Page 3 of Dangerous Promises

"Christ,bella," he says, holding his chest. "There you are. We were so worried."

I smile softly. "As you can see, I've come up just fine." I twist to show him the cut on my leg that is still drip-feeding blood.

Freddie frowns as he sits next to me on the front step. He turns my leg and inspects the wound. "Your uncle was up all night looking for you. You scare him. With all this."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes almost as hard as I fight the urge to fall into his guilt trip.

He looks at me and then shakes his head. I see less of the playful Freddie I know and love every day. "Come on, let's go put your uncle out of his misery."

Freddie stands then, holding out his hand for me.

I cringe as I neglect to reach for it. "Freddie..." I say. "I don't think I can walk."

Freddie smiles instead of sighs, and lifts me up bridal-style to carry me into the house. He pushes the door open and gallantly carries me across the threshold.

We don't get very far into the front hallway before Uncle Anton is barreling towards us. He looks like he's about to knock me over, but Freddie still chuckles as he places me down in his path and says, "Best let you stand on your own two feet,bella."

Anton stops just short of getting right in my face. He opens his mouth and points his finger to say something, but can't seem to find the words. In the end, he looks me up and down and just says, "You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks."

He runs his hands through his hair as he turns away. "You look like you got your ass kicked."

I remain defiant when I say, "Well, that's subjective depending on who you ask."

Anton is fast to spot the small pool of blood I'm standing in from where my leg stubbornly bleeds. As is Freddie. I must have earned some emblem of respect from them because neither one of them rushes to patch it up.

"It's been months, Sage. Months of this with him," Anton says, pacing. I already loathe him for what he's about to say. "When is enough going to be enough?"

"Don't even start," I say, my voice hardening. I don't care if I break my leg doing so; I'll storm out of here if I have to listen to much more of this.

"Isn't it time?" Anton says. "You've proven you can stand up to him. You've each given each other a few strikes. Isn't it time to stop this madness? Isn't it time to let it go?"

My voice is a growl when I say, "I will never let it go."

Anton closes his eyes, controlling his obvious urge to shout. "That is what I'm afraid of." He clicks his fingers and someone brings him a bottle of scotch that he generously chugs from. "That you won't give this up. That he won't give this up."

Freddie watches anxiously from the side of the room, rubbing his chin but deciding not to get involved. Even as I eye him for help that I know I'm not going to get.

"I cannot be there for you all the time."

"I don't need backup, for fuck's sake," I say.

Anton grimaces, and I hold back my urge to kill him for what he's not saying.

He's afraid of the ending.

Of the day that Alexei Rushkoff has his way and murders me.

He won't. But Anton doesn't think that.

Alexei Rushkoff killed the man I love. The agony of a future I no longer get to have rests solely on his shoulders. I'm sure I can take Alexei. What I don't tell Anton is that I'm not afraid if I can't.

I can see the careful, calculated plotting behind my uncle's eyes. He's anticipating that at some point he'll have to step in to save me, thus igniting a war. He won't say so, but I know that's what he plans. There's no concept for him that I could actuallywin. And I can't trust him to respect my wish that nobody goes to war for me. He'd do it anyway. He's done so before.

Anton drops his head. "Please,anima mia," he whispers. "Tell me. Tell me what I have to do to get you to drop this. What is it you want?"

He looks at me with desperate, imploring eyes. There was a time when this simple look would've cut me to the core. Now there is only one thing that could make me give up. That could make me forgive this. It is not something that my family, any amount of money, or anyone in the world could ever give me.