The Romanov Sisters

by Svetlana Ivanova

I felt Alex's hand slid around my waist. Anastasia stared straight at her sister. I had never seen Ana's eyes so piercing cold like that. For some reason, I knew she also refused to look at me.

  "Sounds great," Nikol said sweetly. "We have a lot to catch up anyway."

  "Good, see you at the table then." Alex waved her hand, and finally, we were able to walk away after ten or twelve years later, for it did feel that long to me.

  Chapter 21

  Dinner in a house full of royal vampires was no different than any normal family’s dinner, except the food consisted of red juicy meat and blood. The feast itself was enough to feed an entire village. I had never seen so much food like this ever since the war ended.

  My seat was next to Alex’s. She was sipping her red wine at the head of the table.

  At last, Anastasia came down and took a seat opposite me. I was relieved that a whole roasted pig with an apple stuck in its mouth provided me enough cover. I didn't want to face her.

  We heard the sound of high-heels echoed sharply from the hall. Nikol floated into view, but I kept my eyes glued to my plate as she walked to us. Nikol was wearing a long flowing white dress with a neck so low, she reminded me of a character from the Greek mythology.

  "Oh, what a nice banquet, Alex," she said merrily. Before Nikol took a seat, she turned to cup Anastasia's chin in her hand and turned her face to hers before kissing her in front of me. A piece of sesame bread suddenly turned to ash in my mouth.

  "Get a room," Alex said as she put her wine glass down on the table.

  Ana looked a bit startled, but she didn't say anything.

  "We already did." Nikol flashed a perfect smile back and sat down beside Ana.

  "So," Alex exhaled and rested her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. "Any news from Moscow?"

  "Nah, same old, same old." Nikol shrugged, stabbing her beef steak with a silver fork. "I should have moved here sooner. It was boring without you there."

  "Oh, so you want to stay here, too?" Alex said. "I didn't expect you and my sister to get back together so quick."

  "Don't exaggerate, Alex," Anastasia spoke up. "It's been twelve years."

  I lifted my eyes from the plate. For a brief second, I felt like she wanted me to know they hadn't been together for a long time. They had been broken up for twelve years. I was just five back then. I noticed Ana wasn't eating. She was pushing her food around the plate. A grim expression seemed to be permanent on her face.

  "Never mind, though,” Nikol said with a smile. “I know we will always get back together eventually." She put her hand on Ana's and stroked it flirtingly. Then she turned and smiled right at me. I quickly dropped my eyes to avoid her eyes, but my lungs seemed to work harder than usual just to breathe.

  We started eating in silence.

  "Anyway, I'm a bit amazed that you allow a human to sit at the same table with us," Nikol suddenly said again.

  I desperately hoped my face wouldn't flush so hard. Anastasia's face twitched as if someone jabbed her with a needle.

  "As far as I remember you were once a human, too, Nikol," Alex said, turning to stare at her. Nikol made a pouty face. If I wasn't mistaken, Alexandra was defending me. "Besides, I'm positive Avery's not going to be the same forever."

  I didn't understand what she meant for the last part, but Anastasia's head snapped right up at Alex. She looked at her squarely in the eyes. I could feel the tension began to stir in the air.

  "What do you mean by that, Alex?" she asked through her clenched teeth.

  "Oh you know very well what I mean, sister," Alex replied, twirling the wine around in her crystal glass. "Avery is going to stay with me for a long, long time, and you know that, don’t you?"

  "You can't do this, Alexandra!" Anastasia dropped her fist on the table with a loud bang. I jumped up along with the roasted pig.

  "I don't see why not," Alex said, looking back at her sister.

  The two of them stared at each other with an equal amount of force. Nikol shot a sharp look at me as if I was the cause of it all. And I kind of was, considering the fact that they were talking about me.

  "I will not let you do that," Anastasia growled.

  "It's none of your business," Alex said. "You better take care of your personal matter now, little sister."

  Anastasia gritted her teeth, but she still couldn't overwhelm Alex. Then with an angry hiss, she stormed out of the dining hall. Nikol threw her napkin on the table with a bored face and stood up.

  "Well, thanks a lot for the dinner, Alex," she said.

  "You're welcome."

  And then she too was out of there. I turned to Alexandra, who simply continued eating like nothing happened. I knew better than to say anything at that moment. I wasn't stupid. The whole conversation was about me and my future doom. And I got a feeling that it was something I had no control of.

  Chapter 22

  Anastasia

  I walked into my room and I felt like I wanted to tear down everything in sight. Alex just couldn't do that again. Not to Avery. I was always the one to clean up the mess she left behind. Nikol was a good example of it. Now Avery was going to be her next victim. How could she be so heartless and ignorant?

  Nikol appeared. She stood by the door with her arms crossed.

  "You do care about that human girl, don't you?" she said. I didn't want to answer her. I didn't want to talk to anyone. All I could think of was Avery. I had come back worried sick about her, wondering how Alex had been treating her in my absence.

  But things turned out funny at the end. It wasn't Avery who got tortured. It was me. Alex finally found a way to rip my heart out alive. She stole Avery from me and threatened to turn her. My head was on the verge of exploding thinking about it. I walked to the table and poured myself a glass of whiskey. Then I slammed myself down on the couch. Nikol came to my side as I downed the burning liquid in one gulp. I just needed to distract myself from this madness. When I reached for the bottle again, Nikol grabbed my hand.

  "You know, you're making me jealous when you do that," she said.

  "Nikol, just don't start," I said, trying not to sound as annoyed as I already was.

  "You leave me no choice, Anastasia," she said, bringing her palm to my face. "And you also know, I'm not good at controlling my jealousy. You have been warned."

  "Nic..." I started again, but she took the empty glass from my hand and put it down on the table. Then she pushed me back against the couch. Nikol leaned over me. Her seductive face was close to mine. And something about the look in her violet eyes made me stay still. I had forgotten that I was a prisoner of someone else.

  My thought went back to Avery. What had Alex done to her? I just didn't understand. When Alex kissed her, I thought every cell in my body was ready to burst into flames. I wanted to bolt out and rip Alex's tongue off for that.

  The image of them kissing kept rolling back into my head.

  "Tonight I forgive you for your misbehavior," Nikol said. "But I have to make sure you remember how concerned I am about your poor anger-management."

  Nikol stood straight again and smoothly slipped her long white dress off her shoulders. The silk fabric fell to the floor without a sound.

  "Nikol, I'm not in a mood," I told her, taking my eyes off her naked body.

  "I can always make you," she came to whisper in my ear. Then she traced her crimson lips over my neck and all the way to my chest. I turned my face aside as her cold breath stung my skin. Nikol just gripped my chin and turned my head back to look at her and then she locked our lips. I secretly winced at the kiss. Her cherry-scented lips were too sweet for my liking. I felt Nikol's hands stroked my thighs.

  "Spread your legs," she said.

  "Don't talk like that to me," I retorted with a glare, but she didn't seem to care. Then she shoved her hand down my pants and pushed me back to the couch. I had to gasp as her long fingers started messing with my private place.

  "You are so tense," Nikol breathed, "You need to loos
en up a little."

  And before I had time to even think, she stripped off my pants and parted my knees. I felt her hand keep fiddling over my sensitivity. Her fingers teased all over.

  The sensation went from mildly annoying to highly erotic. My breath quickened as fast as my racing heartbeats. Then Nikol's face dove right down on me and wagged her tongue against my heated core. This was her favorite game. She would take away my sanity and made me surrender to her lust.

  Nikol twirled her soft long tongue around the rim of my private. My head threw back as her long sleek tongue delved deep into me. I was in for a whole new world.

  My legs began shaking. The mounting ecstasy made my jaw drop.

  One of my hands tried to hold onto the couch while my other hand entangled in Nikol's hair. Maybe it was my sexual frustration that made me do this, but I couldn't help imagine Avery instead. I imagined her sweet warm lips on my skin.

  My perfect fantasy was only real with that one girl, but before I could stop myself, I blurted her name out loud.

  Suddenly, everything froze.

  I just wanted to swallow the word back the way a frog catches a fly in mid-air, but Nikol already heard it. She paused and looked up at me with those blazing violet eyes. Then her face rose up to me in a flash. I knocked myself back against the couch. Nikol's lips pulled over her white sharp teeth.

  "That's it, Anastasia!" Nikol snapped in my face. "What is it with that human slave anyway?"

  "I'm sorry, Nikol," I shuttered. "I won't let it happen again. I promise."

  "If you still want to keep her around, you better stop acting like this with me, you hear me?"

  I winced and nodded obediently. Nikol could be so scary when she needed to. But it was all my fault. Avery's life was at stake because of me. I shouldn't have dragged her into all this. Nikol seemed to notice the nervous look in my eyes. She brought her hand to my cheek gently.

  "Can't we just start it all over again, Anastasia?" She said.

  I didn't know what to do. I had to agree with whatever she asked. There was no turning back now. I nodded.

  Nikol came to kiss me again, and I forced myself to return the favor by kissing her back as passionately as I could. We both got up and like a whirlwind, we found ourselves collapsing on the bed together.

  I had to endure it for my Avery.

  Chapter 23

  Avery

  In the time of a vampire apocalypse, I never thought I could survive as long as I did now. It was a hell on earth, but I had found a new kind of hell. It burned you from the inside out. It would have been better if I wasn't bought into the Romanov House.

  Everything would be over quickly and less painful.

  I felt like my life only existed in a glass box again. All things happened around me, but I had no control over any of it. As in the case of today, I opened my door to find Anastasia standing before me. My heart just stopped. I guess I was having a mini heart attack.

  “Shhh...” she hushed, putting an index finger to her lips. She got inside and closed the door behind her. “Avery, I don’t have much time.”

  “What? Anastasia, what are you...?” I started to say, but she just pulled me by my hand and dragged me into the bathroom. Her face was a mask. I couldn’t tell what her intention was.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, but she didn’t answer and just closed the bathroom door again. Then she came over to open the water on the bathtub, letting the noisy flow engulf the silence around us.

  I stood there dumbfounded. She turned around to look at me at last. Her deep golden eyes made every function in my body freeze. It was a mixture of hurt and anger. Just yesterday, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at me. Now Anastasia was in my bathroom. I blinked at the seriousness on her angelic face. Without saying a word, Anastasia came up to me and pushed me against the wall. Her body pressed into mine. The next thing I knew, her tongue was already slithering inside my mouth. This unexpected intimacy surprised me. For some reason, I couldn’t tell if she was doing it because she wanted me or she was just mad at me. Her furious kiss burned my skin.

  “Ana, stop it!” I said, trying to push her away, but she wouldn't budge. Her hot lips went down my throat and over my chest.

  "You hurt me, Avery," she said. "I couldn't stand seeing you with Alex."

  I should have felt bad and embarrassed, but for that moment, all I could think of was how my heart ached for her touch. And slowly, I felt my body begin to melt into hers again. Anastasia turned us around and sat me on the edge of the sink. She lifted my thighs up and got between them, wandering her hands inside my skirt. Her lips ran over my jaw and down my throat, causing me to gasp elatedly. It was all I ever wanted to feel.

  Her hands pulled my panties off and wrapped my legs around her waist. Everything happened so fast, my mind whirled. I didn’t even realize when she got her pants off until the moment our skins merged together. Her hips started moving against me. Ana raised one of my legs up high and spread them wider. I leaned my body back, so I could be more accessible to her. I bit my lips, trying to hold my moans from this incredible feeling down there. It was like all that existed was our joined paradises. Our breath quickened as the slippery motion was driving us wild—until we couldn’t contain it any longer, and we burst in electric delight. A flaming orgasm erupted between our legs. The sensation was too strong; I was hauled forward into Ana’s arms. She caught me, and we gasped over each other’s shoulder. After what seemed like a long time, we finally broke off. Ana gave a gentle kiss on my lips and helped me off the sink. My legs felt wobbly, but at least I could stand. We gathered our clothes again and Ana came to wrap her arms around me.

  I looked at Anastasia’s face, trying to remember the last time I felt so loved. I wanted her to know, I still loved her, I still loved her with all my heart and soul.

  “I’m sorry, Avery, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I miss you too much, I couldn’t contain myself.”

  “Why? What happened?” I whispered. “You already have Nikol.”

  “I don’t care about Nikol!”

  “Then why?” I said again, staring into her deep golden eyes for the answer, “I don’t understand.”

  Anastasia just turned her face away from me.

  “Nikol threatens me,” she said, looking as if she was ashamed of herself. “I’m sorry, but we can’t be seen together. You can get hurt being with me.”

  “So you want to break up with me?” This question took every ounce of my gut to ask.

  “No! Avery, I love you. Nikol means nothing to me, she’s just my past.”

  “But she's your first.”

  “Avery, please,” she held my face in her palms and looked into my eyes. “I don’t care about anyone but you. Listen, you have to trust me. I will find a way to get us back together again. I promise. Just wait for me, alright?”

  Anastasia brought her soft beautiful lips to my forehead. The kiss burned with anguish and longing on my skin, causing tears to spring from my eyes.

  “I have to go,” she whispered and then turned to the door. “Please take care.”

  In just a blink, Anastasia already left through the door, leaving me standing there with my empty chest.

  Chapter 24

  Anastasia

  I reached Alex's office and waved the guards away. They bowed and left the hall. I didn't even bother to knock before I got in. Alex was sitting on her wide antique desk in front of a large window. Victor was standing beside her chair while she was reading some files. He bowed when he saw me, but Alex didn't even look up.

  "What brought you here, sister?" she said with an expression of a brick wall.

  "Alex, we need to talk," I told her.

  "About what?"

  I turned to Victor. Our eyes met, and he understood then left the room.

  "I want to ask you for a favor."

  "A favor? Wow, I'm flattered."

  "It's about Nikol, Alex," I said. "Please, you have to get her back to Russia."

  "An
astasia," she said as she finally looked up at me. "I don't have all day for this. If you want to talk about Nikol with me, you might as well talk to a tree."

  "You think this is a game?" I sneered. "Nikol is in the house! And here you are, acting like there's nothing wrong with her."

  Alex stood up and stared at me.

  "And what does your girlfriend have to do with me?"

  "She has everything to do with you, Alex," I said. "You created her. You're the only one who can make her listen."

  "If you keep your distance from Avery, then there's nothing you should be worried about," she said.

  "You still don't understand, do you? Nikol is like a walking time bomb," I said again. "It's just a matter of time until something snaps. And if anything ever happens to Avery, I will never forgive you."

  "I can protect her," Alex simply said. "You stay the hell away from her, that's your job."

  I clenched my jaw, feeling the throbbing pain in my gum. This conversation wasn't going to get anywhere. The least I could do was to beg, but I would never let Alexandra get that satisfaction from me. I stepped closer to my sister.

  "You're afraid, aren't you?" I said. "You're afraid that I will take Avery back because you know you can't win over her heart. Avery is in love with me."

  Alex's eyes blazed like burning embers. She gripped the edge of the table. I thought she was going to flip it over at me, but then she took a deep breath as if to calm down and then she smiled again.

  "You should have seen her face when I made her come," she said.

  At those words, I was ready to throw myself across the table at her, but someone knocked on the door. It took all my willpower not to tear Alex into shreds. I swallowed back the burning rage as Victor came in with an urgent look.

  "My lady, there's an important letter from Kremlin," he said and handed a gold envelope to my sister. She tore it open and skimmed through the paper. A frown creased her smooth face.

  "What is it?" I asked out of curiosity.

  "The Royal Council asks for my return," she said.