Page 412 of Eternal
“Self-destructive” by Vorsa
Present
It’s a strange feeling, this thing people call belonging. Like… having everything you need right next to you. Warmth. Love.Affection. But quiet. Peaceful. It’s comforting in a way that feels dangerous to me.
It makes you want to drop everything and stay still, to rest in the arms of someone whose heart only beats for you, even if my head keeps screaming I don’t deserve it.
But this morning… I believe in it. Only a spark.
I had breakfast with Damir, a bowl of cereal and yogurt, like always. We didn’t talk much, he was glowing a bit, he said he had something to take care of for my birthday tomorrow. Then he left, he looked happy. And that made me happy.
Dumb, I know.
I got ready fast. Before heading to the hospital, I took a detour, stopping by to see Vik and Kat. They had some call with the Pakhan and the Don.
As I parked, I saw him. Lev, that bastard, standing there smoking like nothing’s wrong.
I wanted to tear him apart. I hate him. And I swear, if it weren’t for Damir, I would’ve killed him already. But if I do it without explaining, Vik and Kat won’t understand. Not yet.
He’s standing there, dogs around him, my babies. I missed them, a whole week without seeing them felt like a year. I dream of one day keeping them, for good… But I’ve got no house for now.
I walk up, Lev smiles at me.
I kneel down and the dogs go wild, wagging, jumping around me. I whisper to them, touch their fur. They don’t need to understand words, they feel everything.
“Voron. Long time no see. You know where I can find Damir? Got some things to run by him, mission stuff.”
Liar.
Every word that comes out of his mouth feels like a nail in my skull, my heart’s hammering at the sound of it. I look at him, and I see nothing, nothing but a rat. And before I even realize it, I’ve got him by the throat. My arm’s tight around his neck, and I slam him against the wall. His cigarette hits the ground, he thrashes, he can’t breathe anymore.
“I know what you did, Lev.”
I squeeze harder, he gasps, begging with his eyes to let him go. And all I want to do is kill him, right here, right now.
“Your time will come. I swear it. Once I finish what I need to do… I’ll come back for you. And I’ll kill you slowly. Feed your flesh to my dogs. It’s the only thing a traitor’s good for.”
He slaps at my arm, desperate. I let him go. He drops down, coughing, eyes wide in panic.
“You’re insane… He should’ve killed you when he had the chance.”
I stare at him. “Maybe. But he didn’t. And If you do anything to him, I’ll find you and you’ll suffer for it.”
I head upstairs quickly, my footsteps barely echo on the wood. In front of the meeting room, I pause for a second, I already hear voices. I knock once, no more, then step in.
Vik and Kat are sitting across from each other, focused, the phone is between them on speaker.
I recognize the voices immediately. Elijah and Nikolai. They’re deep in discussion about the situation here: strategy, movements, security.
I sat down next to Kat. She gives me a soft smile and squeezes my hand between hers. “Hey,Visha,” she whispers.
Vik gets up from his chair, walks over, wraps his arms around my shoulders and hugs me gently from behind. “Elijah, Niko… Azra’s here.”
“Hello,” I say quickly.
“Azra,” Nikolai replies warmly. “It’s good to hear your voice. Are you doing okay?”
“I’m good, I’m good. And you guys, over in Vesper? Is everything alright? Is Zanae okay?”
