The Promise (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 2) by Bethany-Kris (fiction book recommendations .txt) 📕

the tense line of muscle working hard in her neck as her stare stayed locked with his. And just like that, water started to well in her eyes until the tears fell when she finally blinked. Roman took the opportunity to pull the knife out of her hand, and she didn’t resist. He tossed it across the counter out of reach. Then, he tugged her in his direction with a gentle pull of her hands in his.

She came easily, falling into his chest and hiding in his arms.

Andrey grunted under his breath, giving Roman a nod when he met the bull’s gaze. A silent thank you, but he didn’t linger near the counter for long before scooting further down.

“Katina—Karine ... who are these—”

He decided to ignore his father because Katina prattled on against his chest, muttering words he wanted to hear.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fuck up, Roman. I didn’t.”

Slipping his hands under her chin, he tipped her head back to make her look at him. “Hey, hey—chill, huh? Nobody fucked up, all right? It was just a—”

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

The tears came harder, clouding those big blue eyes while her voice cracked, too. Every word coming out at a different cadence. Each blink she made, he realized the cloudiness wasn’t her tears, but confusion.

Karine.

Katina.

Back and forth.

Softly, a whimpering Karine told him, “I really didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“Yes, you did,” Roman interrupted her. “You did, and you don’t have to explain why.”

His hand curved around her jaw while his thumb caressed her cheek. Her face turned into his palm, and touch.

“I’m just—sorry,” she whispered.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s okay. Masha is going to help you with those cuts on your feet right now. She knows where the first aid kit is.”

He glanced over at Masha who nodded.

Karine still had her hands on him, bunching his shirt in her tiny fists. “What about you?”

The weakness that welled without warning inside his chest was a punch to his heart that he couldn’t afford. He didn’t want her to feel alone or vulnerable.

“I’ll be right there ... I just need a minute, yeah?”

Masha came close enough to begin prying Karine away. Eventually, she gave in and allowed herself to be led to the hallway. She looked over her shoulder at Roman repeatedly, and he nodded. Just to reassure her. Until she couldn’t see him anymore.

Once Karine was gone, he could finally focus on the other problem—his father. If only that proverbial small-fist shaped hole in his chest wasn’t bleeding with every beat of his black heart.

Andrey had already left the room by the time Roman turned back on his father. Presumably to go take care of his wounded neck, and he sincerely hoped the man took the hint and stayed gone.

Demyan stared hard at his son, his expression stony when he said, “There’s a lot of shit you’re not telling me. And I want to know all of it.”

“You shouldn’t feel too bad about not knowing,” Roman replied, shrugging, “because I’ve only just started to figure it out myself.”

And fuck it.

His father could wait.

Roman had something more important to handle first—someone, rather. He headed for the hallway and said nothing more as he followed the bloody footprints on the marble floor that led all the way to his bedroom.

FOUR

The most disconcerting thing for Karine was when she didn’t know where she was—fully awake, feeling aware, but unknowing all the same. She couldn’t say how long it might last, but sometimes it happened more often than it didn’t. A few moments ago, she’d found herself in Roman’s arms, but it had been hard to focus on what he was trying to say. Were there other people there—other men? She kept going in and out of the scene, sometimes looking down from above, almost blacking out from the dizziness making nausea swell inside her.

Even though it was hard, she listened to what the only recognizable face in the sea of confusion kept saying. Over the rushing in her ears, and the vomit threatening to spill, she heard his words.

Roman, that was.

It’ll be okay.

He promised to be close by—to not leave her alone. So, where was he?

It’s going to be alright.

The thing was—Karine still couldn’t make sense of it all. She didn’t know what he meant. What was she apologizing for? Why did he keep insisting it would be fine?

Was it?

Was it really fine?

It didn’t seem like it, and the sudden, heavy cloak of fear that hugged every inch of her trembling frame in a cold grip only made it worse. The screaming in her mind, every racing beat of her heart, the piercing ring in her ears ... all of it.

She just wanted to run.

Drift away.

Hide.

The disturbing words that came out of her mouth weren’t her own. The whispers cutting through her thoughts sounded foreign, and wrong. Every blink brought with it strange images that she couldn’t place and only left her more afraid.

It was the loss of control that terrified her the most.

Karine couldn’t ignore the blackening in the corner of her vision no matter how hard she tried. The more she willed it away, the worse it became. She blinked rapidly until it started to clear just a little bit, but even that didn’t stop the hissed stop it, stop it coming out of her mouth. Waving her hands in front of her face, she couldn’t see them. Couldn’t tell which way was up or down.

That darkness—it threatened to close in on her again if she couldn’t pull herself from the depths of her own mind.

She knew she was in a room but didn’t know which it was or how she had gotten there. Some things looked familiar, the only sense of safety she could pull from her current situation, but most of all—it smelled familiar. Like somebody she knew.

Someone who made her feel safe.

Roman?

Karine wanted to call out his name—call for him—but her voice didn’t want to work. She couldn’t speak, only keening cries falling from