“Jer was trapped,” I say slowly. “I couldn’t leave him alone.”
“So you decided to die along with him?”
“If need be.” I lift my chin. “Besides, it all worked out fine in the end. What are you so mad about?”
“The fact that you put your life in jeopardy.” He tightens his grip on my arm until I wince. “That won’t be happening again, is that clear?”
I purse my lips.
“Is that fucking clear, Annika?”
“I won’t leave the people I care about to die,” I murmur. “That’s just not me.”
Creighton’s nostrils flare with the force of his inhales and exhales, but before he can say anything else, something hits him from behind.
At first, he remains frozen, but then a trickle of blood trails down the side of his head.
I shriek as he tumbles forward, but I don’t get out of the way. Before he can fall against me, a savage hand grabs his hair and wrenches him back.
Nikolai throws down his baseball bat and grins like a maniac. “Time to punish the cunt who burned our property.”
12
ANNIKA
They try to stop me from following.
Nikolai, Killian, Gareth, and all the guards, I mean.
However, I’m apparently a force to be reckoned with today.
After I make sure Jeremy’s getting medical care and is recuperating in the safe eastern end of the house, I catch up with them.
The fire has been put out, but the whole western end of the house has been eaten by the flames. All that remains is dark soot, walls, and the occasional firefighter. After witnessing the show, or some of it, the students, who weren’t supposed to be here in the first place, were kicked off the property.
My brother’s friends have carried Creighton into the annexed house that wasn’t touched by the fire. Probably because the guards and all their equipment and security gadgets are here.
Obviously, the main house was the assailants’ target.
A guard stands in front of the door, burly and big, and all but blocks the entire entrance.
“Please go back to the main house, miss,” he says in a Russian accent, not bothering to even look at me.
If it were any other time, I’d tuck my tail between my legs and do as I’m told. It’s all part of my sheltered upbringing and the harsh world that my father and brother tried their hardest to keep me away from.
Avoiding conflict and living in my pretty purple-colored bubble isn’t only good for my sake but also for everyone else’s.
But something changed tonight.
It happened sometime between the time when I could no longer hear Jeremy’s voice and when he passed out and couldn’t save himself.
I realized that neither Jeremy nor Papa will always be there. The time has come for me to regain control over my own life.
Usually, I don’t glare at people. Hell, I don’t even know how, but I manage to as I speak in a nonnegotiable tone. “Move.”
“I have orders to not allow anyone inside, miss.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You’ll have no orders to obey if I tell Papa you failed to protect Jeremy and me. We are your priority, not whatever invalid orders you’re trying to follow. So unless you want to be kicked out of Papa’s close circle, I suggest you move out of my way right this instant.”