Natasha Van Doren is a shadow summoner. She bides her time and resides in darkness, feared and esteemed by Ketterdam's civilians, a ghost . She cons Kaz Brekker into joining a heist he can't refuse and with thirty million kruge on the line, the crow...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
NIKOLAI LANTSOV parted the crowd like Moses in the Red Sea.
At the Ravkan king's request, Natasha's stolen Menagerie silks replaced a glittering black kefta. The beads sparkled beneath the icy chandelier light of the main room.
Nikolai held a wine glass lazily in his arm, picking at the beaded shoulder of kefta. Natasha would shift at each instant, excusing herself for more champagne. The bubbles fizzed horribly in her empty stomach.
The beginnings of a headache were burning at her temple. "Alright, doll?" Nikolai called across the room. Natasha scowled, thumbing the centre of her forehead with her finger.
Someone had bought her gloves, the material silky and black. Natasha had bitten slits into the fingertips in case she needed her power. With her gloved palm wrapped around the stem of her seventh glass of wine, she realised how dreadfully she resembled Kaz Brekker.
"Something on your mind?" Nikolai asked, poking Natasha's shoulder. He grinned wickedly, the two Ravka's only meters away from them. The Frejdans watched their interactions with interest.
"They're staring," Natasha shrugged, taking a long sip from her glass. The wine dribbled down the rim as her hand shook uncontrollably. The kefta's fabric was ridiculously thick, and her skin roasted from within.
"What can I say," Nikolai smiled, running a hand through his hair. It was genuine and warm but felt anything but reassuring and playful to Natasha. "They've just never seen someone so handsome,"
She breathed out a loud sigh from between gritted teeth. "Why won't you let me go?"
"You're valuable," Nikolai responded. Natasha was in no mood to cause a scene, so she accepted the arm draped over her shoulder. She realised she was a prisoner within a larger prison. A rabbit trapped within a snare, a wolf waiting to bite her pretty neck off as soon as she emerged.
Natasha breathed a long sigh, slipping the sleeves of her kefta off her shoulders. "Keep it," Natasha said grimly. Beneath her kefta, she was wearing a tight fitted dress. The material was creamy velvet, latching against her skin like a hungry leech. The sweetheart neckline extenuated her ample breasts.
Her body attracted the eyes of females and males alike. "Gladly," Nikolai laughed, passing the kefta to the guard behind him. He licked his tongue over his bottom lip, looking her up and down. "Doll," he whispered, looking her up and down.
His voice sent shivers down her spine, both good and bad. Nikolai's arm fell to her pulse point. He pulled her wrist up to his face, rubbing his thumb over the Menagerie tattoo.
"Prostitution," Nikolai whispered. His jaw clenched, his fingernails digging into her skin. Natasha wanted to cry out in pain, squeezing her eyes to keep the shadows at bay. "Who did this to you?"
"No one," She breathed. Natasha flicked his hand off her wrist, gripping the tender skin. "It was a choice?"
"You let men slobber all over you like a piece of meat," Nikolai sneered. His blue eyes raged with the wrath of Poseidon. "You let them kiss you and touch you. Violate your rights and dignity as a woman?"
The words sounded awful coming from his pretty lips. Natasha straightened her back, aware of the unpleasant situation she had dragged herself into. Nikolai was taller than her, towering over her frame like a tree wavering on weak roots. His hands were slammed into the column above her head, his eyes licking with furious flames.
"It was a choice," Natasha repeated, keeping her gaze low. Shame bubbled in her stomach with pink champagne and scarlet wine. "Besides," She scoffed, running a hand through her hair. "Nothing I do concern you,"
It was Nikolai's turn to laugh. "Doll," Nikolai whispered. With delicate and dainty fingers. He pushed his hand beneath Natasha's chin. His gaze was moon-shadowed, delicious and yearning. "You mean everything,"
The laugh to come was cruel. "Omar," With fingers still against her skin, Nikolai turned back towards the guards. They both strode forward - guns cocked, kefta pushed protectively over their front. The current position worried them. For the first time in history had the Ravkan and Frejdan monarchy come together.
Without further words, Omar drew a thin file from the interior pocket of his red kefta. Nikolai thumbed through it lazily, sending the other Ravkans off with a sweep of his palm.
"See," Nikolai held the paper from the top of the stack. A beautifully drawn portrait of her face embellished the top of the parchment. "You are a pretty face," Nikolai said, admiring the image. "But to the world, you're a girl with a dangerous gift,"
In red printed letters, the demand for sixty-million kruge written elegantly in italics. "This is the demand from the Zemeni government," Nikolai shrugged. He grabbed a second piece of paper, placing it into her trembling hands. "The Frejdans are awarding seventy-five, ninety if they bring you alive,"
"Then why aren't you handing me in?" Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze acute. "I'm valuable," She repeated, mocking his charismatic tone. "I'd be lining your pockets for several generations of grandchildren, no Ravkan would ever have to go hungry again,"
"That is true," Nikolai hummed. He traced his fingertip along her jaw, his pink lips twisted in a smirk. "But then again, you can offer me so much more than just money,"
His arm dropped back to her side. "Your friends," Nikolai said. He was talking casually, his voice even and cool. "They're being tagged by folks of my own," Natasha spun on her heel and Nikolai gripped her unmarked wrist.
"They're safe," Nikolai said softly. He brushed away the tears beneath her eyes. "For now, at least,"
"Touch them, and I'll kill you, Lantsov," Natasha spat.
"But you won't," Nikolai said. He held Natasha against his chest, hugging her warmly. To the crowd, they were sharing a pleasant reunion, to lovers reunited within a frosted centre. "Not until it's too late,"
Natasha choked on a sob, deaf to the crowd. The onlookers passed them by with sweet glances, jealous of this assumed romance. "Hurt any of them, and I will," Natasha gasped, falling into Nikolai's arm.
Natasha hated her weakness. His hold was reassuring and safe. Natasha only had to fall to his will, and her crows would be safe. She could only imagine Wylen's disappointed look, Inej's unmoved lips, but hurt eyes. But the face of Kaz Brekker's - his eyes too broken and rough to meet was what drew her to sobs.
Her lovely Kaz Brekker, coffee eyes and cold skin. The feel of leather soothing her lips, his bare hands brushing over the corpse rose scar on her palm. Her eyes fell onto the marked skin, pressed against the back of Nikolai Lantsov.
This was a betrayal of the cruellest type.
"It'll be alright," Nikolai whispered into her hair. He cradled the back of Natasha's neck, warming the dark skin. "It's just us again. Just how it was meant to be," He pushed her head to meet his eyes, calculated and powerful.
"I will never love you," Natasha whimpered, feeling the controlled brush of his thumb on her wrist. "The gods would have to fall, heavens cave, and hells blister into divine bliss before I ever dreamt of loving you," She lined her voice with contempt, her chin tilted high.
Nikolai chuckled a soft laugh. "We'll see," He spoke before accepting the hungry and hopeless kiss she placed on his lips.
A/N
- 105K reads you guys are spoiling me 😫😫If you enjoyed please vote and comment, I love seeing your guy's emotional roller-coaster as you read the chapters.
