I hate the darkness. But now with this warm hand holding mine, I feel like it's bearable. Guided by the flashlight from my phone, I reach out my hand to one of the lamps on the right side of the bookcase in the room and pull at it. The mechanical sound can be heard and the bookcase was slid to the side, opening an entrance to a narrow staircase that leads downstairs into the darkness. 

The only lights that can guide us down the stairs would be the flashlight from my and his phones. I know where the staircase will take us. I had been trained to escape from my childhood. In order to be prepared for the destiny in my adulthood, I was trained from a young age. Self-defence, using all kinds of weapons, survival skills, interrogation skills, and also my favourite lesson; the art of torture. But all that training could not erase my fear of the darkness or of reptiles. Which is why the best I can do is to avoid ever revealing this side of me to anyone. 

Kirill was very sharp in his observation. He saw through me that I was afraid of the dark in an instant. It was also probably because I was being too obvious about it. In front of Kirill, I somehow tend to put my guards down a lot. Most of the time, I am both afraid and intrigued to be around him because of emotions that I never knew I could feel, I would feel when I’m around him. It felt both good and terrifying at the same time. But I’m still drawn to him.

It’s too late to back out now.

We hold hands until we reach down the stairs and follow through the dark, narrow tunnel which leads us to another stairs going up. A trap door was right above me…. Before I could push open the door, Kirill stopped me. We are both sweating profusely from the lack of air and the heat in the tunnel. I can’t wait to come out from the tunnel already. “What’s the matter?”

“Turn off the lights. It’s not far from the cabin, right? We haven’t walked that far. We must be careful not to get caught,” he cautioned me.

He is right. I like this. He is very smart and attentive. How can I not be attracted to him after all? I nod my head at him and we both turn off the lights. The darkness immediately made me shiver. But I still push open the door above me slowly and cautiously. The moonlight outside is bright so it eases the fear a bit. I come out slowly and Kirill follows behind me. It isn’t that far from the cabin so we can still see the cabin from where we are and see that it is surrounded by silhouettes of people. I can’t make out how many of them but Maxim will definitely be outnumbered. I just hope they won’t be able to hurt him much by the time back up comes. Or else I really need to find a new reliable bodyguard. It’s such a hassle.

We both run into the forest as silently as we can without saying a word. It is Kirill who pulls my hand and leads the way. There’s an itch in my heart. I feel cared for. I feel good that someone is worried about me and is taking care of me. I don’t know how to describe it but at this moment, I feel like if he asks for the world, I would give it to him.

When he thinks that we are far enough from the cabin and the area is secured enough, Kirill slows down and we eventually come to a stop among the trees in the darkness. Kirill looks around while breathing heavily. He then pulls out his phone to check the signal. I also do the same. I can see that the bar is full so I immediately make a phone call without saying a word to Kirill. 

“Dad, someone attacked us at the cabin.” … “I got away.” … “Maxim is still there. Please send backup.” … “He said it’s the Germans. Must be the Kaiser family.” … “I don’t know. About a dozen I guess. They cut our power line and disrupt our phone signal probably through some sort of device. You know how the Kaiser are.” … “Yes. I’m with my friend.” … “No. Not Alberto. It’s someone else.” … “No. Not a girlfriend.” … “Also not a boyfriend. Dad! Have you sent backup?” … “I’m somewhere in the woods I don't know. Check my GPS.” … “Okay, hurry up.” 

I hung up the phone irritatedly. My dad can be annoying. Even in times like these, he still wants to tease me. Damn it! I turn to look at Kirill. “My dad had already sent people over to Maxim and people to find us,” I informed him. Kirill only nods at me in answer. Then I notice that he is only wearing a thin white T-shirt and he seems to shiver. I immediately take off my dark green jacket and put it around him. “Why are you only wearing this?” I complained. 

Kirill tries to push my hands off of him and say; “It’s okay. I’m not cold.”

“Liar,” I called him out and still put my jacket on him despite his refusal. “Don’t be stubborn. I insist,” I coaxed.

Kirill might really be cold so he generously doesn’t make a fuss anymore. He instead really puts my jacket on himself. “Thank you,” he said. I smile at him. I don’t know if he can see me in the darkness but I know that my own eyes have adjusted to the darkness. I can see him clearly. I can see his face flushed. Is he embarrassed? There’s a desire in me to just squeeze him in my arms. Sometimes I wonder what is it about Kirill that attracts me so much? 

It’s true that he’s beautiful. But beautiful people are everywhere in the world. And beauty is subjective. What I think is beautiful might not be as beautiful in other people’s eyes. For instance, I think my cousin wouldn’t find Kirill beautiful. He has a thing for dark-skinned people. So yeah. Perhaps what attracts me to Kirill the most isn’t physical. Perhaps it’s his stubbornness? His roughness? His impulsivity? His decisiveness? Maybe those are the reasons but that’s not all there is to it. 

As I’m still lost in my thinking, out of nowhere, there’s a sound of something or someone stepping on the branches on the ground. We both are immediately alerted and turn our attention towards the sound at the same time. Something moves in the bushes. 

Fuck!!! “Arghhhhhh!!!!!!” I screamed loudly like a girl at the sight of a huge salvatore lizard in the bushes. Kirill is caught off guard and immediately pulls me behind him in protective mode.

“What the fuck! Don’t be loud! Your enemies at the cabin might hear you!” Kirill warned me angrily but I kept stomping my feet and whimpering in fear.

“Kirill!! Get that thing away from me!” I can’t help myself. I close my eyes and keep holding on to Kirill’s shoulders, cowering in fear behind him.

I then heard him chuckle. “That thing was also scared by your scream just now. Look! It had run away,” he teased. He then chuckled some more. “You’re afraid of lizards?” he asked.

I look in the direction of the bushes cautiously and sigh in relief once I see that the lizard is no longer there. “All reptiles to be exact,” I told him. Damn. In just one night, I have been unsightly in front of my crush twice. How embarrassing is this? I just want to dig a hole and die in there!

Kirill started to laugh heartily. “That’s cute,” he commented.

“What’s cute?” I asked him angrily. How dare this pretty little thing called me cute?

He laughs even more, noticing my irritability. “You’re cute,” he teased me some more while laughing.

I want to continue to be angry but looking at him laughing like that, there’s another itch in my heart. Let’s see if he would still think that I’m cute if I pin him down and fuck him senseless, yeah? 

… Not yet.

So, instead, I pull him close to me and lean down to his face. Our lips meet again for the second time in the same night. But this time, it is no longer a peck on the lips. It is an intense kiss. I take a sip on his lower lip. He opens his mouth to respond to my kiss. We brush our lips together for a few times erotically. “Hmph,” I heard him make a sound. It motivates me. So I dive my tongue right into his mouth. His tongue also responded. Our tongues are entangled violently. We suck and lick on each other’s tongues like hungry beasts. 

We are both dominative. So the kiss is as wild as it can be. One of my hands starts to slide under his clothes as I caress the back of his torso. He also starts to move his hands and grope my ass with both of his hands. I chuckle in between the kisses. He smiles at me mischievously. We then break the kiss. He looks at me seductively. “How about you bottoming for me?” he suggested. 

I only laugh in answer. ‘In your dream, sweetheart’, I thought. But in front of him, I can’t be that direct, right? “We can think about that slowly,” I said. “Let time decide,” I added. Yes. Let time decide. In time, you will fall completely into my hands that you can no longer break free, Kirill. Let’s not talk about your asshole being merciless fucked by me, even your life, your soul, your everything will be completely mine and only I can decide for you. You belong to me, Kirill. You are mine.

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Next update: 2022/06/06

*Author’s Note: Take note I mentioned the ‘Kaiser’ family. This is the mafia family in book 3. Hehe. I think you all are waiting to hear what Alberto is supposed to explain. I dragged that for a few chapters already. Sorry. But this development is necessary for Stepan and Kirill to progress. They both had seen each other's weaknesses and strengths. They began to trust each other more. And I think it is due to this development that it makes sense for them to kiss and possibly do more than just kissing soon. Teehee. -K