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

But that would mean completely eradicating whatever semblance of peace we’ve been having.

She’d hate it and me.

Besides, it’s not that she’s trying to leave.

Or maybe that’s what she’s doing, but discreetly so I won’t be able to thwart her plans.

“They’re surprisingly close,” my brother says from beside me, his attention on the two women.

They’re standing with the annoying Rai and Adrian’s wife, Lia, as if this is some sort of a sorority.

Sasha is wearing a loose black dress that stops right above her knees. Her shiny blonde hair is loose, now reaching the middle of her back. She hasn’t cut it once since she went back to being a woman.

Although her heels aren’t as high as the others’, she’s still the tallest of the bunch. The most beautiful, too. Just saying.

“More like, your wife is surprisingly clingy.” I direct my malicious glare at my brother. “Keep her away from my wife.”

He raises a brow. “Not sure that’s how it works.”

“Find a solution that works, then.”

He smiles, and it’s surprisingly mischievous. “Is it so bad that she’s making women friends? At least they’re not the guards you strongly oppose of.”

“I don’t like anyone who’s prone to steal her time from me.”

“You need help.”

“Yes. Yours. In the form of stopping Kristina from taking away my wife to fuck knows where.”

Even Karina has been getting annoyed at not being able to spend as much time as possible with Sasha. My sister is hiding in her room as we speak. She may have started to leave the house at times, but crowds still freak her out.

“Ever thought she might actually need a social circle outside of yourself?” Konstantin asks like an idiot.

“No.”

“I would say I’m surprised, but that would be a lie…” he trails off when our mother—correction, his mother—appears at the bottom of the stairs with her brother, Yakov.

He’s on the board of the family bank and has always disregarded me, unlike the rest of her siblings, who have supported me since day one. Including my eldest uncle, who’s the head of the family and the bank.

Yulia has always gotten along with Yakov. He’s the only sibling she’s visited over the years, but he rarely came here in the past because he and Roman hated each other with passion.

He only started showing his face in our family home after his death.

My attention slides back to Konstantin, who’s gripping his flute so tight, I’m surprised it doesn’t break into pieces.

It’s no secret that he and Yulia have a strained relationship since he indirectly picked Kristina over her and married a woman his mother doesn’t approve of.

But it’d take a miracle for Yulia to hate her golden child. I thought Konstantin was using this chance to put some form of distance between him and his toxic mother, but maybe that’s not the whole story.

I narrow my eyes on Yulia and Yakov, then direct my gaze at my brother. “Is there something I need to know?”

He purses his lips but says nothing.

“Konstantin.” I adopt my most diplomatic tone as I face him. “I know we haven’t been model siblings, but you’re still my brother. If Yakov is giving you shit of any sort, I’ll hang him by his balls before he can blink. You don’t need to worry about the repercussions. I have enough power to squash him—”

“It’s Yulia.”

“You want me to hang Yulia by her imaginary balls?”

He snickers, but it’s fleeting. “Be serious.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Something happened this morning, and I…I want to believe I’m wrong.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“She…I’ve heard her whisper something to her maid a couple of times before. Something about giving Kris herbs that improve immunity and fuck knows what. I didn’t think much of it in the beginning, but out of precaution, I offered to give Kristina whatever herbs my mother had prepared, then I dumped them down the drain. I asked Kris to never drink or eat in her company and to only consume what Anna gives her.” His Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow. “Tell me I’m being paranoid.”

“Have you tested said herbs?”

“I got the results today.”

“Let me guess. They’re toxic.”

The clenching of his jaw is all the answer I need. “Maybe she didn’t know…”

“Wake the fuck up. That woman never does anything without a purpose. She wants your baby dead.”

“But it’s her grandchild.”

“And Kara and I are her fucking children. Do you think she took that into consideration when she tried to kill us? You’ve seen her throw herself down the fucking stairs when she was pregnant with our sister. You were old enough to remember.” I pause and soften my tone. “She’s always been obsessed with your safety and well-being, but she can’t stand Kristina. She’s the woman because of whom you went against her. Your mother isn’t the type who takes no for an answer. She probably thinks if she gets rid of Kristina’s child, you’ll have no reason to stay with her and will divorce her.”

“That won’t happen.”