Page 79 of Innocent Prey of the Bratva

The first gunshots I caught on camera. The man being murdered that night in the alley. The first time I saw Kaz’s bloodied hands. The blindfold. The screams. The basement. The camera flash. The pain.

I feel like I’m back in that moment. Trapped. Alone. Breathing too fast.

I hear my own ragged sob, but it sounds distant. I curl in on myself, fists shaking, tears slipping down my cheeks. Arina says something—I think they ask me what’s wrong—but I can’t hear them.

I can’t hear anything except the rush of fear and the scream in my own head. I sob, hard and loud and ugly. Not just because I’m scared—but because something is wrong. And Kaz isn’t here.

Arina moves quickly, kneeling in front of me now. Their voice drops to a gentle, coaxing murmur.

“Violet…hey. Just try to breathe, okay? Deep in—”

They inhale slowly, demonstrating.

“—and out.”

I nod shakily, trying to follow their rhythm, but my lungs still feel tight, like someone’s wrapped iron bands around my chest. I’m still crying, hiccupping shallow gasps as I press my fists against my sternum.

“I’ll make you some tea,” Arina says. “Something to calm your nerves.”

They rise to their feet smoothly, the picture of calm. Too calm. I nod again, grateful but not comforted. I want Kaz! The moment the door shuts behind them, I suck in a shaky breath and wipe at my face. My mind is spinning.

Barely a minute after she leaves, the door swings open. When I see Kaz, I cry harder.

“Kaz—” I sob, breath catching. “Where did you go?”

He’s across the room in two long strides, dropping to his knees beside the bed as his arms wrap tightly around me.

“I’m here,” he whispers, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other presses flat against my spine. “I’ve got you,kotyonok. I’ve got you.”

The moment I’m in his arms, something inside me shatters and softens all at once. I cling to him like he’s the last solid thing in the world, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, clutching desperately. I can feel the roughness of his knuckles, the faint tremor in his body—he’s scared too.

His hand cradles the back of my head, guiding my face into the crook of his neck. He presses soft, reverent kisses into my hair.

“Breathe, sweetheart,” he murmurs, rocking me gently. “Just breathe with me. I’ve got you. Nothing’s going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

I gasp and hiccup against him, the panic still curling in my chest, but his words wrap around me like a blanket, pulling me from the storm.

“I was so scared,” I whisper, my voice raw.

“I know. I know, baby. You’ve been through hell.” His lips graze my temple again, his voice barely a hush. “But it’s over. I swear to you, it’s over.”

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe—like the walls were closing in—”

He cups my face and pulls back just enough to look me in the eye, his own gaze shining with worry and fury at once. “Look at me,” he says gently. “Breathe with me. In…and out.”

I try. I match his rhythm. His hand finds mine and presses it to his chest, over his heart.

“Feel that?” he says. “I’m right here. Alive. Breathing. With you.”

Tears spill again, but this time they’re softer.

“I’ve got you,” he says again, over and over like a prayer. “I’m not letting you go. I don’t care if the whole world burns—I’ll keep you safe. I’ll carry you through fire if I have to. You’re mine, Violet. And I’m yours. Always.”

His fingers stroke through my hair, down my back. A grounding rhythm. The door opens again. Arina walks in quietly, holding a cup of tea. “I brought this. Chamomile and mint. It should help.”

Kaz doesn’t look at them. His eyes stay on me as he says, voice firm but calm, “Leave it on the table.”

Arina hesitates only a second before placing it down and slipping silently out of the room.