair behind her ear.
“Leo, look at me,” she commands softly.
I try, but I can’t.
I look down, my gaze dropping to her throat, to the floor, terrified that if she looks into my eyes right now, she’ll see the shattered, broken boy instead of the controlling monster she’s used to.
But she refuses to let me hide. She grips my face tighter, her touch firm and grounding, physically forcing my head up until my tortured eyes are locked onto hers.
“Look at me,” she repeats, her tone steadying into pure steel. “You’re going to find your sister, Leo. Do you hear me? You will find Tatiana and you will bring her home.”
That grim image forms again—rain pouring on a graveyard—and I swallow hard. Panic claws at my throat, but she presses closer, her forehead resting against mine.
“This is not the time to break.” Her eyes flash with fierce intensity. “It’s the time to become lethal. You know who you are.Theyall know what you’re capable of. Leo,you don’t need a pep talk. Go get your sister.”
Her words hit me like a bolt of lightning, destroying the anxiety in the pit of my stomach. Her belief in me is so absolute it tears through the fog of my panic.
My focus reignites and my raw fury turns into a razor-sharp purpose. The shaking stops. The fear burns away, leaving behind a cold, hollow void of pure malice.
I straighten my spine, my broad shoulders squaring as the cold and deadly calm returns to my veins.
Elena is right.
This shit ends tonight. Vasili has crossed a line from which there is no return, and I will ensure he doesn’t survive the dawn.
