Saints and Sinners

Three:

Three

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Alina woke up to the sound of Mal's voice yelling. "What do you mean, she's your soulmate? That's not possible. This is Alina! My Lina! I've known her since we were kids. I know you, Aleksander. You're not good enough for her. Is this why you connected with me?"

"Calm down, Malyen." She heard a second voice---Aleksander's----speak. "You're acting like I chose to have your childhood friend be my soulmate. Remember, soulmates aren't chosen. They're picked by the saints. I had absolutely nothing to do with this at all. This is a blessing, after all."

"She's going to be a lawyer!" Mal shouted. "You can't be her soulmate."

"There are plenty of different types of lawyers," Aleksander said, "not all of them are saints, Mal. Besides, you know as well as I do what happens when someone rejects a blessing from the saints. There's nothing to do now but to allow this to happen. Look, I'll take her under my protection, she'll be fine. I promise. You're my family. You should know that I take care of what's mine."

Alina's eyes fluttered opened. She was in what appeared to be a guest room. The walls were white, and there was some type of modern art on the walls. The bedspread was black, and standing in the corner was a stern, face and dark hair. She recognized him as one of Aleksander's assistants. Or, at least, she had thought that he was his assistant. Now, as she thought back to the alley way, she didn't know what exactly who the man was standing in front of her. Had he been one of the ones that helped to kill the stranger she had seen die?

Fedyor smiled politely at her. "Oh, Miss Starkov. You're awake. Excellent. I will let Aleksander know that you are awake."

Alina froze. "No!" she blurted.

Fedyor glanced down at her. "Miss Starkov, I am sure that you are aware that you have been blessed by the saints to be Aleksander's soulmate. You know what happens when you reject a blessing from the saints. I'll be back with Aleksander. He'll want to know that you are awake." Fedyor left her alone in the room, locking the door behind her. Alina glanced down at her wrist, hoping that everything that had happened the earlier night was a bad nightmare.

But no. Aleksander Morozova's name was inked into her skin, red and angry. It was supposed to be a blessing. Except she had seen the man kill, had seem him with blood on his face, and no expression as he stabbed a person in the street. Surely, the saints couldn't mean for her to be connected to a man such as the one that she had seen do unspeakable things in the alley way. Not when they were on such two completely different paths. Alina was supposed to be working on a career that would let her do good and Aleksander Morozova...

Aleksander Morozova was darkness incarnate.

There was a knock on the door, and Aleksander pushed it open without waiting for Alina to say anything. "Miss Starkov."

"Mr. Morozova."

"Aleksander, please," he told her.

Alina shook her head. "We're not close enough for me to call you by your first name, Mr. Morozova. You are a complete and total stranger that I saw murder someone in the street only a day ago."

Aleksander smirked down at her. "You know we've met each other in passing several times. I'm Malyen's cousin after all. I was at his undergraduate graduation. I helped you move into your apartment. I was also at Mal's birthday, and we were secret gifters at Winter Solstice. I bought you that lovely leather briefcase, that Mal told me that he knows that you use it to carry things for class."

Alina huffed. "It's practical."

He grinned. "I'm sure. There's been tension between us since we met. I've already had someone move your things into my place."

Alina sat up in bed. "You've moved my things to my place?"

Aleksander crossed his arms over his chest. "You know as well as I do, Miss Starkov, that there are drastic consequences for soulmates that do not stay together. The longer you are away, you will become weaker, and weaker, until eventually death comes for us. I know this is not ideal for either you or me, but I would hate to think that you would give up your life simply because you didn't like your soulmate. You're a very beautiful, bright girl. It would be a waste for you to let your life get snuffed out."

"Why can't you come live with me at Mal's? Or are you forgetting that I'm still finishing law school, and that I've got an internship that I'll be doing that's part of my graduation requirements? I have a life, I can't just drop everything because the big, scary Ravkaan mob boss has suddenly decided that I'm his."

He smirked at her. "You know that isn't what happened, Alina. This is as much an inconvenience for me as it is for you. Do you really think I wanted my soulmate to be some little, do-gooder upstart? You are the very, very last person that I need to be around my business. And as for your internship...you're referring to the one Mal got you at the law firm that he's working for?"

Alina glared at him. "Yes, what about it?"

Aleksander chuckled. "Whose law firm do you think he works at?"

Alina's face fell. "No. No. You've got to be kidding me."

He reached up and stroked his beard. Alina couldn't help but notice how much older he was than her. He was gorgeous, nonetheless, but his age left her feeling like a child. "I look forward to getting to know you on our commute, Miss Starkov. I'm sure we'll form a good connection, making for strong soulmates."

Alina shook her head. "You can't do this."

"I'm your soulmate, Miss Starkov. We have been blessed by the saints to be together. Yes, I most certainly can." He walked over to her, took her hand in his, and he kissed the top of it. "I look forward to our future, Alina."

Then, he left her alone in the room, locking the door behind him.