Chapter 27

Lydia

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I’ve never felt more powerful in my life. I tell myself that he is almost dead, that he’ll bleed out in minutes anyway. I tell myself that ending him means my mom will be safe. Vera, Nikko, and sweet little Ivy. All of them. Everyone. And Viktor.

Especially Viktor.

I stand with Viktor at my back, his presence reassuring, my enemy in front of me. He’s bleeding and gasping his last breaths.

I take a deep breath, and I light the match. The familiar, sweet scent of sulfur fills the cabin. The tiny flame dances, casting flickering shadows on walls. I watch the flame lick down the matchstick until it nearly burns my fingers. A part of me wants to feel the pain.

I release it, and it falls to the fluid-soaked floor. Flames instantly erupt, hungry and fierce, devouring everything in their path. I light a second match and then a third, dropping them around the first. The fire grows around us. Flames bite at my skin, a sharp reminder of the danger, until Viktor’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back.

“It’s enough, baby. You did it. Let’s get to safety.”

His voice is a low, gravelly rumble. I toss the rest of the matches into the fire, watching as they are quickly swallowed by the inferno. Viktor bends and effortlessly lifts me in his arms. The flames lick at my back.

We burst through the door of the cabin, the heat and smoke following behind us, greedy and hungry.

Viktor marches to the boat Timur used to get us here, anchored to shore. He reaches for the chain with one hand and yanks it closer, places me on my feet, and leaps into the boat. It wobbles under his weight, but he quickly rights himself, his movements swift and assured. He reaches for my hand, his grip strong.

He nestles me into the boat beside him as flames roar behind us.

“Are you alright?” Vera screams from shore.

“Yes!” Viktor shouts back.

We take a moment to watch in silence, secure on shore, as the cabin erupts in flames. I stare, mesmerized by the destruction, the finality of it. Purging.

Viktor's hand rests on my knee, a grounding touch amidst the chaos. I turn to him, seeing the reflection of the fire in his dark, intense eyes. He is my protector. His obsession with me, his unwavering determination to keep me safe, it all makes sense at this moment.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice a soft growl filled with concern.

I nod, unable to find the words. My throat is tight, my emotions a tangled mess. But in his arms, I feel safe. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have control over my life, my destiny.

As the cabin collapses in on itself, the flames roaring in triumph, I lean into Viktor. He holds me close, his warmth a stark contrast to the inferno behind us. We are survivors. Forged in a crucible. His world is brutal and chaotic, only interspersed with quiet like this… but now I know.

It's my world, too.