I woke to darkness.
I didn’t know where I was, but I knew everything hurt-my body, my head, and my chest. Especially my heart. It throbbed like a living, bleeding wound, as if someone had carved it open and left it to rot.
I tried to move, but something held me in place. Ropes? Chains? My wrists screamed at the scrape of whatever bound them, raw and tender from struggling. My legs were numb, bent awkwardly beneath me, and the air smelled of damp stone and blood-maybe mine.
I swallowed back the bile clawing up my throat, my tongue dry and metallic. The pounding in my skull didn’t let me think straight. Everything blurred together-the pain, the panic, and the voices.
The voices.
Loud, rapid, shrieking in my ears like nails on glass. I couldn’t understand them. Didn’t want to. They bounced off the walls of my mind, filling the space where calm should be with chaos instead.
Stop. Stop speaking. Just… stop.
The voices didn’t listen.
My body shivered involuntarily, but I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from letting out a sound.
I couldn’t show them weakness.
That was all I had. Pride. If I cried now, they’d win. If I begged, they’d take the last shred of dignity I had left. Or maybe I’d lost the little life I had left in me.
I forced myself to focus past the haze of my thoughts, trying to piece together how I’d ended up here. The attack. The blast. Rara… Krystina… Judas-Judas had been fighting. Was he alive? Was anyone?
Something sharp and hot clawed its way up my chest at the thought of him. Judas Romanovski. My monster. My storm. My salvation. I’d seen him kill, seen the blood on his hands, the violence in his eyes. Yet, somehow, the thought of him being gone was enough to rip the breath from my lungs.
He had to be alive. He had to come for me.
But another voice in my head whispered doubts. What if he thought I betrayed him? What if he didn’t care enough to try?
“Pathetic slut,” a gruff voice spat, dragging me back to reality. “All this trouble for someone so small. Pretty face, though. Maybe I’ll have some fun before Lucius gets here.”
My stomach twisted violently.
My heart sank at the mention of Lucius. Of course, he was behind this. That twisted bastard had planned it all.
I forced a shaky breath into my lungs and tried to think. But God, I felt weak. I felt helpless.
“Lucius wants her awake when he arrives,” another cold voice added. “Make sure she stays that way.”
I felt his hand on my face before I saw him, rough fingers gripping my chin and tilting my head up. My skin crawled, nausea bubbling in my stomach as I clenched my teeth.
“Don’t,” I hissed.
“Feisty.” He laughed. “Good. I like it when they fight.”
I snapped. My knee shot up, connecting with something soft and fleshy. He let out a guttural roar, stumbling back, and I felt the satisfaction ripple through me. It was small, petty, but it was mine.
“You little-”
Before he could finish, there was a loud crack. His scream cut short, replaced by a gurgling sound, and then the thud of a body hitting the ground.
My breath caught.
A new voice spoke this time, and I internally cringed at the familiarity it carried. “Touch her again, and I’ll make sure it’s your tongue next.”
The ropes around my one wrist was loosened suddenly, and I gasped as blood rushed back to my hands. I pulled down the blindfold and despite my hazy vision, I could make out a figure crouched before me.
It was him.
Lucius Morozov.
Even in the dim, suffocating space, I could see him clearly. He looked the same as the last time I saw him-impeccably dressed, scheming, and venomous. Yet somehow, his presence felt even deadlier. His sharp green eyes pinned me in place, glinting with an anger that matched my own.
“You fucking bastard!”
I thrashed in the chair, the ropes cutting deeper into my skin, but I didn’t care. My rage fueled me, clawing its way to the surface.
His lips curled into a cold smile as he approached savoring the moment before the kill. “Still feisty, Rosewood. I was hoping captivity would soften you up, but it seems I was wrong.”
“Let me go, or I swear to God-”
“You’ll what?” He leaned down, his breath brushing against my ear. “Scream? Cry? Beg?” He straightened, chuckling darkly. “Oh, sweetheart, you’ll do all of that and more before I’m done with you.”
“You sick piece of shit,” I spat, my chest heaving as I glared at him. “I’ll kill you myself before I let you touch me.”
He laughed. “Touch you? No, Seraphina. That would be far too easy. But my men…” He trailed off, gesturing lazily to the shadows behind him. “They’re not as… patient as I am. Perhaps I’ll let them have some fun.”
My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat, but I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t give him that satisfaction. Instead, I glared at him, my fury blazing hotter than the fear threatening to consume me.
“Go to hell,” I snarled.
Lucius raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it with a flick of his lighter, the small flame casting eerie shadows across his face.
“You first,” he said casually, taking a long drag before leaning down and exhaling the smoke into my face.
I coughed, my eyes watering, but I refused to look away. He smirked, plucking the cigarette from his lips and holding it up for me to see.
“Do you know what I hate, Seraphina?” he asked, his tone almost conversational. “I hate defiance. And you, unfortunately, are full of it.”
Before I could react, he pressed the burning tip of the cigarette against my arm.
A scream tore from my throat as the searing pain shot through me. My vision blurred, my body trembling, but I bit down hard on my bottom lip, forcing the sound to die in my throat.
Lucius stepped back, watching me with twisted amusement. “You’re tougher than I expected,” he mused, taking another drag of his cigarette. “But everyone breaks eventually. Even things like you.”
I glared up at him through the haze of pain. “Fuck you,”
He chuckled. “You’ll be my knight, Seraphina Rosewood. You’ll deliver Judas Romanovski’s head to me on a silver platter. And you’ll do it with a smile.”
I laughed. “You fucking lied to me. Judas never killed your sister. You manipulated me with your bullshit stories and you expect me to betray him?!”
His expression didn’t change, not even a flicker of guilt or regret. He simply shrugged, as if my words meant nothing. “Lies are necessary, Seraphina. They make the truth more bearable.”
“Bearable?” I repeated feeling the bitterness on my tongue. “You destroyed everything. You used me. You think I’ll just roll over and do your bidding?”
He tilted his head, studying me like I was some fascinating puzzle. “You will. Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure everyone you care about suffers. Starting with Judas.”
My heart clenched, but I refused to let it show. “You’re pathetic,” I spat. “A coward hiding behind threats and lies.”
Lucius leaned against the table, the cigarette dangling from his fingers as if he had all the time in the world. His green eyes glinted with a predatory satisfaction that made my blood boil.
“You want to know the truth, sweetheart?” His voice was smooth, almost conversational, but there was venom beneath the surface that slithered. “I never liked Judas, to be honest. The man’s too… family-oriented for my taste. It’s nauseating, really. Sure, he kills like a psychopath, but the idea of him becoming the Russian Bratva’s beloved leader? It was revolting.”
I glared at him, my breaths coming fast and shallow as he spoke. Now that he was admitting the lies he fabricated, I felt stupid for even believing him at that time. He approached me on purpose, knowing I worked for Judas. Ivan and he played a well-planned game to use me against him.
And the truth only made me feel angrier and desperate.
Lucius smirked as if feeding off my anger. “I had to do something. Starting with the one thing Judas Romanovski truly cared about-his brother.”
My chest tightened, and I thrashed against the ropes again, ignoring the sting of fibres cutting into my skin. “You son of a bitch!”
He straightened, taking a long drag from his cigarette before flicking the ash carelessly onto the floor. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You think I didn’t try? I planned it. I did everything. I lured him into an alliance, played the good friend, and even had my sister seduce him.”
I froze.
He noticed, of course. His lips twisted into a mocking grin. “Surprised? Don’t be. Judas saw through everything. That bastard was too clever for his own good. But you know what they say, even stone has cracks. And me? I’m a man who knows how to find them.”
I wanted to lunge at him, claw at his face, and rip that smug expression right off. But the ropes held me firm, and all I could do was glare, my teeth grinding together as he paced in front of me.
“I struck where he least expected,” Lucius continued, his tone almost gleeful now. “I wanted him dead. God, I wanted it. But killing a lion? It’s not so simple. So, I did the next best thing-I killed his brother.”
“You’re lying,” I whispered, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
Lucius’s grin widened. “Am I? You tell me.” He shrugged, exhaling a plume of smoke. “At least, that’s what I thought. But,” he continued, pausing to savour his cigarette, “it seems like Romanovski blood is far thicker than I imagined. Zayne Romanovski clung to life like the stubborn little cockroach he is. I was sure he’d die. Wanted it, really. Would’ve been cleaner. But no, he survived.”
My heart raced. “You’re disgusting,” I hissed. “You talk about them like they’re pawns in your sick little game.”
Lucius chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart, that’s exactly what they are. All of them. Pieces on the board, waiting to be moved. And now?” He leaned closer, his face inches from mine, nicotine and malice. “Now I have something far better to trap a lion. His favourite prey.”
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught, but I forced myself to stay calm. “And you think he cares for me enough to risk his family?”
He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Oh, I don’t think. I know.”
“He’ll find you. And when he does, you’ll wish you never crossed him.”
Lucius smirked, unfazed. “He’ll come, all right. But not for me. For you.” He straightened, circling me slowly like a predator stalking its prey. “Do you know why I hate him so much, Rosewood? It’s not just the power or the title. No, it’s the way he looks at people. Like he owns them. Like he thinks he’s untouchable. That’s why I needed to remind him that even lions bleed.”
I clenched my fists against the ropes. “You’re a coward,” I spat. “You couldn’t take him down yourself, so you went after the people he loves. His brother. His family. That’s not power, Lucius. That’s desperation.”
His grin faltered, just for a moment, before he leaned down, gripping my chin roughly. “Careful, there. You’re brave for someone in your position.”
I didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze head-on. “You’re right. I am brave. Because I know one thing you don’t-Judas Romanovski doesn’t forgive. And when he finds you, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed everything you’ve ever touched. Just like he killed your two-time, scheming brother.”
Lucius’s expression darkened and his hand tightened on my chin. I hit his nerve. “That hurts, Rosewood,” His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “But I’ve been always ten steps ahead of Judas for years. And now, I’ve got the perfect bait.”
He released me abruptly, standing to his full height as he took another drag from his cigarette. “This isn’t just about revenge anymore, Sera. This is about power. And when I have Judas’s head, you’ll thank me for showing you what real power looks like.”
I laughed again, even as tears burned in my eyes. “You think I’ll help you? You think you can break me? You’re more pathetic than I thought.”
His smirk widened. “Am I? Or is it you?” I glared at him. “You’re so quick to paint me as the villain, Rosewood. You said I lied, but is your Judas any better?”
My heart stumbled. “What do you mean?”
His grin only widened and I felt my chest thumping. “Oh, you know what exactly I mean,” His voice grated my inside. “That’s life, isn’t it? So unpredictable. So cruel. And yet, so much fun.”
I felt the warning bells in my head.
“Your father,”
The words hit me like a freight train, and I froze, barely able to breathe. “What…?”
He straightened, flicking the ash that burned my skin. “He’s alive.”
The room spun around me. My ears buzzed as the world seemed to tilt on its axis. “You’re lying,” I choked out. “He’s dead. I buried him.”
Lucius laughed darkly. “I wish I were. And here’s the kicker.” He stepped closer, his eyes blazing. “Judas knew it all along.”
I stared at him, my chest heaving, my mind reeling. The betrayal, the agony, the trust, it all exploded like a supernova. The tiny particles pierced my skin, and I felt like trading on the event horizon.
I was suffocating.
“You’re lying… you’re lying…”
“And when you do ask him, remember this moment. Remember the way it feels to be played like a fool. Because the people you love the most are always the ones who ruin you.”