Page 41 of Eternal
The word hangs in my head for a moment too long. Kat steps up beside him with her usual smile, nodding politely but with that seriousness in her eyes. And then there’s me.
Not his real sister, but the way he says it, with that deliberate certainty, does something to me.
For a moment, the sense of his words pressed against me. He didn’t stumble, didn’t hesitate. He said it, loud and sure, like it was the simplest truth in the world.
His sisters.
Kat beams beside me, doing small talk, while I’m frozen in the warmth of something I didn’t expect to feel.
Sisters.
I can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
“Voron,” one of the older men says, his voice tight. He doesn’t offer his hand, but he nods politely with a drop of sweat visible on his forehead.
He clearly remembers me, I don’t, though.
Judging by the way his hand flexes unconsciously, I’d bet good money he’s one of the ones who lost a finger.
“Nice to see you again,” I say, smiling to scare him. He shifts uncomfortably, and I smile even more.
Kat leans in close, her voice quiet, meant only for me. “I think he might pass out if you smile any wider,Visha.”
I chuckle softly, my eyes never leaving the group while Viktor handles the introductions. He’s in his element here, all business, it’s like second nature with him.
Kat, on the other hand, is soaking it all in, her mind ticking away, making mental notes of every little detail, everything they say, every little information.
I chuckle softly at the scene, keeping my gaze fixed on the group.
Still, there’s a part of me that wonders why he keeps doing this. Dragging me to events like these, forcing these people to acknowledge me as one of theirs.
Maybe it’s to protect my real identity?
Or…Maybeit’s because he really thinks I’m one of them.
I start daydreaming, losing myself to the murmurs of conversations around me, I drift into my thoughts almost involuntarily, to the words my mother used to say, almost singing them with her soft voice before she lost it. The more I think about it, the more it feels true.
Viktor, Kat, they’ve become my family.
Not by birth, but by choice.
And I wonder if that’s what this is all about. Maybe that’s why he drags me into these places, to remind me that, despite all of this darkness, there’s a place for me, too. Somewhere to belong.
And maybe it’s his way of saying he’s proud.
I’m not his blood, and yet, when he says it like that, I almost believe it. Like I’m not a broken body they use but someone human, someone who can feel and break.
The men nod respectfully, offering polite words to Kat and Viktor, and when their eyes flicker to me, there’s a moment of hesitation, as if they’re re calibrating their assumptions. I can see the calculations in their gazes, the way they wonder what it means that Viktor introduces me like this.
But I don’t care about them, not at this moment.
What gets me is the way Viktor stands there, calm and assured, and the way Kat grabs my arm as if to say, of course, you’re one of us.
It doesn’t matter that I’ve walked through hell for them, killed for them, bled for them. Those were only actions. But this? This is the kind of thing that makes you feel seen.Loved, even.
I glance at Viktor, who’s already moving the conversation forward, and at Kat, who’s now playfully ribbing one of the men about his outdated tie.
I swallow the lump in my throat, letting a small smile settle on my lips as I let out a long breath.
