Elena: I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to come despite knowing how early it was for him to be showing up. I couldn’t help but find myself growing somewhat disappointed when he wasn’t lately. The man didn’t say a word when I told him that I trusted him the other night, and now, it’s been a few days since I’ve heard of Konstantin’s trip, and yet, the man was a no show. Tonight was a full moon, and though I expected at least an hour with him, looking at him, hearing him talk, I was surprised when he was nowhere to be seen. The bedroom door was knocked twice, and though excited, I stayed in my place, watching as the door opened, revealing Yigrette, one of the maids in the house, and Konstantin’s best ‘spy’. She would look, examine, and send all the information to Konstantin. Regardless of what it was, and if I was doing anything that he would find against the ‘rules’ that I am forced to live in, I would be punished the second he returned. “You are awake,” she stated, an

Elena: “Elena,” I heard Batrov call, taking me off guard as I walked out of the bathroom. Having taken a shower to freshen up, needing to get out of bed for the day, knowing that it was already late. And though I knew that I had nothing to do but sit on the chair in front of the window, knitting, reading, or watching the day turn into night; I still didn’t like spending my whole day in bed. His eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but find myself frowning as I looked at the man, knowing that if he was here, then so was Konstantin. Seeming to notice my somewhat panicked expression, he shook his head in assurance. “Boss is still in England. He won’t be back for another few days.” The fact that he was telling me of Konstantin’s whereabouts was new to me, especially since I rarely ever knew where the man, if I could call him a man, was, and though I didn’t care; I was just glad that he wasn’t back yet. I didn’t want to find myself dealing with him, not when I didn’t even know where Vlad

Elena: I knew that the man was surprised to hear my voice. I could tell by his gaze, but I also knew that running away and hiding was not going to get me anywhere. He wasn’t going to understand that it was hurting me if I proceeded this way, and I didn’t know what game he was playing at just yet. “I’ll go first,” Vladimir said, and I nodded, looking the man dead in the eye as I waited for his question. “Why’d you trust me enough to speak?” “You kept your word,” I said, and he frowned in confusion. “You kept him away from me. I knew that he would have come if not for whatever you’re doing.” “Fair,” he said, “your turn.” “Why do you keep coming despite knowing the consequences?” I asked, knowing that it wasn’t something that he was going to want to answer. But I also knew that he expected the question. “You caught my attention.” He said, “a spark, a bond, if I can call it that. And now that I’ve felt it, I grew addicted.” “Your turn,” I said, satisfied enough with his answer. I st

Elena: “What are you doing back here?” I asked, hissing at Vladimir as he entered my room. It was late at night, and I was about to go to sleep, and after he kissed me a few hours ago, I couldn’t find myself getting any shut eye. “I came to see you,” he said, and I raised an eyebrow. “I thought that you were coming to my room to play cards.” I said, choosing to be sarcastic. Though it wasn’t my smartest comeback, I knew that it served the point of what I wanted it to. “It is late and you were here earlier…” “For a woman who was waiting for me…” “You are foolish to think that I am going to expect you to come barging here when you can risk your life by anyone seeing you.” I said, stopping the man. His eyes widened in surprise at my words and I forced myself to take a deep breath, reminding myself of who the man was and what he was capable of doing if he wanted to. “Please take your leave if you don’t have anything that is important to tell me. The last thing that I would want is

Konstantin: “What do you mean Yigrette is dead?” I asked, frowning as I answered the phone. Batrov hesitated, and I could tell that the man gulped, trying to form a right sentence as he did. “She fell down the stairs, boss.” He said, and I took a deep breath as I tried to control myself and anger. “How the fucking hell would a woman like her…?” “She was wearing heels. She passed by Elena’s room, and as she was leaving, she tripped and fell.” He said, and I took a deep breath. “She hit her head as she did, and we couldn’t stop the bleeding when we found her. The doctors said that it would have been a miracle for her to survive.” “She was drunk, wasn’t she?” I asked, tapping my fingers on the desk. The idea of her drinking on the job was something that I didn’t like. She knew the rules, but I knew that she went past them at times, and now it cost her life. “She had alcohol in her system. But I am not sure that she was drunk, boss.” He said, and I scoffed, knowing that he was de