Daveia

“You said she looked like a twinkie, or a child of the corn going to prom."

"They all look like twinkies to me Smackie. Fake sweet, squiggy, unsurprising packaging.”
― Mona Awad, Bunny

“You are the boss’s wife. I’ll call you by your official title.”
I roll my eyes. “You call him Kirill when you are mad at him.”
“I’ll call you by your name when I’m mad at you.”
Geez. He’s an unbending asshole. And yet, I’ve always felt that Kirill is safe as long as Viktor is there. And while I hate it that he could probably protect him better than I could, I’m glad Viktor wouldn’t let anything happen to him. “Where is he?” I search around him as if a six-three muscled man is some sort of a needle in a haystack that can’t be spotted right away.
“He’s checking something.”
“What’s the something?”
He raises a brow, “I’m under no obligation to report his actions to you.”
“You are really an asshole, did you know that? It wouldn’t hurt anyone if you just answered the question.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I cross my arms and stand taller, which is a bit pointless since Viktor is way bigger in height and in build. “You have a problem with me?”
“My…” he says, in a robotic, dead pan tone, “What makes you think that? The fact that you’ve been spying on him? Or how you nearly got him killed in Russia? Or maybe, just maybe, the fact that you are doing it all over again now?”
I briefly close my eyes. “The Russia incident wasn’t intentional and if I wanted him dead, I would have killed him when I came back.”
“So you just shot him in the arm?”
My lips part. “Did he tell you that?”
“No. He said that one of his soldiers got him. But I suspected that wasn’t the case. He wouldn’t let himself be shot that easily unless it was either someone he was close to or he allowed it. Now, I’ve confirmed that it was you.”
“I thought that…”
“What? He’d married someone else? Tried to kill you and your family? You were so sure without even attempting to talk to him about it.”
I purse my lips, then click my tongue. “I wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind.”
“And you think he was? He had just found out you were alive after burying you with his own hands. You believe he was prepared to see you back?”
My gulp gets stuck at the back of my throat and I stare at him for a few beats, not knowing what to say. On one hand, I can’t fault what he pointed out, but on the other, he didn’t experience the emotions I did after I had to go back to Russia. The feelings of betrayal, rage and utter despair, hell, even longing was there. I missed Kirill so much and I hated myself for it every day. Viktor steps forward.
“I’m warning you. If you attempt to hurt him again, I won’t give a fuck that he forgives you. I will kill you and permanently remove you from his life, Alexandra.”
I lift my chin. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Don’t make me. I witnessed how he turned into a ghost of his former self after your alleged death, but I’d rather have that instead of burying him myself.”
“I don’t want him hurt or dead, Viktor.”
“Your track record doesn’t work in your favor. I’m going to need something more convincing then mere words.”
“I’ll prove it to you.”
― Rina Kent, Heart of My Monster

“... It must belong to the one she mourns. Such are the secrets the sea holds. What I would not give to explore them again. If I could go back in time I would collect all of it. The sneaker sole, the shoelace, the buttons and the twin key. I would give it all to her. I am sorry for her loss. Returning this key is the least I can do.”
― Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

“Don’t fucking test me, Charley. You know you’re mine.”
“No, actually,” I whispered, cupping his jaw, and rubbing my thumb over the scruff on his cheek. “I don’t know. Because we never talked about what comes next.”
“You,” he breathed, pressing forward until I was flat against the mattress. “You’re what comes next.”
― E.L. Koslo, Accidental Abduction