by Lylah James
My favorite pair of ballet flats. My lucky charm.
My voice came out as a whisper when I finally spoke. “I heard…you talking.”
There was silence. A tear fell down my cheek, and I let it roll, sliding down my neck, leaving a wet, lonely trail.
“Can I take this box with me? That’s all I want.”
“Val,” my father started, but I cut him off.
“Will he let me take this box?”
“I think…”
Closing the box again, I held it to my chest as if it would give me protection. I turned around to see my father holding my mother, who looked pale and almost sick from crying.
I saw the shame in my father’s eyes before he looked down. “I am sorry,” he whispered. “I am so fucking sorry, Valerie. This is my fault…this is all my fault……my sweet girl…”
My throat felt tight, almost suffocating me. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but no words came out.
“It’s okay.”
My mind screamed. Liar! It’s not okay!
I walked past my parents and out of my bedroom, still holding the box like it was my saving grace.
“Promise me you will never let anything happen to Malory,” I said, stopping at the stairs.
“I promise,” my father replied.
My body trembled in pain, and another tear fell down my cheek. This time, I lifted my chin up. And then I took a step forward—toward the man who sought to own me—to destroy me.
“Myshka.”
I silently gasped as pain assaulted my body. Viktor’s voice. So soft—and far, far away, almost like it was deep underwater. I could barely even hear it. Maybe I didn’t hear it. Maybe it was my dream.
Viktor’s hand tightened at the back of my neck. Not hard enough to hurt me, but there was a commanding pressure in his hold. My eyes snapped open, my gaze on his lips.
“Look at me, Valerie.” I stared up into his deep chocolate brown eyes.
My lips parted, and I took a deep breath before whispering. “I used to…dance. Until it was…stolen from me.”
Chapter 35
Valerie
I didn’t realize that my words had the power to hurt this much. I used to dance. Until it was stolen from me. The truth tasted bitter on my tongue, and I hated that they were my reality. I hated that once I had everything—and then in a matter of minutes, I lost it all.
And I hated Viktor for reminding me of what I had lost.
My ballet flats were kept hidden. They were a reminder of what I could have had. A different beginning, a different present, and a different future.
I wanted to keep it locked away, but how long was I supposed to keep my past buried? One day soon, the truth would have had to come out. But I wasn’t ready for it now.
Viktor’s hand went from the back of my neck to my cheek, lifting my face up so he could look into my eyes. He was searching for something, his gaze never leaving mine. Then he sighed, his forehead dropping to mine again.
My heart thumped, just like always when he would touch me. So gently and so sweetly. He handled me as if I was someone precious to him. Looking into his eyes, riddled with so many unsaid emotions, I believed that. I believed in him.
Viktor cupped my cheek before speaking. “Talk to me. I want to know, Valerie. I want to know everything about you.”
“There is so much to say, Viktor. I don’t…know…where to start,” I replied. Instinctively, my hands gripped his waist, my body folding into his.
He walked us backward until the back of my legs hit the bed. I sat down, my hands on my lap, playing with the fabric of my dress nervously.
Instead of sitting beside me, Viktor knelt to his knees.
He lifted my long dress up until it was bunched on my thighs. Without waiting for my response, his body settled between my legs. In this position, we were closer. Him on his knees for me, our faces the same level, our eyes meeting and never wavering.
Viktor took my hands in his and gave me a small squeeze. His lips moved, and my eyes quickly went there to catch his words. “Start from the beginning, baby.”
So I did.
I told him how much I loved dancing.
I told him how I used to breathe ballet, morning till night. Until my feet were sore and my toes were bleeding. Until I was breathless and my legs couldn’t walk anymore.
To me, ballet and I—we weren’t two separate things. Without one, the other didn’t exist. We were one. My body would move to the music without thought, lost in its rhythm. I would feel its beat in my heart. Each step was deeply ingrained in my brain.
And then I told him about the good news. The same ones I never got a chance to tell my parents.
The room was filled with my choked cries. A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop myself. But instead of making a lonely wet trail, like before, in my room—this time, there was someone to swipe it away.
Viktor’s fingers touched my cheeks gently, and he thumbed away my tears. Another drop fell, and he caught it, this time with his lips.
His lips feathered over my skin so gently. And now, I was crying for a whole different reason. Why did he have to be so…sweet?
A man like him—who held so much darkness, yet could hold so much gentleness. He was both light and dark. He was both the angel of heaven and the devil of hell. He had the power to crush bones yet mend a broken heart, piece by piece.
“You are so brave; do you know that?” he muttered. My gaze went to our entwined fingers.
“I don’t feel so brave now. I feel weak. But as long as it’s me…not my sister. I would have never been able to live with myself if I had sacrificed Malory for my own happiness,” I replied, my eyes never leaving our hands. I found myself fascinated with his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over my knuckles.
Viktor nudged the tip of my nose with his gently, and I looked up at him. “I am going to get you out of here, Valerie. Just give me some more time. I need you to be strong for a little bit more.”
I shook my head at his words. There was no point. I was living in a fantasy before—with him, where I had let him sweep me off my feet and away from this cruel world.
But Viktor…couldn’t save me. I was beyond saving.
Only because saving me meant pulling my sister into this darkness.
“You can’t. I am the debt my parents owe. If Valentin doesn’t have me, then he will go for my sister.”
“When I take you out of here, I will make sure that Valentin can never hurt another innocent soul,” he said to me. Anger danced in those fiery eyes of his. Viktor evoked a brutal sense of danger.
I stayed silent, refusing to say yes or no. I trusted and believed in Viktor—but if it meant living in this hellhole to protect Malory, then I would gladly leave Viktor behind.
Viktor took my ballet flats from the floor and placed them on my lap. He folded my fingers over them, forcing me to hold my worn-out flats.
“You will dance again,” Viktor said.
They weren’t just meaningless words, from a boy who held no power.
It was a promise made by a man hell bent on saving my soul—with his tainted one.
My fingers caressed the ribbons, speechless. We were both silent for a moment before Viktor broke my dreamlike daze. He took the ballet flats from me and placed them back into the box before hiding it in the drawer again, sealing it away from eyes that wanted to hurt it.
I crawled into my bed, laying on my side with my knees curled to my chest. Viktor climbed in from behind me, molding his body into mine—a perfect puzzle.
His lips were on my neck, and he placed the sweetest kiss there. My eyes closed, and I released a deep breath.
Even though my heart was hurting and I felt strangely empty—Viktor was slowly filling that black void in me. He made my aching heart peaceful.
***
1 week later
A slight touch in my shoulder roused me from my sleep. I rubbed my eyes and blinked them open to see Viktor staring down at m
e with a small smile on his face.
We just made love…I must have slept for only thirty minutes.
Groaning, I closed my eyes again. His fingers slowly drifted from my shoulders to my sides before tickling me.
My eyes snapped open, and I quickly tried to move away from his torturous hands. “Viktor, stop!” I giggled and quickly smothered it by pushing my face into the pillow.
He stopped and pulled me into a sitting position before nudging me to sit on the edge of the bed. Confused, I did as silently commanded. With my legs hanging over the edge, I anxiously waited.
Viktor appeared slightly nervous—his small smile told me so. And the way his eyes would meet mine before quickly looking down, it was strange yet endearing. For someone else, I would have said they looked shy.
But for Viktor—the word shy could never be associated with him.
Even through his nervousness, there was still that commanding presence around him. He was all rugged and alpha male. Strikingly confident with every step.
He knelt at my feet, and my eyes widened when I finally noticed what he was holding. In his hands, there was a white box. Viktor slowly opened the lid, showing me what was inside.
My heart stuttered at the sight of what was inside the box. Almost, like it was a siren call and I was completely mesmerized, waiting for it to pull me into its dark, never-ending depth.
With a finger under my chin, he lifted my face up. Our eyes met, and the world stilled. My stomach clenched, and I was suddenly breathless at the look he was giving me. Heated with a mix of sweetness.
“I want you to dance for me,” he spoke. I could almost imagine his voice against my ears, like soft velvet.
His thumb brushed my cheek gently. His caress was intimate, reserved for me—our moment. “Will you dance for me, sweet Valerie?”
My throat closed with unspoken emotions. The lump grew, and I gasped for my next breath. My hands shook, my blood pumping and roaring through my veins furiously at his words.
Taking the ballet flats from the box, he placed them on my lap. “They are new. I had them made for you.”
Finally, I tore my gaze away from his and looked down at my lap. The most beautiful pair of ballet flats sat in front of me. They were a soft pink, made with silk. Golden vine designs laid on top with pearls scattered all over the surface. The long ribbons were pink and almost see through.
My fingers caressed the ballet flats, and tears blurred my vision. I looked up into Viktor’s face, and he was regarding me with understanding eyes—my own guardian angel in this crimson hell fire.
“New ones. For a new beginning,” he said.
For a new beginning.
What was once lost had been returned to me.
Another broken piece of my soul glued to the cracked puzzle. Slowly, Viktor was putting all the scattered pieces together. Until it was revived into its old mold—not perfectly, but enough to truly live.
But…
“I can’t,” I whispered back.
Viktor stared at me, unblinking and clearly not surprised by my words. “Yes, you can.”
I shook my head. I wanted to—almost desperately, but I couldn’t. “I haven’t danced for eight years. It’s been so long, Viktor.”
His hands gripped mine tightly. His eyes turned hard, those black orbs turning darker as he spoke. Viktor looked beautifully vicious. “It doesn’t matter. You still have it in you. I want to see you in your element. I want to see you let go and be free.”
“I can’t…” I broke off, touching my ears. “I can’t…I can’t hear. How will I dance if I can’t hear the music?”
Something else was stolen from me. Another preciousness that many took for granted.
Viktor stood up, and his lips stretched with a knowing smile. He took his phone out of his pocket and quickly tapped something and then placed it on the bed beside me.
My heart did a pitter patter dance because I just knew. “What song is that?”
“Ave Maria,” he replied, our gazes never leaving each other. “I remember. You told me you loved dancing to this song. It is your favorite.”
Something so small, yet he remembered it. A choked sob escaped past my lips, and the tears streamed down my cheeks. “Please…don’t make me do this. I can’t…”
Viktor cupped my cheeks and swiped the tears away, like he has done so many times. His words made my chest clench tightly. “You don’t have to hear the song. You know it by heart.”
His hand came up to my chest, and he laid his palm right over my beating heart—that was racing for him. “So you just have to feel it from here. Feel the music and dance.”
He didn’t wait for my reply. Taking the ballet flats, he bent down and made me wear them. He tied the long ribbons around my ankle and up my calves.
The ballet flats looked even more beautiful on my feet—made just for me. A perfect fit. A perfect match. A perfect beginning.
Viktor pulled up and walked us in the middle of the room. We stood there, silently, just holding each other.
“Dance for me, my sweet Valerie.”
With those words, he left my embrace and went back to the bed. Settling on the edge, he placed his elbows over his knees and his chin over his interlocked fingers. He watched me, his fevered eyes solely on me.
His lips moved, and I watched him speak. “Let me see you. Show me your beautiful soul.”
My heart was beating in my throat when I saw him take his phone in his hand. “I restarted the song, Valerie,” he said, as if that was my cue.
My eyes closed, and I breathed in a deep breath. The muscles corded with tension slowly relaxed. My body felt like it was floating, the air light around me.
In my head, I remembered the song. The tune and the beat. Every step I took flashed behind my closed lids, like it was just yesterday. Extending a leg in front of me and with my arms in position, as I remembered, I twirled.
My body moved effortlessly as I danced for him. I danced to the rhythm of my own heartbeat—I danced to awaken my dormant soul that was now singing loudly for him.
I opened my eyes, and our gazes met. The world stilled even while I was twirling and dancing for him. His gaze never moved from me.
Like Viktor said, I didn’t need the music to dance. I didn’t need to hear it—I just had to feel it. And I felt it—the music, the steps…the dance.
With each beat of my heart, I felt Viktor.
I wasn’t a siren to lure him or a seductress to tempt him. I was just a broken woman who was dancing for the broken man she felt deep inside her veins.
Viktor stood up and walked to me. His arms captured my hips, and he brought me close into his body. His embrace was warm and firm—everything I wanted and needed.
His darkened eyes were fevered for me, and when his lips descended to mine, so softly and sweetly, he kissed me. Viktor wasn’t just kissing me, he was tasting my soul. Stealing it and locking it away, for it belonged to him now.
Driving his tongue past my lips, he forced me to take his kiss. I took it willingly and gave him more in return. His hands gripped my hips, keeping me anchored against his. I felt his hard bulge pushing into my lower stomach, and he captured my moan into the kiss.
We pulled away when we were breathless. His hungry eyes caused my thighs to clench in anticipation. My heart was racing, adrenaline rushing through me without any consideration.
My chest grew tight at his words. “I know you think this is what you are meant to do, to protect your family. But trust me. Let me be your strength, Valerie. Let me carry your burden, your sadness, your pain—your anger. Give them to me, baby.”
Unshed tears blinded my vision, and I blinked them away with quiet sniffles. “Viktor…”
He cupped my cheeks before continuing. “I know you’re strong. I know you can survive in this fucked-up world. But I don’t want you to just survive. I want you to live.”
I want to live too, I cried silently.
I couldn’t speak, but Viktor continued. His wo
rds enough for both of us. “I will make sure that you are standing on that stage, dancing your heart like you always wanted. What was once stolen from you, I will give it to you. They will clap for you. The audience will cheer for you. I will make your dreams come true, Valerie.”
“I won’t hear them…” I finally managed to say, my heart breaking further. Viktor painted such a beautiful canvas for me to see, yet…God, it couldn’t be this easy.
“You don’t have to hear them,” he replied. His hand touched my chest again, over my heart. “You will feel it, right here. Your heart will beat to the rhythm of their cheers.”
The image of me dancing flashed in front of my eyes. Under the lights, on the stage, the dark audience—me lost to the flow of my steps.
A beautiful moment that I missed with my every breath. Something lost in the shadows yet this man promised to return it to me.
“Let me steal you away from here, Valerie.” There he was, mending my broken heart. “Let me give you what you deserve,” he said before claiming my lips again.
When we pulled apart this time, I didn’t want to let go. Ever. So, in his palms, I gave him what I had locked deep inside of me. I gave him my heart.
The softest whisper, “Steal me away, Viktor.”
Chapter 36
Viktor
“Steal me away, Viktor.”
That was all I needed. Her words. Her permission. In this moment, she truly gave herself to me. Body, mind, heart, and soul. I was a greedy son of a bitch, taking everything she was giving and still wanting more.
A few more days, Valerie—and then we would be far, far away from here. Back to where we belonged. Together. With my family.
Gripping her waist, I lifted her off the ground and carried her to bed. She moved back and fell on the pillows. Her blonde hair was spread over our pillows, and she opened her arms for me, inviting me into her embrace.
The shadow and pain in her eyes were now lightened, and Valerie smiled up at me. “You are beautiful like this. When you’re smiling. I hate when you’re hurt, Valerie. It makes me want to rage and kill anyone who has a hand in causing you pain,” I muttered, covering her body with my own.