Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Marigold smiled and the image of the boys speaking with Katya in such a supportive way. She knew a side to them Marigold had yet to meet, a side she desperately wanted to know. “You’re lucky to have such kind, protective brothers.”
“I’m grateful for them every day. They never doubted me or blamed me for what happened. At the clinic, they said I was having delusions. Trauma-induced paranoia.” Katya’s fingers twisted in the silk of her dress. “They said memories aren’t reliable after too much emotional stress.”
“But you knew better.”
“I knew what he did to me.” Katya’s words were barely a whisper. “I knew how he smiled while he... I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, couldn’t even scream. By crippling my other senses, he made my mind that much sharper. I’ll never forget what really happened that night.”
Marigold’s chest tightened with familiar rage. “I’m so sorry he did that to you.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her green eyes. “I typically stay in the east wing when they entertain. Stone vets everyone on the guestlist of every event, but somehow he got past their checkpoint unnoticed. When they realized he was here without the proper vetting, Hunter let him stay.”
Marigolds heart pinched for Hunter, imagining how much he must blame himself for what she went though.
“He wasn’t with the other guests when he found me. He also had everything he needed to do what he planned.” Her laugh was cold. “To think, I wasn’t even special.”
Marigold’s blood ran cold. “How did he do it?”
“Something in my drink. One moment I was laughing at his jokes, thinking how charming he was, how lucky I was that someone so sophisticated was paying attention to boring little me.” Katya’s voice cracked. “The next moment I was drowning in my own body, aware of everything but unable to do anything to stop it.”
“I’m so sorry, Katya.” Her redundant apology felt so inadequate, but they were the only words Marigold had. Leaning across the space, she placed a hand over hers. “I’m so fucking sorry he did that to you.”
Her palpable sorrow gave way to a slow smile. “You swear like my brothers.”
“There are three of them and one of me. Swearing helps my street cred’.”
She laughed, the sound as melodic as chimes in a breeze. “You should hear them when they think they’re around people who can’t understand Russian.” Katya’s smile grew stronger. “Though I bet you understand more than they think you do.”
“I’m trying. Hunter gave me a book and he’s been helping me practice.”
“Hunter? That surprises me.”
“Why?”
“He’s not the most tolerant.”
“Oh, I’m well aware.” She thought back to the last time she was with Hunter, and how exacting he could be. “But I think he has a soft spot for me.”
“From what I hear, they all do.”
Marigold’s cheeks heated. “I suppose it’s strange for you to imagine the three of them with one woman.”
“Not really. They do everything together. It’s how they got the nickname The Three Bears.”
“You’re kidding. People actually call them that?”
Katya laughed and nodded. “When we came to Kassel, they said all the islands were occupied. The Northern Isles were considered undesirable due to the long winters and harsh climates. They had been abandoned for nearly a century. Stone said it reminded him of Mother Russia, so we moved in that day. I was just happy that we were back together again.”
“Were you separated?”
A startled look danced across her beautiful face. “Didn’t they tell you?”
“No.” It occurred to Marigold that she’d been so focused on surviving the present she only let herself think of the future. “We never talk about their past.”
“It was terrible, what they survived. I wasn’t there, but when they came back to me they looked nothing like the boys who left.”
A chill chased up Marigold’s spine, despite the tropical temperatures. Outside the glass walls, snow still dusted the white landscape, but inside, everything was warm and green and alive. “Where did they go?”
“It was an expedition. Our father had thought it would be a good idea to toughen them up on the North Sea. But their vessel was commandeered by a cargo ship occupied by pirates. They were transported to Libya, where they were sold with other refugees and exploited in underground fights.”
“They were trafficked?”
Lines of compassion formed deep grooves around her emerald eyes. “Hunter was determined to survive. His body count was unfathomable.”
Marigold sucked in a harsh breath. “He actually killed people?”
“He’s not proud of it. He was oldest. Those years shaped him in ways he’ll never undo. He had to be terrifying to protect Stone, and then Ash.”
“Is that where he met Ash?”
She nodded. “Ash nearly died. If not for Hunter’s protection and after care, he wouldn’t have made it.”
It was no wonder their bond was so strong.
“But Stone had it the worst,” Katya continued. “He was smallest, and used as bait. He’d always been docile, which is probably why they chose him. The bait fighters were restrained until training time. Then, they were used to hone the killer instincts of the more aggressive fighters.”