When

she finally opened her eyes, the whole room was

spinningor was it her head? The walls around her were white and unless the world of the dead had no style, this was a hospital; it would at least explain the pain and uncomfortable thing she laid on. Uh, she always hated hospitals and for some time now, every time she was in one, it reminded her of her mother It too her a moment to remember the car, the men, !le sandr running towards her as she heard the strange sound, and the blood. "hy was there blood? #he shouldn$t have to remember her own blood, right? %amn, her head hurt li e hell and she felt li e she was forgetting something important, something said to her. #omewhere next to her bed, &arie was sitting on a chair, totally uncomfortable and concerned. !gain, she had to thin of why her dear friend was so tense, that it loo ed as if she were to 'ump out of her s in at any moment. (oo ing behind her, she saw !le sandr standing in a corner, hands crosses over his chest. )e had a bloody bandage on his upper left arm and bruises on his left chec ? It became clear to her that the wound on his arm was caused by a gunshot, but neither that nor the car accident explained the bruises, or &arie$s uneasiness, for that matter. That was when she glanced on the other side of her bed, opposite to &arie and it all became clear, despite the room not standing completely still. Under sil y dar hair, behind long, blac lashes * that she would have illed to have * were the most beautiful blue eyes she ever saw. #he had been taught that it was wrong to call a man beautiful, because they were considered handsome, but if beauty had a face, it would have been his. #itting on a chair close to her, in all his beauty and glory, sat +ladimir ,a'arov, sometimes nown as beshenaya soba a-, the rabid dog. Unfortunately for many, it was a well*gained nic name. !ll pain in her body disappeared at the sight of that beautiful smile of his. .)ey there, vo/lyublennyi012 Idiot head over there got you in trouble as soon as he got here, didn$t he. #urely, for that you can forgive my roughing his pretty face a little.3 #he let a soft laugh escape her lips. !ctually she was grateful that +ladi didn$t ill him without warning. #he would never put it above him, not nowing the relationship those two had. +ladi had been itching to get rid of #asha for good for a very long time now and all that stood against him, was her affection for the one she used to call brother, but the truth was that if +ladi ever found out what was indeed #asha4s business, he would ill him regardless of her emotions or pain. That was the reason she ept protecting
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rabid dog sweetheart

him even if she didn$t want anything more to do with what he stood for, anymore. .!s long as he is alive3 she said faintly, .I suppose you can beat him up as much as you li e.3 .5areful, my little ptich a-, I may decide to ta e you up to it and put him in a coma3 .!s long as he still breaths,3 she said nonchalantly. .6ee, than s, 7o/a, I appreciate the love.3 .8ip it, #asha, you$re the one that refused my offer, not the other way around. It was you who decided to stay behind when I offered a way out.3 )e fell silent. )e couldn$t even remember how many times he wished he left with them bac then and not stayed behind with +ictor 6oing with 7o/a would have given him the chance to leave the pain and hate behind, and start anew somewhere he didn$t have to thin of revenge or become a monster 'ust li e the one he was hunting )e didn$t want to feel the things he was feeling anymore, because he was losing focus and forgetting the real reason of why he was where he was, losing trac of his goal. )e needed to clear his mind and stop with the self*pity parade, or +olodya would really ill him in the end 9 of course, only if +ictor didn$t figure things out and ill him first. .5at got your tongue, vol 1?3 .:o, beshenaya soba a;, but I thin rabies or something. I$ll need a vaccine not to catch

+ladimir turned towards his niece. 3#ee what I have to go through because of you? "hy can$t I 'ust ill his sorry ass and get done with it?3 .<ecause, +ladi, li e it or not, #asha is still part of the family. :ow stop complaining and let me sleep. 6o find some other place to pic a fight with him.3 The two men 'ust glared at each other, but none made any move to leave the room. =f course, she didn$t actually expected any of them to, anyway. >ven before, they always did their best not to leave the poor little girl alone, for the monsters to eat. #urely they wouldn$t start now, she could see it on their faces, in their eyes. #asha was wounded not 'ust on the outside and he needed her to tell him that it would be all o ay. =ne would thin that by now he managed to exorcise those inner demons, but since it
1 ;

birdie wolf rabid dog

was #asha, that may prove harder than for the rest of the world. 7ight now she should send him away, because he was nothing but trouble, and yet all she wanted right now was to soothe him and assure him that he was safe. ."ould you two, please leave me alone with #asha for a moment?3 +ladimir shot a pair of dagger*glances at !le sandr, but did as she as ed, ta ing &arie with him. !nna could hardly resist the urge to laugh, but her ribs hurt even as she breathed, so it was better not to force it. .5ome here,3 she said patting the empty space on the bed next to her. !s obedient as ever, !le sandr dragged himself off the wall and climbed in bed next to her. )e was a lot ?uieter than usual, definitely not his sassy self, but who new what memories the accident may have stirred. .>verything is fine, #asha. "hatever it is, we can get over it.3 .>ven when you don$t want to see me?3 he whispered. .!s long as it$s you who I see and not ottsa vol -, I don$t mind. I told you, #asha, you are no less important than any other member of my family and the only thing I may never be able to forgive you would be you illing otets1 or +ladi, but the same thing goes for them too. @ou three are all I have left in this world and even if I spend most time running away from you guys, I$d still give my life for any and each of you.3 .:o one wants your life, 7o/a3 ."ell, you guys sure are suc ing it out of me with no remorse.3 )e laughed and tousled her hair. .I really missed you, little brat.3 .:ot that little anymore, you old man.3 .)ey23 he said punching her moc ingly in the arm. .:o pic ing on the old.3 .I$ll try to remember that the next time I meet a grumpy old man. >ver notice how they tend to blame everything on young people?3 .>ver notice how you$re doing such a good 'ob at distracting me?3 .That$s the point, isn$t it?3 ."hy? "hy bother so much?3

father$s wolf father

.<ecause I never li ed father$s ways and I care for you. Aor that very reason I need to tell you that revenge isn$t the way, especially when the one hurting the most at the end, will be you.3 )e shifted his position so that he could loo her in the eye. They were the same pale crystal blue*green he remembered from when they were children. #he wasn$t turning away either. #he was as unafraid as always and he was starting to believe that it wasn$t such a good thing after all. It could get her into a lot of trouble someday .#urprised that I now?3 ."ho else?3 he as ed, his voice cold as ice. .+ladi, but he will not act without strong proof, so if I were you, I$d be extra careful.3 .I can$t believe you told him2 =f all the people in the world, 7o/a, why him?3 .I didn$t tell him anything. @ou eep forgetting that as I am my grandmother$s granddaughter, he is her son. Unli e my father, his sixth sense wor s wonderfully.3 .#hit23 .I$d double that but I$d rather not spea the profane.3 !le sandr 'ust stared at her for a long while. It was so easy to forget about everything when with this strange person even when they were children, after the fights between +ictor and her mom, when he would snuc into her room, it wasn$t to distract her from it all, but so that she would chase away his own memories of his parents fighting. <ut unli e +ictor, his father did hurt his wife; put her in the hospital many times. =n the other hand, +ictor would have never dared to raise his hand on against the wife he loved so much even after her death. There was no one better than 7o/a to ma e him feel li e he was safe and that everything would be o ay. Truth be told, he never did understand why she had that effect on him, but without her, this past decade had been almost a living hell. It too him almost a year after they left, to learn how to act normal without her help, not to fall apart. #he ept patting his hair gently, wishing him to sleep. )e sure did loo li e someone who needed some rest and nowing him, his nightmares didn$t allow him much rest. #he couldn$t help wondering if the sight of his mother burning will ever allow him real sleep. .#asha, will you ever heal? "ill I ever be able to loo and not see anything but mas ed pain?3 you in the eye

."ould you heal, 7o/a?3 .I don$t now, but I am not you. I wor differently than most people.3 .I now and I missed you so much you have no idea how much.3 #he sighted and put her arms around him in an aw ward embrace. .&e too, #asha, me too.3