Page 52 of Viper’s Reign

Damn it. If he dies, Millie and I are both goners. But if he lives… well, we’re probably both dead then too.

But the worst part isn’t that our three lives are hanging in the balance together, it’s that I find myself genuinely fucking caring for all three. Millie, of course. My own, out of self-preservation. And Dimitri—and not just because our safety is tied to him, but because I’m actually worried about the man. About the monster.

And he’s definitely a monster. Why else would he have a dungeon beneath his house?

“Great.” I bang my head against the wall next to my bed. “Just fucking great.”

There’s no winning. There’s no hope, no matter what happens—and what ends up happening is still somewhat in the air.

I did inject him subcutaneously, after all. Whether that was a conscious decision or not, I’m still trying to figure out. But it does matter.

A subcutaneous injection enters the bloodstream much slower than an intravenous injection. That means it should have bought him a little more time. Maybe enough to survive, if the doctor they called got there quickly enough.

My heart aches with guilt. If he survives, I don’t get another chance. And neither does Millie.

So why the hell would I have even thought of giving him a chance? The idea that I might have just thrown away both our lives to save a guy I barely know makes me want to bash my head in.

“Fuck!” I yell into the abyss. “FUCK!”

Almost in answer, I hear the door at the top of the stairs swing open.

I sit up straight and hold my breath, listening as footsteps make their way toward me. By the time they stop in front of my cell, my heart is thudding, my entire body clenching with nerves.

I’m too scared to look up, so when my cell door creaks open, I only see a pair of dark leather loafers walk in. The elegant shoes are so out of place in the grimy dungeon that my fear is temporarily replaced by a morbid curiosity.

Slowly, I force my gaze up from the shoes, to the legs encased in dark pants, over the expensive-looking suit, and finally to the face glaring down at me.

I flinch, scrambling backwards at the icy, silvery eyes burning there.

I’ve done enough research to know who this is.

Aleksei Petrov.

The pakhan of the Petrov Bratva. The King himself.

“I only have one question for you,” he growls. “What did you give Dimitri?”

His voice is cold enough to make my skin prickle. I wrap my arms around myself, shaking my head as I shiver.

He snarls. “Pray to whatever god you believe in that he pulls through.” His fingers curl at his sides, cracking. “I don’t hurt women, but if something happens to my brother…”

He stops himself there, and for a split second, I swear I see something almost human flash behind all of that ice. But it’s gone just as quickly as it arrived.

Without another word, he turns and leaves, slamming my cell door behind him. I hear that familiar click of the lock, and just like that, I’m alone again, left only with the pain and darkness growing inside of me.

And all I can think is how much I deserve it.

I deserve every last fucking bit.

19

DIMITRI

“He’s responding well to treatment. Honestly, with a bit of luck, he should be regaining consciousness any day now.”

I frown, the soft feminine voice somehow making the insane pounding in my skull worse.

“That’s what you’ve been saying for the past three days.” Aleksei’s growl has my lips twitching despite the headache. Is that cold bastard showing some emotion? I have to see this. I force my eyes open, then shut them again at the harsh light.