Page 30 of Volatile

I hum, waiting for whatever dumb idea he’s had now, but he chooses depth.

“Some people feel so much that they shut down. They’re so used to being alone that the thought of it changing frightens them.” His arms coil around me tighter, preventing my escape as I stop breathing and he continues, “But they’re the ones who need it the most, they need the company to make the loneliness easier because it never actually leaves.”

My voice is muffled and weak as I ask, “Are you lonely?”

He kisses my crown again and strokes across my jaw line to tilt my chin up. I’m shorter than him without my heels and have to look up. The comfort of my feet not aching adds to the peace wrapping around me from his gaze as he slowly leans into me, his low admission tickling my lips.

“Will you stay if I say yes?”

My lips part, ready to come up with an excuse, but no sound leaves me, and I nod. He softly kisses me. He doesn’t push his tongue in my mouth or hold my ass. He kisses me without any lust and only pure emotion. I lean into him, not wanting it to end, and he smiles, pulling back, breaking the connection. There’s no taunt on his lips despite the thoughts dancing behind his eyes as he sways us from side to side.

“You want to avoid the crazies, don’t you?”

I wish I could hide under his bed until it’s dark in the hopes that none of the guards see me. They’re worse than his family and Tali hardens as he stops swaying to cup my cheek. He takes a controlled breath, removing the emotion from his voice.

“Come on, Asya, I’ll say you’re helping me.”

He walks me backwards to sit on the edge of his bed and grabs my shoes to put them on for me. There’s no sexual comment or lingering touch as he pulls my boots up to my knees and does the zip. I’m mute due to the action; he’s not supposed to do shit like this and for some stupid reason I’m not stopping him.

Once he’s done, he takes my hand and walks us out of the room while I’m still dazed. He doesn’t take the elevator and chooses the smaller staircase that leads to the back of the house. The warmth wrapped around my hand leaves when we reach the last step, and he rolls his shoulders as he pulls the widest smile on his face and gestures to a side door.

“Get in the car, sweetness, I need to get Vik.”

I nod as I take the keys he holds out to me and reinforce my spine and shoulders before I force one foot in front of the other and ignore the voices of his family behind me to leave the house. Dima and Vanya are standing together in the hallway, and they don’t see me as they talk in hushed tones. They’re both loved up, it’s cute especially because she’s a psycho. Sweat beads down my spine as I pull the door open, and the guards notice me. They give me a once over and start whispering amongst themselves as I descend the steps. All I need to do is make it to the car.

The whispering stops abruptly as I get in the car, and I stupidly think it’s due to the door blocking it out until Vitali walks out of the front door with his nephew following after him. Viktor looks like his mini me as he remains on alert; the seriousness doesn’t leave his features as he climbs into the car, and we drive in silence. I thought he was joking about beating the shit out of some kid’s dad, but it must be true as the child gives directions.

Viktor usually tells me about the gossip from school, but he’s quiet as we drive to meet Vitali’s opponent. I hate bullies; Marta was mine before her father married my mother and then I had to share a room with the bitch. Turning to get his attention, I try not to look at the partial heterochromia that makes one eye have a dark tear-shaped blob staining his iris. It’s fascinating, in a dark, fucked up way with the knowledge of how he got it.

That information and his bullies are what harden my tone.

“Is someone giving you shit?”

He’s more than capable of handling it himself after stabbing a grown man in the dick but the psychological bullshit is worse. His eyes go to the back of Vitali’s head, and he smirks, trying to hide whatever’s going to leave his mouth.

“Where did you sleep last night, Stasi?”

Every Vartanov is born with the ability to render people mute and I underestimated him as my face heats.

I right myself in my seat and look out of the window. The little fucking shit laughs, focusing on his uncle. “I’m telling Mom you’ve got a girlfriend.” Vitali is an even bigger child and reaches through the seats without looking away from the road and grabs Viktor’s knee.

“Try it, and I’ll tell Val about Grace.”

Watching their back and forth warms something in my chest.

“No, you said you wouldn’t, he’ll end up being annoying and hugging her or something,” he whines and they continue arguing.

It all ends as soon as Viktor points at a street and says, “It’s this one.” His nose is nearly pressed to the glass as we pull up outside a large house and Vitali tenses. I’ve seen him fight but it’s never been with this much intense rage that it’s barely leashed.

“Stay here.”

He doesn’t even look at us as he gives his order and jumps out, walking towards a middle-aged man that’s taking something out of his garage. Viktor’s body blocks my view as he crawls into the driver’s seat and cracks the window to allow the sound of Vitali’s threats to carry inside.

“Heard you’re an amateur fighter.”

There’s too much darkness in his voice and my eyes follow the movement walking around the side of the house.

A little boy around Viktor’s age with his arm in a cast and his head down stays back, trying to blend into the wall. Fear contorts his features, but it’s solely focused on the bully parading as a grown-ass man. His shoulders hunch as Vitali stares at the adult and calls him over.

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