Page 33 of The Darkness is Calling

Him at the head of the long table, Yar and Sasha on the right side, and me in the chair to his left.

“Not exactly,” he says, lightly chewing a small piece of asparagus.

His gaze settles on my questioning face as he explains.

“You probably know, just like everyone else, that our father’s wish was for us to remain in Moscow and rule the city together.”

Of course, I know that detail, but there is no point exposing the information I possess, information that could cost me my life in certain situations.

“And before that point?” I ask, my eyes still locked on his glacial gray one, which I now notice carries a faint shade of blue. “Your father introduced you to this lifestyle without offering you any other options.”

He does not blink, but he continues to study me until the corner of his mouth lifts very slightly in a smile that actually appears sincere.

“You are perfectly right about that. Our father had great influence, but he did not force us. He simply knew his sons would never take up fencing or play on computers the way others our age did. Sometimes I think he would have wanted us to be that way. Unfortunately for him, his sons were born hungry for blood and screams of pain. And he gave us exactly the method through which we could do what we wanted.”

His confession frightens me as much as it fascinates me.

Not only does he confirm that he and his brothers were born to be the monsters people whisper about in fear, but he does it with a natural honesty that disarms me.

Artem Voron does not say much. But when he does, he certainly knows how to leave you speechless.

Chapter 8

Ekaterina

I don’t know how we make it through dinner without a single incident. All I know is that, toward the end, the conversation turns ordinary, and I manage to eat without anything getting stuck in my throat.

Only my heart decides to climb into my throat when dinner ends and Artem stops me at the base of the stairs, taking advantage of a moment when his brothers are nowhere nearby.

“Enjoy the evening. I have some business to handle and will be gone for a few hours, but tonight, you know which bed you’re supposed to sleep in.”

All the color drains from my face.

“Leaving all jokes aside, I am not sleeping in your room,” I tell him as clearly as I can, without letting any emotion touch my voice. “It’s enough for you to speak with Dimitri and have him take the necessary measures, and we can consider this matter closed. With the promise that you won’t install anything else.”

“No.”

I stop breathing.

His answer is short and sharp, while he slips

his hands into his trouser pockets and takes another step toward me.

“You’re being absurd,” I exclaim, my eyes wide, certainly panicked.

He tilts his head to one side like a predator, staring straight into my defiant eyes.

“That attitude does not help you prove your respect.”

“And do you think you’re respecting me by telling me to sleep in the same room as you?”

“My position in this situation gives me every right to demand whatever I want when someone fails to respect my title. You thought you could fool me with cheap blackmail, but you forgot that a Pakhan’s punishment in a situation like this is death. Would you prefer I choose that?”

I feel small, even though I keep my chin lifted and my shoulders straight.

How does he manage to intimidate me so much when, deep down, I feel he wouldn’t actually hurt me?

“No,” I answer quietly, while keeping my pride and a calm that is becoming harder and harder to hold at the surface.