Balthazar leans against the wall, regarding me with a cold expression. “Because I don’t like him.”
Feeling myself go pale, I cry out, “That’s not a sufficient treason. Who do you think you are? Master of the universe?”
“Quiet,” Balthazar slithers but I shake my head.
“You’re cuckoo for cocoa puffs if you think I’m going to let you get away with this.”
“I’m what?” he asks, his eyes confused but I ignore him.
“He has a family, Balthazar!”
“Why do you suddenly care?” he snarls. “Why do you care if he has a family or not?”
“Because family matters!”
“Then maybe you should have stayed!” Balthazar growls and I flinch. “Or maybe you never saw me as your family. Maybe you never cared about me considering you seem to care more about a man who brought you nothing but misery!” he roars, his face turning red and I cower.
Growing lightheaded, I lick my lips and blink to regains focus. “Um...,” I murmur, now confused and I take a deep breath, remembering what my goal is, “you will let him out. He’s thirsty, hungry and filthy and you can’t keep him like an animal in here.”
“I can do whatever I want. I’m the tsar, remember?”
That doesn’t mean he gets to be a tyrant. And I know that underneath his new, steely exterior there’s a soft heart. It has to still be there and I’m determined to uncover it once more. Slowly walking over to him, I throw him an appeasing smile.
“Then you won’t mind as the tsar if the Tsarina lets your prisoner out?” I breathe, looking at him beneath my lashes and he cocks a brow, grinding his jaw when I reach around and clasp the bunch of keys he wears around his hips. He doesn’t say a word as I snatch them but my heart’s pounding as I go to my knees and hurry to unlock the cell.
“Don’t do this, Tsarina,” Balthazar growls. “He’s not done paying for his crimes.”
“What crimes?” I scowl. “Being disliked doesn’t mean you deserve being shackled like a lowlife criminal.”
“In my eyes he is a lowlife criminal.”
“Then maybe there’s something wrong with your vision!” I yap. To my relief I’ve found the right key, the cell unlocking and I reach out with my hand. “Come on now, Petrush. It’s over. You’re safe.”
Shuddering when Balthazar moves to stand behind me, I nod at Petrush again and he begins crawling out, glancing at Balthazar as if he’s worried he’ll kill him. “That’s it, you got this.”
“Protect me from him,” Petrush whines and I nod. And in the back of my head I’m thinking it’s pretty bizarre that my old bully is asking for my protection.
“I will,” I breathe because I’m trying to do the right thing. “I’ll protect you.”
“No, she won’t,” Balthazar snarls behind me and he pushes me to the side before wrapping his hand around Petrush’s thick throat.
****
Balthazar
Tsarina gasps in shock as I snatch a screaming Petrush, push him toward the arched window, shove him outside and leave him to hang. He screams at the top of his lungs while Tsarina turns white in the face and she begins trembling.
“Balthazar,” she says softly as if she’s talking to a ticking time bomb “don’t do this. Show some pity.”
“Why would I?” I growl, while Petrush wails. “Why would I when he never showed you any. Remember how hard he used to make you cry? How scared you were of him and how you had to hide behind my back so he wouldn’t notice you?”
Wincing, Tsarina whispers, “I know but that was such a long time ago. We were just kids.”
She’s talking like the past doesn’t matter. And maybe it doesn’t considering how easy she left her past but to me it matters. To me, the past iseverything.
“I still hate him for it. So should you.”
Her head shakes and she throws me a pleading glance. “Hate is such a strong word. Please, let him go.”