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Chapter 21
Aurora
Lying on my bed, I stare at Misha’s sleeping face.
Am I dreaming?
He dozed off for a couple of minutes, and with his features relaxed, I get a good look at him. He doesn’t look as dangerous, and the hard lines around his mouth are gone, reminding me of the man I met in the club.
My eyes drift to his arms, and I take in the tattoos. I wonder what the wings, snakes, and praying hands mean.
On his right arm, more writing has been added to the stars.
I struggle to read it and give up with a huff, my finger lightly tracing the outline of a star.
“They’re names of the people I’ve killed,” Misha admits, his voice soft as if he’s not confessing to murders.
My gaze jumps to his face, and I watch as his eyes open. Slowly, he turns his head to look at me. “After every kill, I add the name.”
“Why?”
Misha shrugs. “It’s like wearing a badge of honor.”
Jesus.
I sit up, pulling the sheet up to cover my breasts. My eyes fall to his hands. “Loyalty makes you family,” I whisper as I read the sentences on the back of his left hand.
Reality sets in like a bitter pill, and when Misha climbs off the bed and starts to get dressed, my stomach sinks.
Walking to my side of the bed, his fingers grip my chin, forcing me to tilt my head back and look at him. We stare for a moment, my eyes pleading with him to stay and his saying how sorry he is.
He presses a tender kiss to my lips, and I hear him inhale my scent, then he lets go and walks out of the bedroom.
I hear the door of the suite shut and close my eyes against the unbearable ache in my chest.
It was just a dream.
Needing to get away from the scent of our lovemaking, I scramble out of the bed and throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
I grab my keycard, and shoving it into my pocket, I rush out of the suite. I knock on Abbie’s door, but when she doesn’t answer, I frown and wonder where she is.
I head down the hallway, and taking the stairs down, I check the dining hall and some of the classes. When I reach the room where the evading and escaping kidnapping lessons occur, I hear Abbie shout, “I’m going to fucking rip your balls off!”
Shit.
I dart inside and jog to the backdoor that leads to the warehouse.
Seeing Abbie still tied to a chair with Alek grinning evilly at her, I lose my temper and dart forward.
Alek’s eyes snap to me, and he watches as I start to untie Abbie. “Those aren’t the rules,” he warns me.
“I don’t care,” I snap at him.
Alek moves so fast, I only manage to take a step back. His arm darts out, and he grabs me by the front of my throat.
I lift my chin, and meeting his eyes, I hiss, “Take your hand off me.” “Or what?” he taunts me.
“Or I’ll fucking break your arm, brother,” Misha suddenly says, his tone unforgiving.
Alek lets go of me with a push, but I catch my balance and quickly finish untying Abbie.
She jumps up and runs to the door.
With Alek and Misha stuck in a staring contest, I hightail it after my friend.
I catch up to her as she sprints up the stairs. “Abbie!”
“I’m going to wet myself,” she shrieks.
I rip my keycard out, and overtaking her, I sprint as fast as I can. Reaching my door, I quickly open it wide so Abbie can just keep running. A couple of seconds later, I hear her groan, “Oh, Jesus. Yes. Yes. Oh, God. Yesssss.” She groans again, sounding like she’s having a freaking orgasm.
My thoughts turn to Misha threatening Alek, and wanting to make sure the two friends don’t beat each other up over me, I call to Abbie, “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“What?” I hear her shout as I close the door and jog down the hallway. I quickly head down the stairs and turn right into the hallway where the classrooms are.
When I reach the backdoor of the room, and I’m about to step into the warehouse, I hear Alek ask, “Do you feel better now that you’ve fucked her out of your system?”
He told Alek we slept together?
The blow hits me so hard I take a step back.
“Shut up,” Misha mutters. “Just keep your hands off her.” “So you and the enemy?” Alek asks.
Misha lets out a sigh. “There’s no way we can be together.”
“Then why did you fuck her?”
I hear movement and duck behind the wall, looking for something else I can hide behind in case they come out of the warehouse.
“There’s just something about Aurora that makes me lose my mind. I got caught up in the moment,” Misha replies to Alek’s question. “It won’t happen again.”
“Hit it and leave it has always been my motto,” Alek chuckles as if it’s a big fat joke.
My lips part, and my eyebrows draw together as my heart shatters to pieces.
Turning around, I run out of the room. I keep going until I reach the path that’s covered with a canopy of trees.
Was that Misha’s endgame? To just fuck me out of his system?
But…but….
I hate the sob building in my chest, and covering my mouth, I jog to the waterfall, so the sound of water crashing into the pool will drown out my cries.
I can’t believe he did that to me. He told me he loved me.
It felt like he loved me.
And now it’s just over. Before it even began?
I bend over at the waist, and placing my hands above my knees, I gasp through the unrelenting heartache and shame.
Misha used me.
Jesus.
He took my virginity, and now he’s bragging to Alek about it.
The shame quickly outweighs the heartache, and anger pours through my veins.
I straighten up and stare at the waterfall.
Never before has someone hurt me the way Misha has.
What did you expect from a bratva enforcer? You should’ve known better.
Was this his plan all along? To prove he could treat me like shit, and I’d still throw myself at him?
The walls come crashing down around me, and I sink to my knees, a silent cry parting my lips as my body shudders through the sobs.
The things I let him do to me. The secrets I shared with him.
Are they laughing because Misha coated me in my virgin blood after he finally got to taste it?
Deep down, I knew having sex with him wouldn’t magically make us a couple, but shit, it made me hope against all odds.
I close my eyes and scream as loud as I can, the sound filled with devastation.
It would’ve been more merciful if he’d killed me.
Only when it’s dark, and I’ve lost total track of time, do I climb to my feet.
I feel dead inside as I walk back to the castle, and as I step inside, I lift my chin and straighten my spine.
When I reach the foot of the staircase, Misha, Alek, and Armani come around the corner at the top.
With zero emotion showing on my face, I climb the steps, and they’re forced to fall into a line. As I pass them, I hear Misha tell his friends, “I’ll catch up with you.”
I increase my pace and rush down the hallway.
“Hey.” He grabs hold of my arm, and as I swing around, the flat of my hand connects with his jaw.
“Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” I take a threatening step forward. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. Don’t even fucking breathe around me.”
His eyes narrow on me. “What the fuck is going on?”
I look at him with all the anger I can muster, and I pray to all that’s holy, I look like a mafia princess as I say, “You got what you wanted from me. We’re done.”
Turning around, I rush to my door, and swipe the keycard. “Aurora,” Misha barks. “What the fuck happened?”
“Go laugh with your friends about how you got to fuck Aurora D’Angelo. It will always be the biggest accomplishment of your pathetic life,” I sneer before I slam the door shut.
I already regret the words I just spewed at him as I turn around, only to see Abbie watching me, totally shocked out of her mind, as she gasps, “What did you just say?”
“Ugh.” I kick off my sneakers, and walking to Abbie, I wrap my arms around her. “Just hold me. You can judge me later.”
Abbie hugs me tightly to her. “Did you sleep with Misha? When?” “Yes,” I mumble. “Today.”
“While I was tied up?”
I nod, and feeling guilty, I say, “I’m sorry.”
“For sleeping with Misha or leaving me tied to a chair with a full bladder.”
“Both.”
My breath catches, and Abbie holds me tighter.
“I gave him my virginity, but he still doesn’t want to be with me,” I sob, feeling pathetic because I’m not stronger. “He won’t choose me.”
“Oh, Ra-Ra,” she coos. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“It hurts,” I whimper. “I know.”
The only person I can rely on holds me as I cry about the dream that’s quickly turned into a nightmare.