“Let me save you some time and heartache, Valkyrie. You don’t love Viktor.”
His venomous words spike my nerves like a thousand needles piercing into me at once, shaking the foundations of my world even more.
“How dare you?” My voice is so quiet I might as well be talking to myself.
“I do dare, baby girl. And I’ll take your phone away if you call him again. Be ready for me later.”
He walks away, leaving conflict gripping my core.
What the hell just happened?
And what did I just do?
Dread fills my soul when I think of how Viktor heard me come.
And I kissed Desmier. I actually kissed him.
Oh Viktor, I’m so sorry.
And it’s not true. I do love you.
I do love you.
I do love you.
The mantra repeats loud in my mind.
But something in mehaschanged and I realize I’m not the same girl.
I’m not the same Anastasia I was before Desmier Volkova.
The thought twists me inside out but when I turn around all the blood stills in my veins when I see Gytha standing on the second floor balcony opposite the sunroom.
She’s a good distance away with the entire pool between us, but close enough for me to see the hatred ingrained in her expression.
She was watchingus—Desmier and me.
I don’t know how long she was watching, but I feel she saw everything. I also sense that she knows too, about the shift in the air between Desmier and me.
That’s one more thing she’ll hate me for.
I’m trapped in her stare for eons before she walks away.
It’s only when I can’t see her anymore that I’m able to breathe again. But my mind and body feel so mangled, I’d swap this world for my nightmares any day.
At least I know what happens there. Out here, the monsters still reign and they still want to destroy me.
They just might.
Chapter20
Desmier
Zakh steeples his fingers on his desk and I sit in the leather chair in front of him, relieved that we’re finally meeting.
Today is another crazy busy day. I also fly out to L.A. tonight with Leif for what should hopefully be a ten-day business trip, but seeing Zakh couldn’t wait any longer.
He got back from Russia last night, and by the time I get back from L.A. we’ll be days away from the inauguration.