Page 138 of The Darkness is Calling

Ekaterina

My world is spinning – thoughts, plans, fears, death – but in this moment, we are in the center. Artem’s lips kiss my temple, my jaw, then the corner of my mouth, as light as the touch of a delicate butterfly, the complete opposite of what I would normally expect from my monster.

I am too tired to keep fighting him. Too tired to keep fighting even myself...

Although an entire world is looking for us and probably wants to kill us, his embrace gives me the most pleasant feeling of safety.

But reality strikes me hard, and I immediately push him off me. All the chaos he has created in order to marry me will have devastating consequences for a lot of people.

I sit up at once, pulling the fabric of the corset over my bare breasts, though it barely settles back into place enough to make me somewhat decent.

“What happened?” he asks, confused.

“Today happened. All of it. My question is: what happens now?” I ask, feeling my heart tighten. “Oksana will lose her share of the gallery too. Oliver is going to take everything from me—”

“He’s not going to take anything from you,” he interrupts, sitting up as well and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“That’s what you think. I signed a document— ”

He exhales loudly, almost bored, cutting me off again.

“The penalties were paid the moment I fired the first bullet in that cathedral.”

“What?!”

He doesn’t answer, but stares into the distance, slightly frowning and thoughtful.

“Maybe I should have set fire to the cathedral,” he says, sounding genuinely serious about it. “Sasha would have been delighted.”

Then he looks at me and speaks in the same calm, almost cold, way. “It would have been cute.”

“Artem!” I exclaim, shocked. “It wouldn’t have been cute at all!”

“I don’t use that word often, but I suppose it fits.”

“You would have set fire to a historic building without thinking about all the people inside or the damage you would have caused?”

He frowns a little, and I try to figure out whether this man has any limit when it comes to destroying and killing.

“I didn’t say I would have blown it up. That would clearly have caused casualties. But a fire would have given people the chance to get out. I’m only talking about the altar, or whatever that area is called where the sinful priest intended to marry you to that fucker. The place was already defiled by people like him, believe me. As for the guests, I assure you I would have made sure no innocent person got hurt. But there were a few there who deserved their fate.”

I stare in his unique eyes as though he is an alien, because it is as clear as daylight that, in his head, the world is completely different from the way I see it.

“I can’t understand where all this desire of yours to hurt comes from! You talk about killing and destroying things as if you were talking about chopping peppers for a salad and throwing the scraps in the bin!”

A smile almost touches his mouth.

“Finally, you understand me!” he exclaims with a hint of delight.

“No!”

He kisses me quickly. “You will. In time.”

OhmyGod… Who the hell have I gotten involved with?

“I need to call the boys so we can organize ourselves.”

He starts to get up, but I catch his arm, stopping him.