Page 176 of Nemesync
It’s hard to pretend when your mind doesn’t even want to follow.
Later, Nikolai and I found a moment alone on the balcony.
“I feel like you’re finding other ways to feel alive, I’m proud of you for that.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for being here, Niko. It means a lot.”
He leaned in with a soft smile. “Just doing my part, Little Z. Now, let’s get you inside. Elijah’s probably already preparing how to kill me because you’ll catch a cold.”
We made our way back inside, and found Elijah alone, Ben had to go again, our superhero. Eli was waiting with a subtle smile playing on his lips. “Took you both long enough. Everything alright?”
I shot him a reassuring look. “Perfectly fine. Niko made sure of that.”
Nikolai chimed in with his little grin. “Yeah, someone’s got to keep the balance in this madhouse.”
“Well, I appreciate it, Moretti. Now, let’s call it a night.Milaya, come here.”
Stepping into Elijah’s arms, I wanted to stay there forever.
Nikolai winked at us. “Alright, lovebirds. I’m off to bed. Don’t keep the neighborhood awake with whatever you’re fucking preparing tonight.”
With that, he left, leaving us alone.
Nestled in his arms, I looked up at Eli, “Hey, would you... would you tattoo something on me?”
His gaze softened as he regarded my request, a mix of surprise and curiosity coloring his eyes. “A tattoo? Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah, a tattoo. I want something from you, a mark that will always remind me of you.”
He gently stroked my cheek, smiling. “Alright, let me think about it.”
I couldn’t help but look at all his tattoos, the one on his wrist made me curious about what ideas he has for me. I traced the lines with my finger, a smile playing on my lips. “I like this one a lot. Now, what would you give me?”
The dagger on his wrist was magnificent, around it, his veins made it look like a masterpiece.
Elijah grinned. “I don’t know yet.”
The tattoo made me think of something.
I traced the contours of the blade and looked at him, “What does this one mean, Elijah?”
Memories flooded back to me; I knew exactly what the tattoo reminded me of: the first time I saw him. The night when an Outfit disappeared, and his body was found near my father’s house with a dagger carved in his flesh.
His green eyes looked back at me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking about.
“In the Bratva, the dagger is a sign for revenge. And the Pakhan gets to tattoo it on himself the day he takes up that role.”
I met his gaze, surprised and lost. “You killed the man that night?”
The green disappeared again, letting the black abyss take place in his eyes. “Which one,Milaya?”
Was he seriously asking me this as if he does this all the time?
“Are you joking? Elijah, what did you do that night, months ago, the night when Niko followed me to the cemetery?”
He grabbed my hands in his and pressed them firmly on his chest. “That night, I saw him grab your hand, fucking leave a mark on your beautiful skin, and I saw you angry and frustrated, unable to do anything to that man.”
His jaw clenched, “All I could see was red. I’ve told you this, before you, I only saw the world in red and black, and when I saw you that night, defenseless against that jerk, I wanted to paint the room with his blood,” he confessed, his lips brushing softly against my wrist before he continued, “That night I took him after you went back home and met Niko, and I tortured him. I lacerated the nasty hands that dared to defile you, I cut off his damn tongue that dared to insult you, and I carved the dagger into his fucking flesh so that your father would know it was me.”
