Page 77 of Depraved Royals
Idina glances behind her at Kal. He raises his eyebrows and nods his head at Fyodor. She turns back and begins.
“I raised Kal with only one goal - to kill you and steal your empire, as Erik intended. When Kal met Dani, he saw she wanted him and felt he could orchestrate a way to get close to you through her. He and his siblings planned to burn down the gallery on the night of Dani’s exhibition so that Kal could rescue her. He knew when he said he’d abandoned us, you would feel obliged to accept him into your home.”
“A cunning scheme,” Papa says. “I’m impressed. Go on.”
Idina smiles. It doesn’t extend far or last long. “Hemeantto kill you. But Dani showed him what love means, and he saw the world, and his family, very differently. Kal turned his back on his destiny, all forlove.
“So Simeon and I watched until we saw our chance, followed you to the parking garage, and you know the rest. Kal had nothing to do with it.” Her voice cracks. “You killed my boy, Fyodor.”
Papa frowns. “Your husband, my brother, tried to shoot Mel when she was just a little girl for no reason other than spite. He would have brutally murdered a child for nothing. I killed him to prevent that, and I killed Simeon in self-defense. What would you have me do?”
Idina pulls her jacket around her, crossing her arms over it. “I have to live with the deaths oftwofamily members, and now my oldest son has chosen you. You still have everything you always had.” She sniffs. “But I guess it’s all my fault, isn’t it?”
Kal’s head whips to look at his mother. He moves a little to see her face, his eyes scanning as though he’s looking for something.
He’s panicking.Why?
Idina is still talking.
“I came here to make amends, Fyodor. To bring the whole sorry business to a close. Doyouhave anything to say?”
“Fine.” My father sits up a little straighter, leaning forward. He holds Idina’s gaze as he speaks. “I’m sorry you lost your husband and your son. I’m sorry you haven’t lived the life you feel you were due. And I wish it had all happened another way. But I’m glad the next generation is doing all they can to bridge the divide. The future is bright, yes?”
Idina sighs.
“Yes, it is. Because there will be no Antonov-Pushkin brat!”
Idina hurls herself across my father’s bed, pinning him down.
Time slows to a crawl. I see Idina’s arm rise in the air.
She has something in her hand.
I try to get to my feet. Moving backward, I crash into Mama, and she hits the floor hard.
Kal is reaching for his mother, his eyes wild.
“Mama!” Vera wails. “No! Don’t, please!”
Idina reaches for me. A flash of brightness, and I feel a searing pain in my abdomen. I look down to see blood already staining my clothes. My head spins, and the walls rush past me as I fall to the floor.
Blood everywhere.
Idina Antonov’s face before me, her eyes bulging.
I try to move away, pushing my feet out to fend her off, but my heels can’t get any purchase on the slippery floor.
She’s gonna kill me.
29
Kal
Idina swings her knife with enough force to almost hurl herself off the bed, but not quite.
Marta grabs Dani beneath her arms, dragging her away from my mother’s flailing limbs. With an almighty heave, Fyodor lifts her legs and pushes her off him, and she slides off the bed and thuds to the ground, screaming maniacally as she goes.
“You fucking bastard Pushkins! I swear I’ll carve that baby right out of her—”