Serpentine Desires

The prey

The voices outside grew louder, more distinct, until the door slammed shut and dinner was long forgotten. I wonder if Alexei heard it, or any of his fathers. It seemed like an emergency since I could see several guards outside through the window, but not him.

When he re-entered the room, his eyes were cold furious and dangerously dark.

For a moment, I saw remnants of the man who destroyed me. But when he strode to the table, cursing under his breath, I realised he was not just furious but pissed to the extreme.

"Someone's been prowling near the gates," he announced. "He says he has something for you." His gaze landed squarely on Krystina, who paled visibly under the weight of his stare.

"For me?" she stammered.

"Yes," Judas kept his voice low, though I could feel the edge of his tone. "A letter. Handwritten. Care to explain?"

Krystina's hands trembled as she reached for the letter he tossed onto the table. The rest of us watched in tense silence as she unfolded the paper and her eyes scanned the contents.

"What does it say?" Anya pressed, leaning forward to the peak.

"It's... nothing," Krystina said quickly clutching the paper. "Just... a school thing."

Judas's lips curled into a cold, humourless smile and he gripped the edge of the table before leaning forward till his pale blues bore into her. And to be honest, I felt more scared than her. "A school thing? A school thing that required someone to sneak past our security and deliver it in the dead of night?"

Krystina avoided his gaze, folding the letter with trembling hands and tucking it into her dress pocket. "I don't know why it was delivered like that. Maybe they were scared of you—"

"Stop lying," Judas snapped, slamming his hand on the table and making everyone jump. "I know you're lying, Tina. Who is it from?"

Her eyes darted to Anya, who watched the exchange with thinly veiled amusement, then to me, as if silently pleading for help. But I couldn't bring myself to intervene. Her brother would grill me.

"It's none of your business," she finally said and I almost choked. Well, Romanovskis.

His expression darkened, and for a moment, everyone seemed to hold their breath. "Everything you do is my business," he said coldly. "Especially when it's something stupid enough to involve strangers crawling around our house. Who is it, Krystina?"

Before she could answer, Rara's calm voice cut through. "Enough."

Judas turned to her with his jaw tight. "Don't—" 

"I said enough," Rara repeated, this time more firmly. She turned to Krystina with a pointed look. "You can explain this later. For now, sit down and eat."

Reluctantly, Judas sat back down, though the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed. The rest of the meal passed in strained silence, only Anya being a nuisance.

I watched Krystina carefully, noting the way her hands trembled as she picked at her food. She was hiding something—something big. And I knew exactly what it was. Massimo.

As the table was cleared and everyone began to disperse, Judas caught Krystina by the arm, stopping her from leaving. She looked at him with her big doe eyes and I noticed unshed tears in her eyes.

"Don't think for a second this is over," he said quietly. "I'm going to find out who sent that letter. And when I do, you're going to regret lying to me."

Krystina yanked her arm free. "Don't act like my father, Judas."

"No," he whispered. "But I'm worse."