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

“How about you stop being annoying, and all of this will be over,” he snaps in his face, “just like that.”

“I refuse.” Damien pushes Kirill’s shoulder on his way out. “I swear to fucking fuck, I’ll get you one of these days.”

“Sounds like a clingy wife,” Kirill calls after him with a slight smirk.

“Fuck you.” Damien flips him off without turning around.

Kirill’s smirk abruptly disappears as he stares at me. No, he glares before he heads to the car without a word.

I’m left there, partially breathless, partially not knowing what to do. What the hell was that all about?

It takes me a few moments to collect myself before I follow after. I find Yuri waiting by the car, brow furrowed.

“Did something happen inside?” Yuri whispers.

“Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

“Boss seemed displeased, but Viktor shrugged when I asked him if something went awry in the meeting.”

I swallow as I go to the passenger door, only to find fucking Viktor already seated there.

Shit.

Now, I have to be beside a clearly pissed-off Kirill. Well, not clearly, since he’s scrolling through some files on his iPad. But then again, his calmness is never good news. Besides, his jaw is tense, which is usually a bad sign.

I keep to my side of the seat, quietly counting the seconds until we get to our next stop.

After a few moments, I’m reminded of why I’m also on edge, and I start getting mad at the way he treated me.

“What’s on the schedule this afternoon?” he asks without looking up from his tablet.

“Not sure. I erased it, thinking I was being transferred to Damien.”

He adjusts his glasses as his intense eyes fall on me. “Was that sarcasm?”

“Were you really going to let Damien have me if he wanted to?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. Since you’re friends, I thought it might be a good idea to give you a change of scenery.”

“I wouldn’t want that, and I would appreciate it if you’d check with me before making these decisions.”

His eyes narrow, but he reverts his attention back to his tablet and says nothing.

Since he seems to be in a better mood, I straighten. Originally, I’d planned to ask this later tonight, maybe after sex since he seems the most amiable then, but I don’t trust myself not to fall asleep.

Besides, it’s better if we have an audience so he doesn’t question me for long.

“Boss…” I start.

“Hmm?”

“Can I have three days' vacation?”

At that, he looks up from his iPad and even tilts it to the side. “Why?”

“It’s…private.”

Silence falls between us for one second.

Two.

Three.

Then, without a change of expression, he says, “Fine.”

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

I narrow my eyes. To say this is highly suspicious would be an understatement. I was mentally prepared to fight tooth and nail for this while undergoing his unforgiving questioning. I even thought of how to survive if I cracked and told him everything under torture.

True, Kirill hasn’t asked again about the ‘man’ he thought I was talking to that one time, and I somehow thought maybe he’d really taken my threat seriously. But that’s just not his style.

The fact that I need to go home is making me even more nervous. I’ve rarely talked to my uncle since that day I almost got caught, and only when I’m off duty and away from the house. He quit asking me to end my mission to get close to Kirill. In fact, he seemed glad when I told him that I’m part of Kirill’s inner circle now.

So I’ve been slowly working on my initial plan to eventually gain access to the office. I’ve been there a few times alone, but Kirill updated the security, so all the critical files are now protected by his thumbprint. I’m still trying to figure out a way around that issue without triggering his suspicion.

On the other hand, neither Uncle Albert nor I have received any news of my brother. Sometimes, I go to sleep with tears in my eyes, thinking he’s already dead, but most of the time, I refuse to believe it.

Yesterday, I learned that Babushka is ill and that it’s bad. Uncle Albert said he’d take care of her, but I have to go home, just in case. I’d never forgive myself if this were the last chance I had to see her alive and I chose not to go. So I told my uncle that I’ll be returning to Russia in the next few days.

Which is why I came up with this vacation request. That Kirill so readily approved.

He’ll probably send someone to follow me.

But that’s fine. I’ll just have to beat him at his own game this time.





“You don’t have to drive me to the airport,” I tell Kirill, who’s personally driving the car.

He never does that.

His face is unreadable, not that he is readable most days, but it’s been shrouded in more mystery since I announced I needed a vacation.

While he readily agreed, his attitude has changed. He’s spent most of his time running external errands and has often ordered me to stay on house guard for Karina.

We haven’t been alone in a room like he used to make sure we were in the past. And as for his room, he’s only used it to shower and change clothes.