The Pretty Psycho (St. Vasili’s Academy #2)

6. Vega

6

VEGA

There were not many things that terrified me.

House spiders.

Cockroaches.

And men in black suits as I laid in my hospital bed, completely defenseless, only able to stare at them.

Arseniy sat on the chair Yolanda occupied just before she jumped into my bed, while his friend, associate, whatever the fuck he was, stood at the bottom of the bed, staring at me with an almost bored look on his face. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous simply looked at Yolanda before I nodded at her after she looked at me with a panicky look in her eyes, and she ran out of here faster than I could say sex.

But that was almost ten minutes ago now, and none of us had said a single word since she closed the door behind her, leaving me in here with these two possible monsters.

"We are sorry this happened to you, Vega," the tall one spoke first, making me sit up straighter. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." What wasn't? My death?

Was it beneath them killing me when I was already down? Did they get some sick pleasure in getting their targets when they were alive and well?

"My name is Dimitri," he spoke again, smiling as if that perfect little smile could erase the fact that my heart threatened to burst outside of my chest. "I assume you already know who Arseniy is?"

"I do," I answered, the tone of my voice steady, strong for the first time since I woke up. Yet I still didn't want to look at the man sitting on my left.

The man that was my brother. Well, half-brother.

The man that was most probably here to kill me, because I had no doubt in my mind that he wasn't here to check up on me.

Arseniy still kept quiet, but I could feel his eyes on my face. I could almost feel the turmoil of his thoughts as he observed me, all the while keeping his mouth shut and letting his friend talk.

Dimitri walked toward the corner of the room, picking the lone chair up and bringing it right next to Arseniy, and I had no choice but to look at him. Really, really look at him.

I expected anger or depravity in those eyes, but all I saw were eyes filled with a sorrow so deep that the breath I was taking shuddered through me, because I knew that look. I saw it every single day in the mirror and every single time I told myself that it wasn't me I felt all this sadness for, but other people I've lost.

And while he stared at me, drinking me in, the corner of his lips lifted up, transforming his face from that of a killer into one of someone that cared for me.

"We are sorry for barging in like this," Dimitri started again. "Adrian told us what happened, and before I say anything else I want you to know that we are not here to hurt you." I scoffed and rolled my eyes, expecting an angry retort from one of them, but it never came.

Arseniy looked at Dimitri, silently laughing at me, while his friend shook his head, obviously amused by my little act.

"I guess I could understand why you might not believe us, but I can promise you, we mean you no harm."

"Yeah, I've heard those exact words several times before," I said, holding his gaze. "And more often than not, they mean absolutely nothing, because every single time the owner of those same words tends to be the very person that tries to hurt me. So, are you a liar, Dimitri, or do you simply think that I would believe in your fairy tale just because you threw out the words I wanted to hear?"

"Oh, she's good," Dimitri chuckled. "Your reputation precedes you, Vega, but I have nothing else to offer but my words. I understand that the promises we carry with us might not be enough, but if you give us a chance, we can prove that we mean what we say. We truly mean you no harm."

"And why would I do that?" I asked angrily, too tired to even try and play nice with these people. "This one," I pointed at Arseniy, "is my half-brother." He scowled at that, and I had no idea if he was scowling because I used half and brother in that sentence or because I even dared to address him. "I know what happens to people like me. I know I'm not even supposed to exist, but I can promise you that I have no desire to take over the Morozov Empire. Up until a couple of days ago I had no idea he even existed. Hell, I had no idea that he sent his lapdog Adrian to fetch me, and I bet it wasn't because he wanted to attend afternoon tea with me."

Arseniy dragged his hand over his face, and it was only then that I noticed how tired he truly looked. I refused to acknowledge the fact that I looked just like him. His emerald eyes were the only difference in our physical appearance, and while he might have looked rugged, slightly older than me, everything else was the same. The same high cheekbones, the same hair color, eyebrows, even the shape of our eyes.

It was like looking at my identical twin, and I knew that if anyone else saw us together, they would know almost immediately what we were to each other.

"I don't want your empire, Arseniy," I said slowly, almost whispering as I pressed my fingers to my stomach. "I just want to be left alone. I want to forget that any of this has ever happened, and I want to go somewhere far from here, where no one could find me. I understand why you might fear what I represent, but I want nothing from that empire our father created. Please believe me that I didn't know who my father was up until a few days ago. I have no idea how my mom ended up with him, but if you're going to kill me, I at least want you to know the truth."

"Kill you!" Arseniy whispered loudly, his voice hoarse, followed by a coughing fit that had him jumping up from his chair, confusing me further. Dimitri stood after him, speaking in hushed tones too low for me to hear, but the way Arseniy spoke…

Holy shit.

Dimitri turned toward me, his eyebrows pinched together, and slowly sat back down just as Arseniy's coughing calmed down.

"He doesn't want to kill you," Dimitri started as Arseniy's hand landed on his shoulder, and the man himself sat down, looking at me expectantly. "Arseniy has spent years looking for you."

"But why?" I asked, my eyes never wavering from my half-brother. "I was never a threat to him. You already know that I used to be a part of The Schatten, but we never targeted your organization. I didn't do anything to you."

"Vega," Dimitri chuckled, "Arseniy wasn't looking for his enemy." He looked at him, earning a tiny nod from Arseniy. "He was looking for his sister. He was looking for the only member of his family he wanted to have in his life, because when he found out what his father did to your mother and learned of your existence, it was already too late. We had no idea you were part of The Schatten. We had no idea that this life you led was nothing like the life he imagined you'd have."

"W-What?"

"Arseniy… He—" Dimitri cleared his throat. "He can't really talk." But… But he just talked, didn't he? "I can see why you might think differently, but what you heard cost him more than you could imagine. Most of his vocal cords were damaged when he was just a kid." My eyes volleyed between the two of them, while Arseniy's never once wavered, as if he truly wanted me to see him. To see the truth in his eyes. "Oleksandr Morozov was a brutal man, and we are both extremely grateful that you didn't have to grow up in that house. I know your upbringing was far from perfect, but it was better than living with the man who was supposed to care for you, only to torture you day and night, trying to mold you into this perfect little soldier that would only do his bidding."

"Fuck," I whispered.

"Arseniy was just a child when he angered his father at the dinner table, because he asked where his mother was. You see, Mariya Morozova was barely seventeen-years old when Oleksandr came to her village in Russia and set his eyes on her. Her family had no problems selling her to the great Oleksandr Morozov, which in turn crushed the spirit of the girl that once dreamed of seeing the world. So you see, Arseniy never really had her. Oleksandr sent her away once he was done with her, and for a child who only wanted his mom, it was difficult to understand why she wasn't there."

I could already see where this was going, but instead of interrupting him, I let him speak, soaking in every single word, my heart slowly breaking for the child Arseniy was.

"He took him outside," Dimitri murmured, obviously hating this story. "And put him down on his knees right in front of their house. I still remember the sound of his screams, Vega. I lived in that house with my mother, Vera, who was one of the housekeepers, but Arseniy's pleas fell on deaf ears. Every single person in that house was absolutely terrified of Oleksandr, and as he took out his knife, slicing it over Arseniy's throat, not a single person tried to stop him. And I," Dimitri shuddered, a haunted look passing over his face. "I couldn’t fucking help him."

My… He…

"No." I shook my head, looking at the man sitting next to Dimitri.

His eyes filled with hatred, mixed with a sorrow the memories of this story brought out in him, and I just wanted it to stop. I didn't need to know more. I didn't need to hear more.

"Stop it. I don't… I don't want to know."

"But you do," Dimitri pushed, and before long, he continued telling me how he almost died.

How the gardener dared to take little Arseniy to the hospital.

How he choked on his own blood.

How the doctors barely saved his life.

How he never managed to speak properly again, because that knife damaged his vocal cords so badly that he could only whisper, and even that came with a great amount of pain.

I had no idea how or why, but I saw myself inching closer to him, trying to erase the sorrow etched in every single line of his handsome face.

He had been all alone, terrified, living with that monster, and if Oleksandr Morozov wasn't dead already, I would've killed him myself.

"I'm sorry for having to share this with you so soon after your own accident," Dimitri said, but I understood why I needed to know. "I hate talking about it, but he thought it would be important for you to know, so you'd understand why he spent so much time looking for you."

"I get it."

"He killed him," Dimitri said proudly, placing his hand on top of Arseniy's left shoulder. "And I sleep easier knowing that the monster who hurt so many people would never again be able to hurt anyone else."

I understood that too, and I was only sad that I couldn't erase just a little bit of the pain Arseniy had to live with. But the most important thing was that Oleksandr wasn't here anymore.

That miserable man could rot in hell for all I cared, but I still didn't understand what Arseniy wanted from me.

"Look." I took a deep breath, looking straight at Arseniy. "I understand, I really do, and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. I just… I just don't understand what it is you want from me. If you're not here to kill me, why would you spend so much time looking for me? There's nothing I can offer you, Arseniy. I live in the shadows and every single moment of my life is filled with tragedy, so," I shrugged, "I just don't understand."

"Isn't it obvious?" Dimitri asked as Arseniy got up and sat on the bed right next to me, taking a hold of my hand and clutching it in his. "Walking through the darkness isn't an easy thing to do, don't you agree?" Dimitri walked to the other side of my bed. "But living in silence," he looked at his friend, "that takes a different toll on your soul. Look, I am his voice when he can't speak, and I've spent enough years by his side to know what he would want to say even without him typing it to me. But this conversation… You guys have to have it between yourselves."

Dimitri moved toward the door slowly as I sat there, stupefied, looking at my hand in Arseniy’s. The only indicator that Dimitri had left the room was Arseniy looking toward the door and then back at me, killing me with those looks filled with a longing so profound I could feel it in my own soul.

"I want a family," he whispered, slowly, almost carefully, each word gripping my soul in its tight fist, because I knew what it felt like being completely alone. "I want to know my sister, Vega. I-I—" He started coughing.

"No, don't talk," I intercepted before he could even open his mouth again. "I get it. I understand. Just don't," I stammered. "Don't hurt yourself for me."

A smile slowly spread over his lips, practically blinding me, because for the first time since he entered, I could see something else other than that fear, sorrow, and anger in his eyes. He pulled out his phone, typing something, before turning it to me.

I started reading out loud, smiling at the words in front of me. "You don't want me to run?" I asked, earning a slow shake of his head. "Okay, but you should probably know that I'm probably the most wanted person at the Academy." He swiveled toward his phone, turning it back to me just a few seconds later, making me frown momentarily. "We have to go back to the Academy? Why?" His eyes darkened, that same displeased look taking over his face I could so often see on my own, and as he showed the latest message, his mouth opened, making my heart beat so much faster.

"There's a war coming," he whispered. "And we're in the middle of it."

"The Schatten?" I asked.

"Adrian's father," he answered, "and The Schatten."

Fuck. "That isn't good."

"No," a new voice came from the direction of the door, making me pivot in my seat.

A voice I knew too well, belonging to the man whose mere presence had me both wanting to stay and run as far away as possible.

"That isn't good at all, Bambi." Fuck. Him.

Fuck him and that stupid nickname.

Arseniy stiffened next to me, probably sensing my discomfort, but I had to remember that he and Adrian were friends far longer than he even knew I existed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice dripping with venom specially reserved for him. "I don't want to see you here."

"That's not how you acted this morning."

"I wasn't myself this morning."

Arseniy stood up, slowly walking toward Adrian and shaking his head. "Don't look at me like that, brother," Adrian said, his eyes firmly plastered to mine. "I am not leaving this room until we talk, Vega."

He wasn't? Then it was a good thing that I didn't have to stay here. If he wanted to stand there for all eternity and look as stupidly handsome as he did now, even with those dark fucking circles around his eyes, then so be it, but I wasn't staying here for another second.

My hand wrapped around the IV drip connected to me, pulling it out within seconds, letting the droplets of blood drip down. "What the fuck, Vega!" Adrian yelled out, rushing toward me, which only made me quicken my movements.

I pulled myself up, hating the dizzy spell coming over me as soon as my legs touched the floor, but I could do this. I could fucking do this.

"Vega," he mumbled, standing right next to me. "Please. Just… Just let me explain. Let me tell you everything."

I looked up at him. At those dark, dark eyes I thought I loved, at that disheveled hair and the tired look on his face, and as much as it hurt me seeing him like this, his betrayal hurt even more.

"No." I pushed past him, heading toward Arseniy who simply stood at the bottom of the bed, looking at me with worried eyes. "You had your chance and you fucking blew it."

"Bambi—"

"Stop fucking calling me that!" I bellowed, turning toward him as heavy breaths escaped through my lips. "I don't want to see you, Adrian. I don't even want to hear your fucking voice! You." I pointed at him. "You could've had every single part of my dark, fucked-up heart, and you lost it. You lost it." I hated the emotion in my voice. I hated that I still cared too much. I hated how much I wanted to feel his arms around me, even now, when I wanted to hate him more than need him. "My heart is a graveyard of shattered dreams, and you became just another grave."

He flinched, as if I'd physically attacked him, making me hate myself just a little bit more. His eyes filled with an emotion I knew too well, but before I could say anything else, he masked it behind a veil of indifference, slowly coming to me, like a panther coming for its prey.

"There isn't a world in which my heart doesn't belong to you, Bambi, and if I have to spend the rest of my life proving it to you, then so be it. But I hope you're ready, baby, because I am not giving up on you. I am not giving up on us." My lips parted, drawing his eyes to them. His hand lifted up, starting to reach for my face, making me close my eyes because I wanted it.

God, I wanted it. I wanted him in every shape and form. I wanted the shards of this so-called love and I had no idea if I was strong enough to carve him out of my heart.

But that touch never came.

My eyes flew open, seeing the darkness staring back at me and that arrogant smirk on those pretty lips. "You don't get to give me those little glimpses of you only to take it away. You don't get to hide yourself from me. I won't allow it."

"You won't?—"

"Shhh." He pressed a finger to my lips, shutting me down immediately. "I'm gonna leave now, but don't think that you're free." His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me to him until his lips pressed against my ear. Hot breath washed over my neck, eliciting shivers all over my body. "You bewitched me, my Bambi, and I can't even be mad about it because I would die a thousand times if I could feel your lips on mine just one more time. And I know you feel the same," he murmured as his teeth bit at my earlobe, making me clamp my lips just so I could pretend one more time that his touch didn't start a fire deep in my belly. "I'll just have to be patient and wait for you to come back to me." He took a step back, leaving me wrapped in coldness the moment his touch abandoned my body. "I'll wait for you to come back home."

He never gave me a second to reply, to refuse, to argue with him, before leaving the room as if he didn't just shatter the walls I'd started re-erecting around my heart.

I looked at Arseniy who had a shit-eating grin on his face, shaking his head as if he expected this and more.

"What kind of a brother are you?" I huffed, suddenly too dizzy to keep on standing and pretending I could already walk around as if I hadn’t gone through literal hell. "You should've kicked him out," I grumbled, walking back toward my bed.

Arseniy moved to my right, helping me climb on, and as I settled down, he pulled his phone out, letting me read what he wrote.

"Only the Devil could kick that man out, and trust me—I am no Devil."