Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy #1 ) by Rina Kent

She throws her hands in the air with so much attitude, I’m tempted to push her against the wall and abandon all the plans I had for today.

“Well, it takes a lot of effort and concentration to build, but it can be destroyed in no time.”

“Yes, and no. See.” My hand hovers over the top card. “They’re made of paper, and while paper can be molded, it’s still fragile.”

With a flick of my finger, I tumble the creation I spent an hour assembling.

“Listen carefully, Sasha. This place is a house of cards, and I don’t belong inside it. I will always be the one who puts it together or destroys it.”

She furrows her brow, not seeming to understand the meaning, but that’s fine. She’ll get there with time.

I round the desk and she subtly pushes back, keeping a safe distance between us. I adjust my glasses with my thumb and forefinger to stop myself from choking the fuck out of her.

“Did Konstantin hear about my mother’s kidnapping?”

“I think so. He was talking about the worst timing and things like that on his way to his car just now.”

“Good.”

“How is that good?”

She falls in step beside me as I leave the office. “Are you going to ask him for help to save her?”

“Of course not.” I grin. “A hero doesn’t share his cape, now, does he?”

“You’ll surely lose time with this. Is it okay if you’re late to the Bratva’s meeting that’s being held specifically for you?”

“No. But it’ll all work out.”

Everything, including Sasha, will go according to plan.





19





SASHA





Kirill asks me if I want to be there for…the rescue operation of his mother.

He sounds so casual about it that I can’t help but be a little appalled.

My reaction to his actions is more about me than him. I know that. I really, really do.

It’s not that he’s changed, but maybe I’m freaked out about the fact that he hasn’t changed.

In fact, he’s been being unapologetically himself in a very direct manner. He was strict and unapproachable in the army, probably due to martial law, but now, he’s shed his outer skin and is letting his inner self loose.

Not that I expected him to change, but I did think maybe being around members of his family would compel him to behave differently.

Little did I know that they would bring out his apathetic side.

I sit in the passenger seat as Yuri drives the car to the location where Kirill said his mother is. I asked Yuri if the boss put a tracker on her, and he just lifted his shoulder.

He didn’t have to spell it out. Everything is possible in this family.

I stare at Kirill through the rearview mirror. He sits with effortless charisma like a king. It’s scary how natural he is at looking calm and authoritative even when he’s doing a mundane task such as scrolling through a tablet.

His long, veiny fingers rest on the device with easy control. I can’t stop looking at his masculine hands. The fact that they could also be used for destruction doesn’t lessen the strange effect they have on me.

“Faster, Yuri,” he says without lifting his head, and a small smirk tilts his lips. “We don’t want to be late for saving my dear mother.”

This man is a psychopath.

I’m still shaking from the scene I witnessed near the highway. It looked like something right out of a movie but also so realistic, it left me in a temporary state of shock.

Not only did a minivan tailgate her car, but then, all of a sudden, they ran her off the road.

I was sure Yulia had died in the accident, but soon after, she was shoved out of the vehicle by her bodyguards, who were knocked out and thrown to the side of the road by men in black ski masks.

Everything happened at lightning speed and ended before I could think of a solution. I considered following them, but I knew I would be as good as dead if I did. So I called Viktor, who said, “I’ll take care of it,” and then hung up.

Maksim was unreachable, and when I got back to the house, Kirill was lounging like a bored king on his throne. He also acted as if the news of his mother’s kidnapping has no importance whatsoever.

We arrive at a warehouse that’s far from the city. Only a few abandoned industrial buildings are in sight, their old yellow-gray colors clashing with the afternoon sky in a beautifully gruesome image.

I jump out of the car, but Kirill doesn’t move, seemingly engrossed in whatever business he’s been doing on the tablet.

I bang on the window, and he stares at me as if I’m a nuisance. I catch a glimpse at what he’s watching, and my face heats.

It’s…porn.

Holy shit.

Is that what he was zeroing in on during the entire ride?

He doesn’t act flustered or abnormal as he turns off the iPad, throws it on the seat, and takes his time getting out of the car.

With the same nonchalant energy, he walks to the door of the warehouse. I catch up to him and blurt, “Shouldn’t we have some sort of a plan first? They probably have a sniper somewhere. We really should’ve brought more men with us. And is Yuri really supposed to stay in the car—”

My words come to a halt when he does something that stuns me into silence.

Kirill leans down and bites my ear. It’s not a lick or a nibble. It’s a flat-out bite that sends both a chill and zings of pain down my spine. Then, just like that, he pulls back.