Page 124 of The Harbinger

Chapter 29

Sacha

Mymindwasblankas she had rushed toward me, except for the mental image of his blood dripping from my fingertips.

Fear had pulsed around her like an inky sickness. If one could harvest such illness, it could be stirred into a pot for the most potent disease. But I’d bypassed her and headed straight to the source of what ailed her.

He’d stood with poise, his back erect and his face solemn and determined—a stance I’d observed him adopt many times and had practiced until it became second nature to me.

“I knew he looked familiar.” Mia rubbed her forehead with the tips of her two fingers, her face pale.

“You’ve seen him before?”

She scoffed, the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement. “Every morning when I wake up.”

My throat vibrated with a response as I gave a slight nod. “What did he say to you?”

Mia fidgeted in her seat, her thumb rubbing against the thick scar across her wrist. “He asked where I was from.” She cleared her throat and stared at her toes. “And then he grabbed me and looked at my scar.”

My jaw clenched, and my fist balled tightly, my knuckles turning white.

“That’s when you walked in,” she continued, her voice shaking slightly. “He didn’t say anything else.”

My teeth ground against one another until they ached, and my heart pounded in my chest. Each beat echoing like a warning siren in my ears. Somehow, Ruslan had found out about her, which was his way of telling me he knew. And now he knew she was an outsider with no mark of fealty. “And he didn’t say anything else?”

Her brows furrowed as she shook her head. “Not in English. But I walked away.”

I let out an angry huff at her passive attitude toward the danger she had been in. She didn’t just walk away; she had managed to escape the clutches of death itself with his permission. Yet, she seemed completely unaware of the gravity of the situation.

“Mia,” I said, my voice low and measured. Should I tell her now, or wait until we’d arrived, giving her little time to mull it over?

“I’m assuming he’s as dangerous as you and that I screwed up big time, right?”

“More so than you could ever imagine.”

“What do you plan on doing to me now?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I met Dmitri’s gaze in the mirror. My decision was made. “I haven’t decided yet.” I paused, allowing the weight of the unknown to fester and drive her into a deeper madness.

She needed to understand the ramifications of leaving my home without my knowledge, especially after I’d kept her close and away from him. But it was too late now. He knew, and he would be back.

“I’m sorry.” She hung her head and gave it a small shake.

Her words only served to fuel the fire of my anger. She had no idea the danger she had put herself in. But for now, all I could do was wait for the storm to come. “I hope it was worth the trouble you’ve caused.”

“Trouble? What’s your father going to do?”

“What can’t he do?”

Her petite frame shook as she shrunk in on herself, making herself appear smaller. “Are you going to hurt me?”

I leaned back in my seat, my elbow resting on the door as I watched the buildings go by. “Not me…”

She gasped. “Because I left?”

My hand dropped into my lap as I turned a glance her way. “Because of many things,milaya.”

She shifted in her seat, facing me. “Um…”