Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy #3) by Rina Kent

“What the fuck have you done?” he snarls, his voice and face tight with tension.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maksim is gone.”

“Really?” I rub the cloth across the back of my weapon. “And how do you know that? Unless you went to see him on your own?”

He’s been sneaking out regularly, after he thinks we’ve all gone to sleep. I thought maybe he was going to exercise or meet with the men who still follow this fallen empire, but judging by his shit mood every morning, I’m sure he’s been visiting that old cottage.

I considered following him, but since Maksim has gotten strong enough to defend himself, I thought it would be better not to interfere. Besides, they haven’t been injured, at least not physically, so it was pointless for me to get between them.

Anton seems to take the asshole act up a notch whenever I try to break up their endless fights, so I chose the diplomatic route and let them fend for themselves.

Now, however, Anton looks close to ripping me to pieces. “So you did let him go.”

“No, I didn’t. But you didn’t answer my question. Did you go behind my back to the cottage?”

“Sasha,” he growls deep in his throat.

“Yes, Tosha?”

“Don’t fuck with me.” He storms in front of me, his shoulders, legs, and fists brimming with lethal tension. “When did he leave? How? What’s his itinerary?”

“No clue.” I lift a shoulder. “I might have dropped off a key there and smuggled in some ski equipment.”

“You fucking idiot!” He reaches a hand out to grab me by the collar of my shirt, but I jump up and step away at the last second. The rifle drops from my lap and hits the ground with a clank.

“What?” I meet his cold gaze with my own. “Maks isn’t your prisoner. He’s no one’s prisoner, for that matter. He was never supposed to stay in that basement forever.”

“Yes, he was.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you, damn it! You just sent him straight to New York. In no time, Kirill and his men will be crowding the front of our house to finish what they started.”

“No, they won’t, because Maks doesn’t know the exact location of this house.”

“You underestimate that fucker. He can pinpoint the area and they’d easily track us down.”

“He won’t do that.”

“Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?”

“He’s my best friend and I trust him.”

Anton barks out an obnoxious laugh that pierces my ears. “Best friend? Trust? You were and always will be a naïve fucking fool, Sasha. This is why Kirill managed to fool you and stomp all over you.”

I get in his face, losing my cool as I push against him. “So what if I made a mistake? So what if I wanted love and stability in a fucked-up existence? Yes, I was an idiot. Yes, I trusted the wrong person, but that doesn’t mean I’ll lose my humanity because of it like you did! I’m not a robot, Tosha! I will never be a damn emotionless monster who’s fine with imprisoning his friends and driving them insane. He’s your friend, too. Or was, because you’ve definitely lost him now. I haven’t, and I won’t. Maks is one of the good ones. He has a pure, compassionate soul, which can’t be said about you.”

His nostrils flare and I can tell he’s barely stopping himself from strangling me. “You’re going to eat those words when the owner of that pure, compassionate soul betrays you. Just like Kirill.”

“I refuse to have a black heart and believe everyone is out to get me.”

“That black heart is the reason you’re still alive.”

“And I’m thankful for that, but I won’t adopt your way of thinking. You believe we should’ve kept Maks forever, but you can’t possibly be blind to how agitated he was becoming as the days went by. He had scratch marks on the back of his neck and blood beneath his nails from the aggressive way he was sinking his fingers into his skin. If he’d stayed, he might well have killed himself or you, just to end the cycle. You might not want to admit it, but I did the right thing by giving him his freedom.”

Besides, Maks and I have a plan that ensures this whole tragedy ends with me and Kirill without involving anyone else.

Not my family.

Not his family.

Just him and me.

Over the past day, I’ve been wondering how Kirill received the message. I don’t know if he really thought I was dead or if he had figured out the body wasn’t mine.

The reason I left the bracelet and ring he gave me on that corpse before we burned what remained of the cottage was for the shock effect on him.

Or…that’s what I hoped for.

Truth is, he might have welcomed it since he has a real wife now and would be glad to get rid of the fake one.

“Here’s the thing you don’t want to admit, Sasha. You fucked up big time.” Anton steps away. “We need an urgent meeting with Uncle Albert and Babushka so that we can bring up the day of the attack. We’re in a race against time now and have to get Kirill before he’s able to get us.”





Three days later, Anton, a dozen mercenaries, and I fly to New York.

My stomach has been upset since we landed. I’d like to blame it on cabin pressure, but I know that’s far from the truth.