Page 112 of Requiem
Alexei stands near the entrance to the banquet hall, one hand in his pocket, dressed in an immaculate black suit that makes him look like even more of a monster. And beside him—
Erik and Vlad.
My lungs forget how to work.
Vlad’s dark eyes drag over me possessively while Erik leans casually against the wall beside him, blue eyes glittering with amusement like he already knows exactly how badly I’m fighting not to come apart. He’s the one who butchered my veins again and again after all.
The world tilts sideways, and my fingers twitch.
Obey. Kill.
Alexei smiles slowly when he sees the tension hit me. “So nice to see you,” he murmurs, accent heavy. “My beautiful, little rockstar.”
Every muscle in my body tightens. Beside me, Emma’s fingers close around my wrist immediately. I latch onto it, hard.
Alexei notices that too. His gaze drifts toward Emma briefly before returning to me, something darker flickering beneath his amusement now. “You came back willingly,” he says softly.
Rafe steps forward before I can answer. “The agreement was clear.”
Alexei’s eyes remain on me anyway. I’m not finding words to speak right now. And fuck, I hate that part of me still reacts to his attention instinctively. Like prey recognizing the predator that trained it.
“You’ll perform first,” Alexei says. “Then we discuss the details of your surrender. Because I assume that’s what’s happening here today.” His gaze flicks to Rafe. “This place is much more secure. No room for a gunfight, Vaughan.”
He smiles like it’s nothing.
My jaw locks.
Emma’s thumb brushes once against the inside of my wrist.
Stay here.
Stay withher.
Alexei finally smiles again. “Try not to embarrass me tonight, Jude. Be on your best behavior, and nothing more will be released.” He bites his lip when he looks at Emma again. “And everyone you love will be safe. But only if you really surrender to me. Got that?”
I nod. And he walks away, joining Erik and Vlad once more at the edge of the room. My chest twists at the familiarity in his tone. I got so used to it that my body automatically responds. But before the feeling can fully drag me under, Emma steps slightly into my line of sight. And suddenly she’s the only thing I see. Honey brown eyes drag me back from the edge, and my pulse slows enough for me to breathe again. I’m not grounding myself in fear anymore.
I’m grounding myself inher.
Rafe walks slightly ahead, composed as always. Static crackles faintly through the comm in my ear before Adela’s voice slips through.
“We’re close,” she murmurs.“Veryfucking close. Just keep him distracted a little longer.”
I swallow hard and keep walking. Because that’s all I can do right now. The deeper we move into the theater, the more the atmosphere around me changes. Conversations soften when people recognize me. Eyes follow me openly, lingering too long without shame or hesitation. Nobody here looks disturbed by the photos Alexei released. If anything, they seem fascinated by them, amused in the same detached way wealthy people admire something beautiful and violent so long as it doesn’t touch them directly.
Goddamn vultures.
I know what they see when they look at me. I’m Alexei’spet. His monster. I am the famous rockstar that he ripped away from the spotlight. He loved the idea of taking a star and crushing it beneath his fat fucking knuckles.
My hands flex uselessly at my sides while I avoid slipping backward into memory. When I step onto the stage, hundreds of eyes fix onto me at once over their drinks.
Christ. There are a lot of people here.
For a moment, I can barely breathe around the pressure in my chest. The edges of my vision begin to blur, warning me that the derealization shit is waiting to strike again. Gah, I fucking hate it so much. Nothing feels real. Nothinglooksreal.
It’s like I’m in a dream…
Then my gaze finds Emma near the side of the room, and it all eases for a minute. She’s watching me carefully, her expression calm even though I know she’s terrified underneath it. One hand is clutching the strap of her bag while Rafe stands beside her like a guard dog. And I can’t thank him enough for that.
