Chapter 15

The Rendition of Misstep

THE SECOND MY EYES opened everyone was around me, bombarding me with questions.

“What happened?”

“Are you alright?”

“What did you see?”

“Did he kill it?”

“Who was it?”

“Can I get more vodka?”

“Did it hurt you again?”

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” Kostyantyn yelled. The room became dead silent and everybody froze. “What the hell is wrong with you all?”

“What are you talking about? We’re not the ones hurting her.” Matvei said, looking around, as if suddenly he was worried that someone in the room was actually hurting me.

He looked my way, trying to find an answer to his question, but I just sat up slowly on the couch and shrugged, just as confused as he was. Two seconds ago, Kos-tiara seemed all fine and dandy—whole preparing for war thing aside. He’d keep his calm during the whole dream. So, why did he look like he was going to punch someone now?

Kostya took two steps towards my father, fists clenched. “You might as well be. How could you leave her unprotected like this?”

I would have liked to ask questions, like ‘what the hell are you talking about dude?’ but I still felt undeniably sleepy which was very weird because I was never sleepy. And now, I could probably just press my head against the couch again, close my eyes and I’d be a goner. I should have been mad. I was beyond pissed before the dream with Kostya, but now sleep was pretty much the only thing I cared about doing. Fuming and screaming could wait.

Unfortunately, there was no sleeping for me because Kostya pointed towards the stairs and I turned to see grandmother dearest standing at the top of the stairs. “You,” he all but spit, “I don’t know what she’s done to you or what it is about her that bothers you so much, but you need to get over yourself and start helping her. She’s your family, she’s blood. You protect your own.”

“I’ll protect my own by not protecting her,” she sneered back, her nose held up high. Matvei’s eyes turned black and Semyon had to hold him by the arm.

Kostyantyn glared at her. “How can you even say that?”

I didn’t really know why he was so concerned about my well being and my need to be protected but I did know that this couch was super soft and I just wanted to rub my face in it.

Sleeeeeepy-Oksyyyyy.

 “Does your mother know?” Kara shot back, not answering him.

And I wrapped my arms around a white cushion and curled up on the couch, making myself more comfortable. If they wanted to argue about me without including me in the conversation, like they always did—I might as well enjoy the show.

Plus, Kostya was kind of hot, I could admit it in my sleepy haze. I still wondered what else he was—he had never answered me.

“Don’t talk about my mother,” Kostyantyn answered, jaws tight.

Kara waved him off. “Shut up and answer me. Does your mother know about her?”

It looked like it physically hurt him to talk about his mother. It was really nice to know I wasn’t the only one with mommy issues in the room. “Not that I know of, she hasn’t been here in six months.”

“Try keeping it that way if protecting Oksana is so important to you.” Kara answered, almost smugly. “Actually, if you want to protect her, you should leave as soon as you can. Sooner than what’s been planned.”

Kostyantyn frowned. “How is my being here affecting her in any way?”

“The less you know, the better.” Kara smiled at him, a wicked smile, the kind of smile I’d except on the face of a villain. Maybe grandmother dearest was the bad guy after all. I wouldn’t put it pass her.

“Don’t antagonize me Kara.” Kostya answered. “You might have been a fearsome Valkyries on the battlefield, but you’ve forsaken your sisters for your little family life. And you know who my parents are. If we went head to head, I’d beat you.”

“Don’t get cocky. You haven’t live through what I’ve lived. You haven’t seen what I’ve seen,” Kara told him, in a very Tyra Banks fashion.

Kostya grinned, his cocky grin. “Right back at you sister. You couldn’t handle what I had to see since I was a toddler.”

Buuuuuurn.

If it hasn’t been for the fat that I was having yawning fits, I would have yelled “DROP YOUR PANTS AND START MESURING WHO AS THE LONGEST DICK WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!”

Unfortunately, Kara just huffed at him and turned around, like she was some kind of annoyed queen leaving her troublesome peasants.

I assumed this would mean Kostya would finally leave, and everybody would go back to their beds and I could finally sleep, but apparently, the pissed-off sort-of-Mare had more yelling to do.

And this time, he was talking to me. “You’ve been here for months and nobody took the time to teach you how to shield your subconscious?” I shrugged and rolled my eyes. “I could feel how weak your walls were before but I didn’t think nobody had ever taken the time to show you how to protect your mind.” He turned to my family to say the next part, “what is wrong with you guys?”

“We’re started to teach her…” Matvei said, almost painfully.

And that started Kos-tiara’s rant. “You think you’ve taught her something by telling her your little ancestry life story and by telling her a couple of names and that vampires are bad? You’ve taught her nothing and you’ve left her vulnerable to outside forces that want to harm you. Jesus, even Hugo’s been doing a better job than you. And I know that you don’t want to start extensively tell her everything in detail because you’re scared that the more you tell her, the more she’ll start freaking out and that at one point you’re going to say something and she’s going to leave, but she’s not leaving. You’re her family for god sakes! You’re all children of a damn Valkyrie that can somewhat play a little bit with subconscious. You could have taught her what she needs. Now it’s too late, now someone already started to plant roots in her mind and unless we kill whatever it is, they’ll always an easy access to her subconscious.”

Hmm, that didn’t sound really good. Why wasn’t I more concerned?

“Or unless you make sure it doesn’t hurt her,” Semyon added.

“I won’t always be there,” Kostya told him.

“But you’re here now,” Matvei replied and it looked like he was almost pleading when he said that.

Kostyantyn sighed heavily. “Fine, I’ll stay here, and keep tabs on her subconscious, but she should be able to go back to sleep without being bothered tonight.”

At the point, Flynn and Yelena probably had enough and headed back upstairs. After all, the problem was dealt with, for tonight at least.

“That sounds greaaaaaat!” I exclaimed. They were talking about sleeping and that was something I was totally for.

“You okay there?” Semyon asked, frowning a little.

“Super duper okay.” I grinned and then yawned. “I’m like rocking in the okay department.”

“What did you do to her?” Matvei asked pressing his hand on my forehead and checking my pulse.

“Yeah, what on earth have you done to poor Mr Darcy?” I mumbled.

Kostya chuckled at my words. “Are you saying you’re Mr Darcy?”

“Don’t antagonise me,” I said, throwing him back his own words.

Kos-tiara looked in my eyes, narrowing his eyes. “I must have overdone it when I put you to sleep. Also, you might be feeling a little after effect of my trying to show you how I feed…”

Matvei had his neck in a grip the second he said that. “You did WHAT?”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine, I didn’t do anything,” Kostya answered, placing his hand over Matvei’s and Matvei let him go automatically, blinking in confusion.  

“Yeah, he just looked at me real creepily,” I added, trying to get up but falling miserably.

“You liked it,” Kostya answered, looking a little too satisfied with himself.

I rolled my eyes. “You just smelled nice.”

“You should go back to bed Oksana,” Matvei said. “And Kostyantyn, you should go to the cellar.”

Kostya sighed and stretched his arms, before fishing his phone out of his pocket. “I’m hoping there’s still a cot in it. And you’ve refilled it.”

“Don’t drink all my wine,” Semyon glared.

“Don’t ask me for a sleepover if you can’t afford it,” Kostya answered in a sing-song voice, with a smile while dialling someone on his phone. “Blair? Yes, I’m fine, I’ll be sleeping over at the Faustin… No, not with the grandmother. Ugh. Be good while I’m gone… No eating the maids.” And with that he ended the call and smiled at my glaring father and grandfather. “Everything’s under control.” He told them, ignoring their death glares, and then rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, the maid thing is just a code to let her know I’m really fine, she doesn’t actually eat our maids.”

“How long can you keep her in line?” Matvei asked.

Was he talking about Blair? Because I still wondered about Kostya and her, and about their weird relationship. It would be fun if people were a little less cryptic around here.

And it would be fun if I could be back in my bed. Like ten minutes ago.

“As long as I’ll have to.” Kostya answered, and there was no room for arguing. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, if I’m not mistaken I have a fine bottle of 1983 Le Pin and a crappy cot waiting for me,” he stated and stepped around my father.

“You’re not drinking my wine,” Semyon repeated.

“It’s either you let me drink your wine, or you all throw yourselves at me. Your pick.” Kostya seemed pretty proud of himself while saying that. And I didn’t get what he meant. Again. Seriously, tomorrow the boy would start really answering my questions. When I’d have the energy to ask them.

“At least don’t drink all of it,” Semyon whined.

“Can’t make any promises, Chief.”

“That little schmuck….”

And that’s the last thing I caught before falling asleep again.