Page 77 of Arseni

“He brought you here because I allowed him to bring you here.”Nikita’s tone makes it sound like it should be obvious.“Whatever job he told you to do, he was supposed to do himself.I had no idea you existed until he brought you up… You were never here to be my whore.You were here so he could get his revenge for…” Nikita twirls a hand.“Whatever.”

“That is alie,” I scoff.“An obvious one.If you had no interest in me, you wouldn’t have strung me up for your party, you sick fuck.”

“You think that was my doing?”Nikita purses puzzled lips.“Margot, with all due respect… I haven’t touched you.I certainly get no satisfaction fromotherstouching you.”

“Bullshit,” I spew, but my breath stutters.

I sort through my memory bank, looking for Nikita’s leer.For the lip ring guy’s words, telling me it was Nikita who wanted me to whore myself out.

The memories aren’t there.It was just Arseni who said that.

Nikita is right, he’s never touched me.Other than that first encounter, he’s never spoken to me.He’s acted uninterested in my presence here.

It was Arseni who wanted me here?

The answer feels too plain to see.Because of course he wanted me here.Hedidwant revenge.

Why wouldn’t he just go to Henry directly?It never made sense that he wanted me to do it.Except, of course, because he wanted to torture me.But what would Nikita have gotten out of that?

What would Nikita have gotten out of any of this?

“Listen, Margot… I suppose all of this is irrelevant anyway.My point in coming here is to let you know you’re free to go.I’m not allowing Arseni to keep you here anymore, and I feel badly enough about my part the other night that I don’t plan on allowing him to kill you.I am truly sorry.No person should ever be put through what I’ve condoned Arseni to do.”

My first instinct is to argue with him.To say once again that he’s lying.

But none of it makes sense anymore.

“You’re letting me go?”I ask, my voice weak.

“Yes.”Nikita nods.“Of course.I wanted to let you go the other night, but Arseni begged me not to.He said you were … falling for him.”Nikita cringes like he’s embarrassed to even say it.“Every time I insist that he free you, he tells me he needs more time, but… I don’t think he intends to let you live.”

Arseni?

Arseni would kill me?

No.

No, of course not.

That isridiculous.

I roll my eyes, though it does occur to me how foolish I’m being.I should just get up and leave.The man Arseni is supposed to be convincing to let me go is literally sitting here telling me I can.And still, I remain seated.

Because I’m not sure I want to leave.Not without Arseni.

How pathetic is that?How pathetic am I to be so afraid of the world, I’d stay in a crazy man’s home when he’s showing me the exit?

“You’re lying,” I say, because no matter how much sense it might make, I can’t believe it.

Arseni brought me here for himself.

He let others use me for his own pleasure.

He wanted me close to him.He even asked Nikita to be cruel just so I’d crawl into Arseni’s arms, which is exactly what I ended up doing.And when he killed that man the other night, I sought his arms then too.

It makes sense.

But I can’t believe it.I won’t.