Page 83 of Lord of Vice

“Duly noted. But I assure you that no one will have the opportunity to get to anyone I care about ever again. Not once.”

And I would make good on that promise.

I would burn down the entire city if necessary to find anyone else connected with attempting to kill a woman who’d managed to capture a portion of my heart.

When I did, they’d suffer a fate that sent them straight to hell.

CHAPTER 25

“There are horrors beyond life’s edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man’s evil prying calls them just without our range.”

—H.P. Lovecraft

Penny

Dangerous.

Damning.

Delicious.

That was the only way to describe the way I was feeling about Kraven after the night of passion. It had been completely unexpected, as if taken from a romance novel. I was pacing the floor of the bedroom, uncertain what I should do or where I should go. I’d tried to make sense of the way I was feeling but it was ridiculous to bother trying.

I was certain I was still in some level of shock. That would make sense, but the rush of feelings left me incapable of thinking clearly.

I wanted to say to myself that the array of emotions rushing through me was disgusting, creating a self-loathing that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Or at least it would have had the taste of the brutal, unforgiving man not been so incredible. I remained furious at how my body had responded, the chill coursing down my spine all about the extreme pleasure I’d already experienced. Even the game of cat and mouse had induced excitement, yanking on the kind of darkness that had consumed Kraven long before he’d ever met me.

I also wanted to distrust him and the way he’d opened up the night before, including with his brother, but it had been very heartfelt. God, I hated second guessing myself about everything but here I was, feeling more nauseous than I did last night.

Not because of the time spent together, but from the understanding that life really was so short. I’d spent so much time running from my past I’d almost allowed myself to be swept up in a vacuum, refusing to see anything in front of me.

I wanted so much to be with Kraven, to do nothing more than to enjoy the same kind of day as we had before the near tragedy. Sadly, I had a feeling there would never be another carefree moment again. I hated it. I loathed that I’d started to fall for a man who likely could never enjoy just being.

Dinners.

Walks.

Unescorted vacations.

Hell, Christmas.

But here I stood with a juice in my hand, staring out the window of the kitchen at a glorious looking environment, wondering if I was allowed to even walk outside.

Or even if I had the courage to do so.

Every time I closed my eyes, I could still see the horror, could feel the vibrations as the guns were fired. I glanced down at Remington, grateful he didn’t seem any worse for the wear, eating like a champ. I’d noticed Konstantin had been kicked out of the meeting, which had left him pacing the living room floor with a phone permanently attached to his hand. At least he’d brought my things, allowing me to change into something other than a baggy tee shirt and a pair of shorts I’d been forced to cinch as tight as possible to keep from falling off.

Now I stood in what felt like a completely inappropriate outfit: another tiny sundress and sandals. It was ridiculous to feel as if I should be wearing combat gear but that’s the way it was.

As Remington moved to the water bowl, lapping like the big dog he was, I laughed since he was making so much of a mess.

“Cute dog,” I suddenly heard from behind me.

I spun around, uncertain if Vissarian was going to be vicious or nice. I hadn’t paid attention to the fact he’d all but hidden his Russian accent while his brother had embraced it. “He’s my child. Remington Steele, meet Vissarian Sokolov.”

To my pup’s credit, he stopped slurping the water enough to glance around to see the newcomer, even woofing in response. I laughed again, shocked that I was rewarded by a smile from theyoung man. He looked so much like Kraven today that only the age difference really highlighted they weren’t the same person.