CHAPTER SIX

  NIKOLAI 

I watched her expression change from sheer astonishment to shock then to fear. Her face especially her eyes said things even before her mouth could. 

  “What!?”

Walking around frantically, repeating the words I said earlier as if repeating it would make it not true,

   Stuttering she said “To.. to kill me?”

  Prancing around, 

    “What did I do? What sin did I commit? Who did I offend?” huffing all in one breath.

   I stared at her as she moved around, her breast bobbing up and down with every step she takes, there was a certain way her plum lips moved when she spoke. It looked like it was going to be sweet to eat. Was that the colour or had she applied a lip stain? I'd like to taste and see.

  “Nikolai, Nikolai?”

Interrupting my reverie with her calling of my name, oh yes I had to explain why I was supposed to kill her.

  “Mhmmhm” clearing my throat,

“After the incident with your father, and his refusal to keep the end of the bargain when you turned 18, the war broke out and the clan decided that when he get married I was to kill you within 48 hours to seal the peace and to teach your father a lesson”

   “Did he know? I mean my father, did he know?”

Looking at her staring at me so intently trying so hard to grasp at the last straws of believing her parents were innocent. 

   “Yes.”

I could not lie to her. 

   TATYANA 

Walking into my room my mind could not absorb the information I just heard. My head was spinning.

‘The “You would survive” he told me on my wedding was what? He just offered me up as a sacrifice for his misdeeds. So much for loving parents.’

   I had to distract myself by picking up my laptop and doing the one thing I enjoyed so much. Someone had hired me days ago to dig up some things.

  But there was a knock on my door interrupting me,

    “Who's there?”

    “It's me”

That was Nikolai’s voice. He had never been to my room before. Opening the door for him, he just stood there and God this man is beautifully striking. Handsome sounds too vague to describe him. His hair looked a mess, the kind that made me want run my fingers through them to put them back in place.

  He flicked his fingers snapping me out of my trance. 

   “Do you like what you see?”

 Stuttering i said, “What?”

    “You were undressing me with your eyes, 

  I coughed, 

   but I just came to check if you were good, seems like you are though..”

  My words were stuck in my mouth and all I could say were, 

   “Yeah I..I’m fine”.

   He spared another glance at me and walked away. I quickly closed the door and jumped on the bed,

    ‘What was that?!’ 

As much as I don't want to acknowledge it, he had changed. This was not the aloof, cold monster that left me on the altar that I got married to. 

       Pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind because no matter how much I want to have sex with this man, he was not interested in having sex with me. I mean look at the way he moved like his ass was on fire when I leaned in to kiss him. That was so embarrassing and I didn't even know what I was thinking. 

   I called my P.I to follow some people while I hacked at what I could get from them online. Closing my laptop, I got the message that dinner was ready. 

    I freshened up and put on my pyjamas that had my favourite movie printed on it, XO Kitty. Nikolai was already at the table when I came down but he had not touched his food. 

   We ate and I did my usual routine of going to the library after dinner. I heard the door open and close minutes later. His cologne announced his presence before I saw him. 

   It smelt like oud with incense along with a subtle hint of vanilla behind the musky scent. 

      “Oh you're here”

   “Yeah”

 “How are you?”

  “You mean the fact that my parents gave me up as atonement for their sins knowing very well i'm going to die? I'm good though.”

    “Are you going to confront them”

   “No”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know, they might have a good reason for them to let that happen”,

  He looked at me bewildered,

   “Your parents will have a good reason for wanting to kill you to atone for their sins?”

  I threw my hands up in exasperation,

   “I don't know Nikolai, that was probably what they thought”.

    “Wow”

I didn't know what to say anymore. I was exhausted. He broke the silence,

    “My parents were the best things that happened to me. They doted on me so much. My uncle too, my dad's brother. They all loved me so much that I did not see or know the bitterness and violence that existed in this world till they died.” 

    I reached for his hand to hold them, seems like that gave him the courage to continue,

    “I was in the house the day they died. We were all together, mum had gone to check on the mac an cheese in the oven, dad was setting up the table and uncle was watching football on the television. I had gone to use the loo that time, then there was a banging on the door. It was very heavy.”

   His eyes were watering. He looked like he was about to cry.

   “Then mum came to the room and said I shouldn't come out no matter what I hear, I should remain in the closet. I heard a loud bang, then there was a shoot out which made my ears ring whenever I heard it. Then I heard my mother scream so loud, I could tell she was in pain. I didn't hear my father's or my uncle's voice. When the commotion had died down, I came out and saw my parents on the floor bleeding very heavily”.

  “There was a bullet thier foreheads, but their eyes were wide open staring at me, I just knew they were dead.”

     He collapsed into my arms sobbing softly, 

    “Can I hug you?” I asked,

He extended his arms to my back and buried his face in the crook of my neck. My arms were on his neck and fingers in his hair. 

   We remained in that position for a while, till his head was no longer just resting in the crook of my neck, I felt him sniffing me and planting kisses and slowly nibbling on my neck. 

    “Mmm” I moaned softly, my fingers forgot the work they were doing on his hair for a moment when he asked,

  “Can I kiss you?”