Page 50 of Shadows of the Past
I guess this is what happens when you lose your soul.
The second man doesn’t even have a name worth remembering. He shakes his head as if pleading for mercy, glancing desperately at Ivan for help. But Ivan does nothing, he just watches.
The same bloodied knife finds its mark in the soldier’s gut. Unlike Boris, I grant him a sliver of mercy as I twist the blade once, just enough to ensure his stomach won’t function for much longer.
Her empty eyes flash in my mind again, along with the sound of her voice breaking under the weight of her suffering.
The third man doesn’t even get a chance to fight back before I shove him to the ground and wrap my hands around his throat. He struggles, his hands pushing against me, but I don’t care that he outweighs me by at least thirty pounds. Something stronger drives me now, the need to see the life drain from his eyes. My grip tightens until his lips turn blue.
“What a performance,” Aleksandr taunts from the corner of the room, clapping slowly as if this is all some twisted game to him.
I don’t doubt for a second that he had a hand in orchestrating this nightmare. One day, he’ll pay for it, tenfold. I swear, Vera.
“I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Maksim,” Ivan snaps as he settles into his chair at the desk.
Rage boils inside me so fiercely that I almost hurl the knife straight into his skull—but no. That would be too easy for him. He deserves hours of agony, pure and unrelenting pain. He deserves to look into the eyes of every victim he’s destroyed as he takes his final breath.
Before leaving the room, I hurl the knife across the space and it lands perfectly in the stack of papers on Ivan’s desk. His head jerks up slightly, startled.
“The next time you touch something that’s mine,” I say coldly, “that knife will find its way into the organ that ties us together…Father.”
The word burns like acid on my tongue, but I don’t care if he sees it in my eyes, that something inside me has snapped beyond repair. He lowers his head slightly without a word.
Aleksandr watches our exchange closely, but when I take a step toward him, he instinctively backs away.
“And you,” I say darkly, my voice laced with venom, “one day we’ll settle this, and there’s only one payment I’ll accept: blood.”
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The memory fades as I jolt awake, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It’s always the same reaction, the same nightmare replaying over and over again.
Julia stirs beside me at the sudden movement. Without thinking, my hands find her face as I cup her cheeks gently and study her features, counting every freckle, every line around her mouth and nose.
I know today’s events have triggered everything that happened with Vera again, every wound left by that memory feels ripped open, but when I look into Julia’s eyes…they’re not empty like Vera’s were. They shine with life and a fierce hunger for freedom.
I have to make sure she never loses that light.
“Max?” Julia’s voice is soft and sleepy but tinged with concern.
I don’t respond; instead, I lie back down beside her while keeping hold of her hand.
She’s here. She’s safe, for now, but there’s a voice in my head whispering that this is Vera sending me a warning: today was too fucking close.
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Chapter 19
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Julia
I feel his hands parting my thighs as he positions himself between them. The scent of rosemary and pine overwhelms my senses as I run my fingers through his dark hair.
When I feel how hard he is for me, I can't hold back the sound that escapes my lips because this man embodies every fantasy I've ever had.
His lips find the base of my neck as he slowly begins to move his hips, creating just the right friction that makes me feel like I might explode at any moment.
I tangle my hands in his hair, desperate to beg him not to stop. To continue what he's doing because I need this release as badly as my next breath.
