Fractured Ties by Bethany-Kris Page 0,22

here—pick one, and it’s yours.”

Maya blinked, confused at his statement. She intended to ask him what he meant—didn’t he already have a bedroom here to sleep in? What if she picked his room? Was he going to sleep in the fucking bed with her?

And why did that idea interest her more than it terrified her?

No one is saying he isn’t a fine piece of man, Maya.

A man she apparently belonged to now.

Even if he wasn’t going to say it.

It was the sounds of a beep and a door clicking as it unlatched, that brought Maya from her thoughts, and made her realize Kolya was stepping into the darkness of the townhouse. The garage door closed right after he stepped inside, and Maya rushed to catch up.

So much for asking him anything.

Kolya had already disappeared to somewhere else, anyway. Maya wasn’t sure where, because darkness stared back at her, and she wasn’t even sure what she was looking at. Then, lights lit up the space, showcasing a hallway and the living room it led into.

The bottom floor of the townhouse had a standard layout of a sitting area, a dining room, and a kitchen. The small front entrance didn’t have even a speck of dirt to be found on the mat in front of the door until she kicked her shoes off onto it. The beige walls toted no family pictures and only a few strategically-placed mirrors or pieces of artwork.

There were no coats hanging on the coatrack.

No shoes in the closet.

No dishes in the sink.

And yet, the place was spotless. The dark oak wood floors shined, and barely looked like they had seen any wear at all from people traveling on them. Even the heat had been turned on just enough that the nighttime chill didn’t affect the townhouse. The furniture was leather, stylish, and placed as if to make someone comfortable when using it. The kitchen table was large enough to seat ten, at the very least.

Still, the place didn’t have that homey feel. It didn’t seem lived in at all.

She didn’t for a second think anyone lived here—but especially not Kolya—and yet she found fully-stocked cupboards in the kitchen and a fridge full of food.

“Hungry?”

Maya straightened fast from her position of peering into the fridge and slammed the door. Kolya stood in the kitchen entryway—sans Sumerki, now.

“No, I was just looking around,” she said.

“You’re free to do that.”

Good to know.

“This isn’t your house, is it?” she asked.

Kolya’s lips edged higher at the corners—a ghost of a smile. “What makes you think that?”

“Because it looks like a showroom, and not a home.”

“Perhaps I am impersonal about my space.”

No, she doubted that.

“I don’t think so,” she returned.

Kolya nodded. “It’s not my place—it’s a … mutually owned and used house for certain people, should they need it.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant.

But whatever.

“Why bring me here, then?”

This time, Kolya did smile.

And laugh.

The sound was shocking. It wasn’t the same kind of laugh he had given to Sumerki earlier, but rather, a deeper bass that made Maya’s skin tingle.

Why?

Because he looked so damned good doing it.

“Because, Maya,” Kolya said, “my place is one step up from the dog kennels you were going to sleep in tonight, had I not taken you out of there. I figured you might appreciate being comfortable.”

Huh.

She had so many questions.

So many things to ask.

To know.

Yet she didn’t know where to start.

“Good night,” Kolya murmured, turning his back to her. “I’m sure you’ll find me if you need me, Maya.”

“Wait.”

His broad back stiffened, and his footsteps hesitated. Still, he didn’t turn around.

Maya decided to ask what she figured was the most important question she had at the moment. “What’s going to happen to me now?”

She didn’t expect him to answer.

Or perhaps to give her another vague response that left her with more questions.

And if he did, by chance answer, she didn’t think she would like it very much. It would probably terrify her, actually.

Kolya surprised her.

Maya wondered if it would be just one of many to come.

“I guess we’re going to find out.”

• • •

It was warm sunlight that woke Maya first, and then the softness of the bed that lulled her back into a state of semi-consciousness just as fast. Even in her comfort, and with the side of her face buried into the pillow, she still had a nice view of the room and the window. The stream of morning light filtering through the curtains was just long enough to reach the bed and part of