God of Pain (Legacy of Gods #2)(86)

“Shut the fuck up or I’ll turn you into one of your stones and no one will be the wiser.” Eli comes to my side, glaring down at him. “I’m letting Creigh vent his rage or else he’ll explode, but don’t mistake my tolerance for forgiveness, Lan. I’ll fucking end you for stabbing him in the back. So how about you take his punishment silently, because no matter how hard it gets, it’ll be way more lenient than my outrage.”

Landon flips my brother the middle finger, then smiles at me. “Everything I did was for the greater good, including yours. I know that’s uncommon, but you have my word. I did prepare a peace offering if you’re interested—”

I send him flying with another punch, and he grunts, wiping the corner of his mouth and flexing his jaw. “I’ll take that as a no?”

My steps are sure and determined as I reach for him, haul him up by my grip on his shirt, then hit him again.

And again.

And fucking again.

But no matter how many punches I throw, it isn’t enough to douse the fire inside me. If anything, it’s transforming into a wildfire that’s getting out of control.

“What’s with all the commotion—what the…” Brandon’s voice reaches me first and I can tell he’s coming our way, but Eli grabs him by the nape.

“This isn’t your place.”

“What the actual hell? Lan’s bleeding.”

“Aw. You worried about me? I should’ve asked Creigh to beat me up earlier.” Landon strains to place a hand on his chest. “So touched, I could cry.”

Bran glares at him, but he still tries to escape Eli’s hold. Me, on the other hand? I’m ready to rip my cousin a new one.

In the middle of me punching Lan, who’s still not resisting, and Bran arguing with Eli but still no match to escape him, a fifth presence strolls in.

Remi stares at us with dilated pupils, then blinks slowly. “Not sure what type of freak show—or kink, not shaming—you King men are into, but I have a serious question. Am I too drunk or is there actually a guy tied up in our basement?”

Bran quits struggling against my brother. “A guy is tied up in our basement?”

“Sure as fuck, and if I’m not too drunk, then I’m pretty sure it’s Nikolai Sokolov.”

“That’s the surprise I kept for you, Cray Cray.” Landon grins, all bloodied teeth, lips, and chin. “He’s your path to vengeance. Told you I had everything figured out.”





27





LIA





The thing about demons is that they’re there for life.

Every time I think I’ve left them in the twisted past where they belong, they rear their ugly heads, bent on reminding me that they exist.

That they’re here to stay.

That no matter how much I attempt to focus on my hard-earned happiness, it might be just a phase.

It’s been so many years, but the memories are as vivid as if it were last night’s dinner.

They creak and roar and splash my mind with images of pain, weakness, and shame.

Lots of shame and regrets that I can’t contain.

I pace the length of the entrance, back and forth, back and forth, like a headless chicken.

I can hear the low sound of my snapping nerves, can feel the tightness in my stomach and the chaos bashing against my skull.

On and on, it mounts and shifts until I want to scream.

It doesn’t help that Adrian had an urgent meeting and has been gone with Kolya for most of the night and morning.

Thankfully, Yan has returned. He’s currently leaning back in a chair, sipping on a glass of vodka, and watching me with an unchanged expression.

“You’re going to give yourself vertigo if you keep going at that pace,” he comments dryly.

“I shouldn’t have let her go back. Maybe we can catch them if we follow them now, and I can bring her home and tuck her close to my chest where no one can find her?”

“You’re being paranoid.”

“That’s what you said when she was kidnapped as a child.”

“She wasn’t kidnapped, since we saved her before they could get her.”

“But she was almost kidnapped.”

“You sound like Boss when he excuses his overbearing behavior. ‘I’m shielding her too much because they’d use her against me,’” he mimics Adrian’s tone.

“It’s true, though.”

“Maybe, but you two need to know that she’s no longer a little kid. Besides, she’s with Jer. No way will he let anyone hurt her.”

“What if he’s also hurt?” I come to a stop, my breathing becoming so heavy, it echoes around us. “What if I lose both of them?”

He stands up and clutches me by the shoulders. “You’re overthinking. That’s paranoia and anxiety speaking, and those two are irrational fuckers that we hate. Would definitely murder the fuck out of them, decapitation style, if we met them in an alley… Now, inhale. Exhale.”

I release a long whoosh, sensing the dissipation of the black cloud that’s been swirling around my head.

A small smile pulls on my lips. “Thanks, Yan. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Probably driven yourself to the point of no return.” He lowers his head to stare me in the eyes. “Do you feel better?”