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

Konstantin grips Yulia’s hand, and that’s when she reluctantly sits back down.

I try and fail not to look at the guards' expressions. They must be shocked about the transformation, even though I’m technically the same ‘Sasha’ they’ve known for years.

“I gathered you all here to announce something of utmost importance.” Kirill’s commanding voice confiscates the attention of the whole room.

Even my own back snaps upright before I catch myself.

Stupid old habits.

Kirill slides an arm around the small of my back and clutches my hip. Shivers break out on my skin although layers of clothes separate us.

I’m about to push him away, but then he says, “Sasha is my wife. From today on, you’ll respect and protect her as you do me.”





14





KIRILL





Sasha has been actively avoiding my presence, touch, and company.

In fact, she could bag an award for being irritatingly consistent in her no-touch rule.

It’s been a week since she returned to the place where she belongs—by my side.

However, there’s no sense of closeness whatsoever. Yes, she’s here in body, but her soul is either scattered somewhere or she’s suppressing it until it’s almost invisible.

She goes to sleep before I do with her back facing me. If I try to touch her, she slaps, hits, or pushes me away as if I’m the most disgusting thing to ever exist.

It doesn’t matter how many methods I use or how far I go to reignite any form of connection.

The more I try, the harder she works to demolish those plans.

I know she’s forcing it. I can feel it in the subtle tremor of her skin whenever I touch her. I see it in her parted lips and chameleon eyes. I hear it in the hitch in her breathing whenever my body is near hers.

But she’s determined to not give in to those emotions.

Sooner or later, she will.

I won’t give up until she becomes my wife again.

Lately, she’s been spending time with the guards, catching up and what-the-fuck-ever. I don’t like that she smiles with them, Konstantin, Karina, and even damn Kristina, but those smiles are never directed at me.

Have I considered punishing my guards for that very irrational reason? Absolutely. The only problem is that no matter how much I subject them to my wrath, it won’t change Sasha’s position toward me.

The day I announced to everyone that she’s my wife, she stiffened in my hold as if I were announcing a death sentence.

The others had all sorts of questions, to which she answered that she had no choice but to be a man. But now, she’s snatched back her power and is choosing to be herself again. She also apologized for ‘lying’ to them all this time.

Admittedly, they took it a lot better than I expected, probably because they already knew she was a woman after I buried her fake body. Their acceptance, however, brings up the issue that she’s too close to them for my liking.

The same applies to the damn members of my organization. We just finished our general meeting and I brought her into the dining room, held her by the waist, and introduced her as my wife.

Most of them have their mouths open, except for Rai, who has the audacity to pull my wife from my grip and hug her.

“I knew your time wasn’t up!”

Says the woman who’s been threatening me with bodily harm every time she’s seen me because she thought I’d killed my wife.

Even I started to believe that damn theory deep in my deranged heart.

I thought I’d taken things too far and I was paying the price for my failure.

Sasha hugs her back, though tentatively and with enough awkwardness to show in every line of her delicate face.

My wife has never been the best with social interactions—at least, not when it comes to touch.

A few months ago, I was the only one whose touch she craved. Anytime, anywhere.

Now I’m the only one she desperately wants to escape.

Do I want to punch Rai to the next planet because of that? Yes. But I’m always plagued with thoughts of violence when it comes to that shit Rai.

Mikhail and Igor pretend they’ve never seen Sasha before. Vladimir narrows his eyes, but keeps his unnecessary opinion to himself.

Damien, who was either asleep or stuffing his face with cookies during the meeting, watches the scene with a furrowed expression. It’s weird that he doesn’t call Sasha out on it, but no one actually knows what goes on in that crazy man’s head.

Adrian raises a brow, but it’s more out of amusement than anything else.

Kyle is standing behind Rai, probably to protect her from me if I decide today will be the last one she’s allowed to breathe.

If she didn’t have him, her corpse would be in the concrete of some upcoming shopping center as we speak.

Rai finally breaks away from Sasha. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“No.” I yank Sasha to my side, my hand tightening on her hip. “I refuse to share her time.”

My wife subtly pushes my hand away while smiling at Rai. “I’d love that.”

My jaw tightens and I glare at Kyle with the clear message, “Take your wife away.”

He lifts a shoulder and fails to hide a smirk that I’m going to shoot right off his face.

Everyone starts to filter out of the room, Sasha and Rai preceding them, chattering happily about fuck knows what.