Satin Princess(23)

“Oh, fuck. She spread it,” Lev whispers, connecting the dots.

I nod grimly. “Who else?”

“And her father died for it.” Lev exhales. “She was alive all this time and she didn’t even go to the man who raised her. He died not knowing she was still alive.”

My grip on the phone tightens. “She doesn’t trust anyone. She wouldn’t have wanted to risk her plans by going to him. Rodion would have tried to talk her down. And when that failed, he would have come to me himself.”

“She gambled with her father’s life. She lost, but he paid the price.”

“I don’t think you need to be reminded of what a heartless bitch she is. And in this case, I don’t mean that as a compliment.”

I can practically hear him cracking his knuckles, a thinking habit of his. “Okay, so why involve Jessa?”

“Because Marina knew I was interested in her. Do you think she got any less possessive after her fake funeral?”

“Point taken.” He sighs again. He’s doing a lot of that. “How is Jessa?”

“She’ll survive,” I say. “It’s touch-and-go for the baby.”

I say it with a sense of detachment that I absolutely don’t feel. The thought of losing another child—another wanted child—feels like the kind of failure I’m not accustomed to experiencing. The kind of failure I refuse to let come to pass.

“Fuck,” Lev breathes. “I’m sorry, brother.”

“It’s not over yet.”

“I know—”

“I’m going to make the bitch pay this time,” I vow, more to myself than to him. “I’m going to make her suffer before I blow her brains out.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Lev asks. “She can disappear into thin air if she chooses to. She’s got the resources.”

“But not the temperament. She won’t be able to disappear without getting revenge. Without making me suffer.”

“Do you really think that’s what she wants?”

“Without a motherfucking doubt.”

Yet another sigh. “She’s going to be out for Jessa’s blood now,” he warns. “As well as the baby’s.”

“I know. Which is why Jessa is not leaving my sight from this day on.”

“Does she have any say in that?”

“Not at all.”

Lev sighs. “Go easy, Anton. She’s not from our world. The extremes of it all… they’re going to be difficult for her to adjust to.”

“As long as Marina’s out there, I’m not taking chances with her life.”

“So this is real, then?” he asks. “Between you and Jessa?”

I hesitate for a moment. “I don’t even know how to answer that. All I know is that it’s personal. That bitch came for Jessa, which is as good as coming for me.”

Lev chuckles. “That answers my question.”

“What’s funny?”

“I just never thought I’d see the day. Anton Stepanov, man in love.”

In love. The words feel alien. And yet what else could it be? What else could describe the tightness in my chest every time I look at her? What else could describe the quickening of my heartbeat, the way my eyes find hers again and again and again? What else could describe the endless dreams?

Jessa stirs. I rush to the side of her bed.

“Lev, I’ll talk to you later. Say nothing to Yulian yet. I want to speak to him first.”

“Understood.”

I hang up just in time to grab hold of Jessa as she darts upright in the bed. Her eyes snap open, but they stare blankly at the wall opposite us. She isn’t seeing what’s here—she’s seeing the demons in her own mind.

“No!” she whimpers in a half scream. “Please… no… no!”

When I manage to push her back down onto the bed, her eyes are closed again. There’s a fresh sheen of sweat coating her brow.

I grab a hand towel next to her bed and wipe her down gently. She mumbles feverishly in her sleep and tosses around, still whimpering. “No… no… no…”

Who’s she talking about? Is it Marina? Is it me? Are we one and the same to her now?

“Jessa,” I whisper in her ear, “it’s okay now. You’re safe.”

She shakes her head with frustration. Her eyes flutter, but they never actually open properly. Her fingers curl around my arm and she digs in deep enough to break the skin, not that I give a damn. She can tear my flesh to pieces if it will bring her even a moment of comfort.

“Please,” she whispers.

I have no earthly idea who she’s pleading with. “Listen to me,” I say, raising my voice, hoping that some part of what I’m saying will get through. “You are safe, Jessa. You’re with me now.”

The shaking subsides somewhat, but not enough to reassure me that she’s out of the woods. I keep soaking the towel and running it along her forehead. I’m still doing it when Dr. Mathers walks back into the room.

“How’s she doing?” she asks coolly.

“You tell me,” I snap. “I’m not paying you ten grand a day for fucking nothing.”

She takes that in stride and gives me only a polite smile. “Would you mind moving to the side a little so I can examine her?”