I was floating, my breathing slow, air was dragging into my lungs. Everything was still. I waited for Master. But no Master came.

My cheek was flat to the ground, my eyes were shut. But I was numb. My heart beat at a steady pace. It didn’t race or stutter. There was no pain, no fire inside.

But I was too tired. I couldn’t move, my blood was no longer hot. The knives were no longer in my stomach. There was nothing.

I lay for a long time until the sound of a door creaking open caused me to still.

Quiet footsteps approached. The scent of something sweet filled my nostrils, and for the first time in a long time, my body wanted to move.

My eyes stayed closed, my back to the approaching person. My hands clenched into fists and I waited, teeth gritted for them to get close enough. They had me chained. But were they Master or the guards? The sound of their footsteps, I couldn’t recognize.

I waited and waited until the person kneeled behind me, their breath shaking with fear. I hated fear. Someone told me once that fear made you weak.

Readying to strike, a hand suddenly pressed against my back and I fought back a hiss at the contact. Not reacting, the hand ran down over my arm and along my waist. It was soft, and I frowned. I didn’t understand. Had Master sent a female to me? Was this a test?

Anger about my confusion pierced my brain.

It was a test, had to be a test.

I had to kill.… Master always wanted me to kill.…

As the hand ran across my back, warm breath drifting over my skin, I snapped.

Jerking from my position lying down, I roared, rolled around, and reaching out, grabbed the attacker’s arms and crashed them to the ground, my body braced above them to strike.

My blood pumped with the need to kill and just as I raised my hand to smash into the face of my attacker, not even feeling the heavy chains around my hands, I glanced down.

And froze.

Huge brown eyes stared up at me, too wide and afraid. The strange female’s mouth was open, big pink lips trembling as her eyes moved to my fist in the air. My nostrils flared at her smell … my heartbeat thundered and my muscles twitched.

Long blond hair.

I stared at her and felt her shaking beneath me.

Her lips moved and I focused there.

“D-don’t h-hurt me,” she whispered.

My head moved to the side as I heard her voice. Her voice was strange, sounded strange, like the man that used to come in here telling me to fight. To fight the poison.

She tried to move so I pinned her down further. She gasped and the blood left her face. “Please,” she begged, and the rage inside me built.

Who was she?

Why was she here?

Master didn’t give me a command. I didn’t know what to do.

“I-I’m not here to hurt you,” she said. I moved my face closer. Her skin was lighter than mine, and she smelled so good.

I moved my eyes along her body. She was small. Too small. I’d kill her easily. Snap her neck in a second.

“Please,” she begged again, and her eyes went to my fist. Eyes narrowed, I lowered my fist and she inhaled a long breath.

I stared at her. Suddenly, heavy footsteps ran down the stairs. I snarled at the men approaching as anger invigorated my numb muscles.

Klavs, klavs, klavs, I thought when two men, dressed in black, entered with guns held high.

Guards. Enemy guards.

Klavs, klavs, klavs.

“Talia!” one of them boomed. They were talking to the female.

Gripping the woman by her arms, I pulled her to my chest, and moved back against the wall. Pushing her down on the ground, I stood in front of her, trying to rip free from the chains.

The guards were circling, guns aimed at my head. I growled, trying to swipe out with my hands. The chains held me back. Anger surged through my veins. I threw my head back and roared.

“Talia, get the fuck out from there!” one of the guards said, shouting to the female. I tried to understand what he said, when suddenly I knew.

He wanted to take the female from me. He wanted to hurt her. Wanted her for himself.

Running forward, I held my hands out trying to grip the man by his throat. He jumped back and the female screamed.

Pain shot through my head. Screams, females screaming … blood … guns … bullets. Thundering out a bellow, I dropped to my knees and gripped my head.

“Get out!” I heard the female say.

“Miss. Move!” the guard commanded. I tried to stand. I pressed my fist to the ground to try to lift myself, but I fell back down. The pain in my head was too much.

“I said leave! That’s an order!” the female repeated.

The men were silent, when the female again said, “Leave! Pereyti teper! Or so help me God I’ll have you punished for insubordination!”

“B‘lyad!” one of the guards shouted in response. “We’ll be watching. If he does anything to you, we’re coming back in to kill the fucker! I don’t care what the knayz’s instructions are. Keeping you alive is our priority. Those are your father’s orders.” I heard the footsteps leave and the door slam shut.

The pain left my head, but my heart still beat too fast. Muscles weak, I fell back to the floor. I could feel the female nearby, but my body was numb. I could barely move.

Forcing myself to turn, the woman was sitting in the corner where I’d put her. Her brown eyes were looking at me in fear. Her hands were still shaking.

I crawled closer, but the chains were too heavy. Collapsing to the ground, I stared at the female’s eyes, but darkness was taking me again.

Darkness was pulling me down.…

Chapter Seven

Talia

Zaal’s body slumped to the floor beside me, and I pressed a hand over my frantic heart, trying to calm down. I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose. I’d been wrong. So damn wrong. Kostava wasn’t dead, he was very much alive.

I thought back to early this morning. Thought back to the moment I’d looked at Zaal’s lifeless body on my laptop screen. Thought back to the moment my heart chose to control my head.…

As I heard the front door close from downstairs, Ilya and Savin off to patrol the grounds, my palms twitched with the knowledge that it was just me in the house. Just me and Zaal.

My stomach filled with butterflies at seeing his beautiful face again. Checking in on him each morning had become my daily ritual.

Jumping from my bed, I made sure the bedroom door was locked and I ran to my laptop. Zaal had fallen asleep early last night before I’d gone to bed, after minimal movement all day. But I knew he’d be awake right now, right this minute. He was no longer pacing the floor and snarling at anyone who came near as of this week. Rather, he’d sit against the wall, his head often hanging low, his large body twitching and sweating. But he didn’t move. His jade green eyes were dull when he stared off into space, his attention fixed on nothing.

I didn’t know why, but I watched him, watched him lying there like a broken and abused animal. My chest would ache and no amount of rubbing over the skin could soothe it.

I’d always felt kind of trapped, mentally and emotionally lost in this Bratva life, and staring at Zaal Kostava, the man I was conditioned to hate, just broke my heart. Because he mirrored how I felt. Especially of late, I felt broken and scarred on the inside. He looked broken and scarred on the outside. I felt a connection to the Kostava. I supposed he and I were kindred spirits.