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14

HARPER

Settling onto the sofa, I wrap myself in a soft blanket, the TV screen casting a warm glow as a Christmas Hallmark movie plays, the house still and quiet around me.

This rule of being naked 24/7 just sucks.

Despite the snow outside, the temperature inside is pretty warm. The boys ensured the fireplace was lit and controlled, allowing just enough warmth to fill the air. But, still. Being naked all the time is just a pain.

I sigh.

After spending the entire night contemplating what had happened, I finally reached a point where I accepted and embraced it.

I know it’s not conventional, but I also know my brothers will never let go of me. They made it clear.

What I fear is our parents’ reaction.

At a certain moment, the boys will find out about their father’s actions, and I’m anxious about their possible reactions.

Who am I kidding? I know how they’ll react. Their only answer will be to end his life.

I’m completely engrossed in the movie, especially when the woman unexpectedly encounters her teenage lover as Sin materialises.

“Have you eaten?”

I groan. “Sin, you’re literally in front of the TV.”

“And I asked you a question,” he repeats, his arms folded firmly across his chest, revealing his impressive biceps.

Damn. Why do I want to lick every inch of his body?

I clear my throat, but from the smirk he’s giving me, he knows where my mind went.

“Yes. I had something.”

“When?”

What is it with him and his question?

“I don’t know. This morning?”

He growls before leaving the room.

Good.

As I refocus on the movie, the warm glow of the Christmas tree fills the room, creating a cosy atmosphere just before he returns with a plate in his hand.

“Eat.”

“I—”

“It’s 3 p.m., Zayka? 1 . If your last meal was for breakfast, it means your stomach has been empty for 6 hours, so eat.”

I raise my brow at him. “Is it my Master’s order or my brother’s assholeness?”

“If taking care of you makes me an asshole, so be it.”

That makes me shut my mouth.

This is not the Sinkler I know.

“Scoot over.”

My eyebrows furrow in confusion as if he has two heads instead of one, but I scoot over to give him some space to sit beside me.

“Come here,” he whispers, sliding his arm around my waist, drawing me closer until our bodies are pressed together. “Better.”

“Who are you, and what have you done to my brother?”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “I’m not that bad, Zayka.”

“Mmm, yes, you are.”

“Fair. Let’s just say I had to do what needed to be done.”

“For me to hate you?” That doesn’t make any sense.

“Nyet? 2 . For me to wait until The Claiming Hunt.” He stops for a second, creating a suspenseful pause. Just when I think he won’t elaborate, he surprises me by continuing. “You know the importance of it. Once a prey is claimed, marriage pales in comparison. If we had claimed you earlier, the statement wouldn’t have had the same level of strength as it does now.”

Bile rises within me, a sour taste filling my mouth. Was their intention to send a message to the other males in Blackthorn? Stating that their little sister was out of their twisted game?

“You’re not a game,” he answers my silent question. “You’ve never been a game, and now, everyone knows it.” He cups my cheeks with tenderness, which is odd for him. “That will be the only time where you can say I’m sweet because I feel you need to understand. You need to understand how deep our obsession with you runs. Da? 3 , you’re our sister, but we’re not related by blood. Da, people will speak, and my knife will be waiting for them.” The gentle touch of his lips on the top of my head sends a rush of butterflies through my stomach.

“W-what about Dimitri?” My voice quivers with uncertainty as thoughts of him flood my mind. I hadn’t considered his reaction, but deep down, I know he will never back down on the engagement.

To him, I am like a prized possession, waiting to be showcased as he desires.

I have no idea of the arrangement between Iakov and the Popov, but knowing him, I’m sure it’s nothing good.

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll be handled,” he reassures me.

“Are you going to kill him?”

“Do you want to know?” He raises his brow.

I shake my head. I don’t want to know the details, but I have full trust in him to do what needs to be done.

“Alright. Now, tell me why you decided to sell your body on AccessMe.”

Surprisingly, his voice remains calm and devoid of any anger.

I see no reason to lie to him because he will inevitably find out the truth.

But he’s going to be pissed. Like really pissed.

“To pay off my student loan,” I breathe.

“What do you mean? I thought you went to another university because you had received a scholarship.”

“I lied.” I don’t dare to look at him.

I can sense the smoke coming out of his nostrils.

“You better explain yourself, and now,” he commands.

I sigh. “I didn’t want to be stuck years in a place where you were the kings on campus. So, I lied to Papa. Since he refused to let me study elsewhere, lying about it became the only option. I had to leave the house, but studying at Blackthorn wasn’t an option.”

The words tumbled out of my mouth without looking at him, but he’s not having it.

He grips the collar still placed around my neck by the hook and forces me to face him.

“So, instead of coming to me or Saint, you decided to sell sex online?” Yeah, he’s not happy at all, judging by the redness of his neck.

“I…”

“Do you hold such a low opinion of us that you would rather go down that path instead of simply asking for our help?”

Put it that way.

“Papa is?—”

He yanks on the collar with more force, causing me to gasp as he pushes me, our faces dangerously close.

“We. Are. Not. Our. Father,” he articulates each word.

“You don’t get to be mad at me,” I spit out. “How the hell was I supposed to know? You didn’t really show any affection those past few years.”

“What did he do to you? What did he do for you to resent him and make you believe we are alike?” His hands clench on the hoop of the collar, giving me no way to escape.

“He did nothing.” My words lack persuasion, and I can tell he senses it as well.

“Zayka,” he warns, and I know he means it.

Shit. How am I supposed to say it? I knew one of them would ask, eventually.

“He beat me.”

“There’s something else. What the fuck did our father do to you?” he rages.

Tears start to swell in my eyes, betraying my emotions.

He abruptly lets go of the collar and stands up, his anger evident as he spews a stream of Russian curses.

“He touched you, didn’t he? I should’ve known from the moment I picked you up nine months ago. I should’ve fucking known.”

“It’s not as bad as you think,” I try to soothe him, my tears dampening my cheeks.

“Is it not?”

I’ve witnessed Sin’s anger several times before, but this time, it’s far worse than anything I’ve ever seen. He appears like a raging madman, on the verge of reducing everything to ashes.

“He just cornered me once or twice.” Lies.

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Zayka,” he shouts, running his hands through his hair.

As he paces back and forth, I reach out and gently grasp his hands in mine.

“Please,” I sob. “It’s okay.”

With a forceful shake of his head, he kneels down in front of me. “Where did he touch you, baby?” His voice is low. “Tell me what he did to you.”

“He… He cornered me several times after school, but he only touched me twice.” I lift his hand to show him, feeling the soft brush of his fingers against my skin as it trails from my neck to my breast, then down to my stomach. “I kicked him in the balls before he could go further. Frustration consumed him, leading him to lash out and strike me. That’s why I needed to get out. I needed to break free of his control.”

A sense of relief washes over me as I finally tell him the truth, lifting the weight off my shoulders.

Leaning close, he brushes his lips against mine and whispers softly, “Thank you for telling me.”

“Sin?” My heart is in my throat. “What are you going to do?”

“You are mine. He put his hands on you. He touched you.”

Standing up suddenly, he quickly reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, his hands fidgeting on it.

“Arkadi?”

Wait, I thought we had no phone connection.

“It’s time,” he continues. After waiting a few seconds, he nods and hangs up the phone.

“One, I thought we had no service. Two, it’s time for what?”

“I told you nobody will ever lay a finger on you.”

“Sin,” I stammer, my voice betraying my growing panic. “Please, don’t tell Saint.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not something I can do. You might know Saint and Nikolas, but you haven’t met Nikolai yet. Saint will ensure your protection, but Nikolai will make the world crawl on its knees, begging for your forgiveness, tearing their hearts from their chests.”

I gasp at his words. I believe him. I’m starting to uncover the person hiding behind Saint.

“What are you going to do?”

“He’s a dead man. There’s no other way, Zayka.” He kisses the top of my head. “Don’t think about it. You did the right thing by telling me. He had it coming from the moment I saw the bruises on your face.” He cups my chin. “Eat your sandwich first, and then I will put some clothes for you on your bed.”

Swallowing hard, I push aside the thought of Iakov’s death being my fault and gather the courage to ask. “Where are we going?”

“It’s Christmas Eve. We’re going to church.” He smirks, his words lingering in the air as he gives me a final peck on the crown of my head and departs, leaving me alone with my sandwich and the glow of a Hallmark movie.

Church?

“It’s open. Why are you knocking?” I groan as I walk towards the door.

The boys left a while ago. I have no clue where they went, but they usually don’t knock before coming into the cabin.

Thank god Sin gave me some clothes.

“Did you think I locked the door or?—”

My voice catches in my throat when I see who’s on the other side.

It’s not the boys.

“Dimitri? What are y?—”

I don’t have time to finish my sentence when his hand forcefully grabs my throat, making it hard for me to breathe.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know where you were?” he sneers, his voice filled with venom. “You’re my fucking property, and what are you doing? You’re giving your pussy for your brothers to fuck?”

My airways constrict even more, causing panic to take over.

“T-They w-will b-e h-here s-soon,” I rasp.

“Are they now?” He laughs like a maniac. “I don’t see them anywhere right now!”

He forcefully shoves me inside and slams the door shut with his foot.

“You will face consequences for bringing shame upon me and my family.”

He swiftly pivots me around and strongly pins me against the door, causing my back to collide with a loud thud.

I desperately clutch his wrists, hoping to create some space to breathe, but my efforts are in vain as tears stream down my face and his hands trail down my body.

No, no, no. It can’t be happening.

“I bet your pussy tastes sweet,” he groans.

Don’t panic. Breathe in and out, and then strike.

And that’s what I do. While his hand gets closer to my pussy, I inhale through my nose and deliver a powerful blow to his groin, targeting his testicles.

He lets go of me while lashing out curses.

I cough, but I quickly suppress it before hurrying upstairs.

I know it’s not the best idea, but I can lock myself inside, whereas if I run outside, he’ll catch me in a second.

“HARPER! YOU’RE GOING TO FUCKING REGRET THAT!” he shouts while I manage to lock myself in my bedroom.

My heart racing, I hastily slide my drawers across the floor, wedging them against the door to prevent anyone from entering.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Even though there is no service, Sin somehow reached out to Arkadi with a phone call. Surely, there is a possibility that it may work, right?

Frantically reaching for my phone, I desperately attempt to call them, only to be met with a disconnected tone every time.

Shit.

With my hands trembling, I nervously create a group chat and send them a message.

Group chat

SOS!!!!!

Dimitri is here!

HELP!

I watch and watch, but the messages refuse to be sent, lingering in my outbox.

Fuck.

“Harper! You better open this fucking door!” Dimitri bangs on the door several times.

Wiping my tears away, I take a slow step back and hide myself in my wardrobe.

Sitting on the cold, hard floor, I curl up into a ball, clutching my knees tightly as Dimitri’s shouting echoes through the room.

With each angry bang, the wall quivers, mirroring his growing frustration.

If he gets inside, he’ll murder me.

My tears continue to flow as I choke back a sob.

“If you don’t open this fucking door, I’m going to fuck you and kill you!” he menaces.

My hands instinctively fly to my ears, desperate to drown out the piercing sounds of his shouting.

I don’t know how long has passed, but suddenly, the clear sound of glass shattering jolts me into high alert.

No, no, no.

In an instant, the wardrobe door swings open, causing me to let out a terrified scream.

Refusing to be caught off guard, I lash out with my fists and feet, the force of my strikes reverberating as the person makes their move.

“NO!” I scream before large hands land on my shoulder.

“Harper, it’s me. You’re safe.”

“NO!” I shout again.

“Kukla? 4 !”

“Saint?” Gradually, my breathing slows down as my vision returns to its usual state.

“That’s me, baby. Look at me. You’re safe,” he repeats.

“D-Dimitri.”

“Sin is taking care of him.”

“H-How did you know?” I swallow. “I tried to call and message, but the connection didn’t work.”

“The cameras.”

The cameras?

“What?”

“We installed cameras inside the cabin. We came back as fast as we could once we received the notification.”

I nod as he takes me in his arms.

His embrace is so tight that it feels like his arms have become a fortress around me.

I breathe in his scent, and my body relaxes immediately.

“You broke my window,” I accuse.

He lets out a low chuckle. “I did. I tried to call through the door, but you didn’t answer, and you locked it like a champ. I’m proud of you.” He breathes in my hair before speaking again. “Sin told me.” I tense at his words. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Where is he?”

“Sin or Dimitri?”

“Both.”

“Downstairs. And no, before you ask, he’s not dead yet, but his time is running out. First, we want the last thing he sees before dying to be you being a good girl for us.”

“You want to fuck me in front of him?” My eyes widen in shock.

“Something like that.” He grins.

1 ? Little Bunny ( ZAY - ka)

2 ? No

3 ? Yes

4 ? Doll (KOOK - la)