Caius POV:

1 hour previously before dinner.....

I walked down the hallway heading towards Ivan’s study . I hadn't wanted to leave Bria but, I knew the ways of Ivan and I didn't intend for him to see Bria before I told him about her or more precisely warned him to stay away from her.  I got to the door and unlocked it , entering into the vast room and locking the door behind me .

Ivan Romanov was seated behind his desk , his phone pressed to his ear as he spoke in rapid Russian ordering the execution of someone. Seeing me entered he ended the call and smiled but, it lacked both warmth or the faintest traced of joy.

" Caius", he folded his arms across his chest as he looked me over .

I stood before him , my  posture relaxed, hands in my pockets as if this were merely another casual conversation.

My  gaze was  icy, devoid of emotion as they bore into Ivan's. Yet beneath that calm exterior lay a storm, barely restrained.

Ivan's voice was even, deceptively calm. "You stabbed your sister", oh so he wanted to get straight to the point? Good because I did too.

My lips curled into a slow, mocking smile. "I did".

Ivan's eyes darkened,

"Had she not begged me for your life, I would’ve ordered your execution", he leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled before him.

"Your insolence is becoming intolerable, Caius"

My smile remained, chilling and devoid of humor. "You should have done it then".

I took a step closer, My presence suffocating, the air in the room thickening. "Because I fully intended to kill her had she succeeded in her little plan".

Ivan’s brow lifted, curiosity flickering behind his cold gaze. "Is that so?"

"Yes". My voice was low, devoid of hesitation. " Your little bitch of a daughter insulted the only person who earned my respect and any ounce of care that I had left and who gave birth to me . I fully intended to cut her head of and had it delivered to you wrapped up quite nicely.  No one disrespects my mother ".

My eyes hardened, glinting with malice. "I would have watched the light left her eyes without a shred of remorse".

For a moment, silence hung heavy between us , broken only by the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. Ivan’s lips twitched in amusement. "Your ruthlessness is impressive. Almost admirable".

I said nothing, My gaze never wavering.

Ivan waved a dismissive hand, as though Darya’s near-death was of little consequence. "Enough of that. I did not call you here to discuss Darya’s failure". His fingers drummed against the armrest, his eyes narrowing.

"Tell me about the girl you just arrived with ".

My jaw tightened, my expression hardening.

"Bria, her name is Bria Tomlinson ".

"Yes, Bria", Ivan leaned forward, intrigue flashing across his face.

"I can tell she has had quite the impact on you . You have become a little distracted  and distant from the Romanov family affairs.  How did you find her?"

My stance grew rigid, tension rolling off me in waves. "Why the fuck does it matter?"

Ivan’s smile was slow, condescending. "I’m merely curious" His eyes gleamed with interest. "Once you’ve had your fill of her, I would like to have her".

He leaned back, his fingers lazily swirling the glass of whiskey he held. "I’m curious to see what has my son so captivated"

The room grew impossibly colder.

My expression didn’t change, but my eyes turned lethal, an icy fire burning behind them. I moved slowly, deliberately, until I stood directly in front of his desk, my presence dominating, suffocating.

my voice was low, soft, but the threat in my words was unmistakable.

"Touch her, and I will slice you open and gut you like the fucking animal you are".

Ivan’s grip on his glass faltered, his eyes widening ever so slightly before his usual mask of indifference slipped back into place. He laughed, a hollow, humorless sound.

"You dare threaten your own father over a woman?"

My eyes were pools of darkness, merciless and unforgiving.

"She’s mine". My voice was a growl, primal and possessive.

"And if you so much as breathe in her direction, I will gladly sell my soul to the devil himself in a bargin that I get to take yours".

For a heartbeat, he looked at me and I could see the fear behind the icy blue in his eyes and in the way his hand shook slightly as he lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip  and I didn’t wait for a response instead,  I turned and walked out of the study, my  presence leaving a void that felt colder than the Siberian winter.

Presently.....

" you know am not the kind of person to trouble anybody ", Bria said as she entered into our room after dinner and I entered behind her , locking the door softly behind me .  I knew she was still upset about what had happened at dinner and I would have gladly slit Anya’s throat right now to please her but, she was looking so fucking good in the dress she was wearing that I couldn't think straight.

" Bria..." , I said her name and she turned around to look at me and smiled as if she could already hear the sinful thoughts of all that I desperately needed  to do to her running through my mind.

I walked over to her and she stood waiting before the fireplace,  the light from the flames making her skin glowed warmly in the semi darkness of the room.  I thought about switching the lights on for a moment,  then decided not to because she looked beautiful , almost eatheral in this lighting.

Turning her back to me , she waited for me to unzip the dress and I obeyed , pulling down the zip to see and feel the smoothness of her skin underneath the palm of my hand.

" mi want yuh fi fuck mi here suh", she said and I looked down at the rug spread out on the floor infront of the fireplace and the image of her on top of me, as her hips moved and the lightning from the flames danced over her body almost drove me insane .

" yes", I said and she kissed me . Later on afterwards as we lay on the rug , the thick comforter off the bed spread over us  and her on top of me , she asked softly.

" Caius what exactly yuh family do fi be able fi afford this kind a lifestyle ? " and I ran my hands through her hair trying to decide whether or not I should just give her the plane hard truth.

" a to much fi really explained but, eh short version a it is the Romanovs are who half of Russia is afraid of because of the power they hold . Anything illegal and brutal that you can think of they are not only involved but, are also leaders of it". She lifted her head from my chest and detached her body from mine , choosing instead to lay beside me, her head resting on my arm and I instantly missed our initial more intimate contact.

" suh like how bad wi a talk Caius? Listen mi know yuh kill people and wid eh way how yuh act and eh things dem weh yuh capable of doing mi affi ask, how bad ?"

" The Romanovs are responsible for the export and manufacturing of some of the deadliest weapons in Russia as well as part taking in organ transport with the black market . They also owned multimillion dollar businesses and have investments in stocks that would secure a whole three generations for years to come", I said deciding I had already said too much and she was silent for a moment,  possibly taking in everything that I had said .

" wah happened to you? "

I frowned not understanding her question.

" weh yuh mean?"

" wah happened fi mek yuh be the way yuh be now?", she repeated this time explaining more clearly what she wanted to know.

"gwaan guh sleep Bria", I said and she sat up instead, looking down at me in the semi darkness of the room.

" No, mi ask yuh wah question. Caius mi cah do this if mi nuh know wah happened fi mek yuh like this . Fi mek yuh suh cold, suh dark. If mi neva put mi head pon yuh chest and feel yuh heart a beat , mi woudah neva believe seh yuh even have one . Right now mi deveen know weh wi have together because yuh nuh gi mi nuh choice and yuh put wah damn tracker somewhere inside a mi and gi mi sista yuh kidney just suh yuh cah own mi . That sick ! Sick Caius!  and mi know yuh neva born like this because if yuh cah get mi flowers and seh eh sweetest things dem then yuh have eh ability fi change,  suh wah happened to yuh?"

My chest tightened, anger simmering just beneath the surface.

"Yuh think seh flowers mean anything?"  I scoffed, my eyes hardening. "yuh think seh kindness a proof  seh mi a human ? Seh mi care?"

Her expression softened, her voice quiet. "I think it means that you’re capable of change Caius".

I laughed then, a cold, bitter laugh that echoed off the walls, void of humor. "Change?" , the word tasted foreign on my tongue. "There’s no changing what I am. Nuh form a redemption nuh exists fi eh person who mi be Bria ".

I saw the flicker of pain in her eyes, the way her lips pressed together, but she didn’t look away.

"Sunuh happened to yuh Caius ... sumuh weh mek yuh like this".

My body went rigid, fingers curling into fists. I looked away, my  gaze falling to the flames again. I could still feel it, the ice on my skin, the cold seeping into my bones, the pain... so much pain and the rustic metallic scent of blood, so much of it .

Bria’s voice was soft, pleading.

"Please... Caius mi just need fi know".

My control snapped. My eyes snapped to hers, fury blazing. "Yuh wah know?" my voice was sharp, a knife’s edge.

"Fine. I’ll tell you".

I stood  up abruptly, pacing in front of the fireplace, my movements tense, restless. "Ivan Romanov is a machine,  a cold bloodied monster ", I  spat, my words laced with venom.

"He broke me before I even knew what it was to be whole. In fact him try fi kill mi from eh moment him find out seh mi did a exists inna mi mada belly just like weh him do wid eh two them before mi weh she  did pregnant wid".

My eyes were wild, haunted.

"I was eight years old the first time he locked me in a freezer. Eight. He wanted to ‘toughen me up.’ said I was too fucking soft", I let out a bitter laugh, cold and hollow. " too bloodclaat soft".

Bria’s face paled, her lips parting in shock, but I didn’t stop. The words were spilling out now, a flood I couldn’t contain.

“He kept me in there for hours, until my body was numb, until my lips turned blue and my skin was ice",  my voice dropped, a whisper laced with pain.

"I thought I would die. I wanted to die".

I  looked at her then, my  eyes blazing with rage. "But he wouldn’t let me. He dragged me out, threw me on the floor, and laughed. Laughed as I gasped for air, as my body shook uncontrollably".

I saw the tears welling in her eyes, the horror on her face, but I couldn’t stop.

I needed her to understand. Needed her to see the darkness that lived inside me.

"That was just the beginning", I continued, my voice cold, detached.

"He had me whipped with chains. Heavy, iron chains that tore my skin open, left scars that never healed".

My hand instinctively moved to my back, my fingers brushing over the raised marks that was now long healed but, still visible . A everlasting  reminder of hell I had been through.

"I bled until I passed out. And when I woke up, he’d do it again. Knives , chains , hot iron, whatever inflicted the most pain".

Her hand flew to her mouth, her body trembling. "Caius...",

My eyes narrowed, my lips curling into a twisted smile. "Yuh think seh that a eh worst part a it? No. The worst part was when he made me kill".

Her face went pale, her body going rigid. I could see the shock, the fear.

I wanted her to be afraid. Wanted her to see me for what I truly was.

"He put a gun in my hand and made me pull the trigger , over and over again and that was when I was no older than 9.  Men, women... children" , my voice broke, my eyes distant, lost.

"The youngest was ten years old. Ten.

I had to not only killed them but, I had to slaughter them with knives , saws , all manner of tools and the blood would filled my nostrils , the stench choking me , coating my hands , arms and clothes".

Her eyes filled with tears, her hands trembling. "Oh my God...",

I let out another laugh, this one dark and empty. "God?" My eyes bore into hers, cold and empty.

"There’s no God in my world, Bria. Not when a boy is forced to become a monster. Next time you speak to him, tell him he has lost a soul ".

I took a step closer, my face inches from hers, my eyes wild, unhinged.

"You wouldn’t have survived it. You would have killed yourself".

She flinched, the words hitting her like a slap. Her eyes widened, shock and pain flashing across her face.

My lips twisted into a bitter smile.

"I tried that too", my voice was hollow, empty. "I put the fucking gun to my head, pulled the trigger. But it jammed. Even death didn’t want me".

Her body shook, tears streaming down her face. She looked at me as if seeing me for the first time, her eyes filled with heartbreak, horror... pity.

I hated that look. Hated that she felt sorry for me. I didn’t need her fucking tears or pity.

My face hardened, my jaw clenching. "Don’t  fucking look at me like that".

Her lips trembled, her voice a broken whisper. "Caius... I didn’t know... I...",

" well now yuh know", my voice was cold, final.

"Now yuh understand seh nuh fucking care nuh deh yah suh , suh wipe it out a yuh memory Bria Tomlinson ".

She reached out, her fingers brushing my arm, her touch warm, soft.

"No, mi nuh believe that . Yah nuh evil, yuh just...",

"Broken?"I  laughed, a cruel, empty sound. "You’re right. I’m broken beyond repair".

I turned away from her, my body tense, my shoulders hunched.

"You wanted the truth? There it is. This is who I am. This is who you care about".

Silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating. The fire crackled, the flames casting shadows on the walls.