Chapter 43 Anya
I stood frozen as Dmitri's hands grabbed my arm. His grip was like iron.
"Let me go!" I tried to pull away. "Nikolai needs me! I have to help him!"
"Shh." Dmitri's voice was calm. "You are not going anywhere."
Then, I heard a faint voice calling my name in the distance. "Anya! Anya!"
It was Vera. She was looking for me.
I opened my mouth to scream back. To tell her where I was.
But Dmitri quickly put a cloth over my mouth.
I tried to scream but the sounds were muffled. The estate was in chaos. People were shouting and running. Vera could not hear me.
"Let us take you somewhere he will never find you," Dmitri whispered in my ear.
There was something on the cloth. Something chemical. It smelt like sweet.
My vision blurred. My legs went weak.
"No," I tried to say. But the word came out slurred.
Dmitri dragged me to a car. I tried to fight. Tried to stay conscious. But whatever was on that cloth was too strong.
My strength faded. My eyes closed.
And everything went black.
When I woke up, I was not in a dungeon.
I was not in a warehouse or a basement or any of the terrible places I had imagined.
I was in a bedroom. A very beautiful bedroom.
The bed I was lying on was soft. The sheets were silk. The pillows were made of feather.
The room itself was decorated in cream and gold. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls. Fresh flowers sat in crystal vases.
It looked like a room in a palace.
I sat up slowly. My head spun a little. My mouth was dry.
What was this place?
I looked down at myself. Someone had changed my clothes. I was no longer wearing my simple maid dress.
I was wearing silk pajamas. It was soft and comfortable.
My heart raced. Who had changed me? Who had touched me while I was unconscious?
I looked around the room more carefully. A table by the window was laden with food of different cuisines. Fruits, pastries, meats and cheeses.
The door opened suddenly.
My heart skipped.
Beautiful women walked in. Five of them. All wearing matching uniforms like servants in a rich household.
They were carrying hangers of clothes. Gorgeous gowns in every color. Silk, satin, lace and boxes of shoes and heels that sparkled.
They smiled sweetly at me, like I was someone important.
I pinched myself to make sure this was real.
And yes. It was real.
"Miss," one of them said. Her voice was like honey. It was soft melodic. "The master desires your presence."
I stared at them, confused. "What master? Where am I? Who are you?"
They did not answer. They just smiled.
Before I could protest, they gently but firmly picked me up from the bed.
"Wait, I can walk. I do not need..."
They led me to an attached bathroom. It was huge. The bathtub could fit three people.
They filled it with hot water, dded oils that smelled like jasmine and roses.
Then they undressed me.
"Stop! I can bathe myself!" I tried to push them away.
But they were persistent.
They bathed me like I was royalty. Washed my hair with expensive shampoo. Scrubbed my skin with soft sponges. Massaged scented oils into my shoulders.
It felt wrong. All of it felt wrong.
I was a prisoner. I had been kidnapped. Why were they treating me like a queen?
After the bath, they dried me with fluffy towels and led me back to the bedroom.
They showed me the gowns. "Which would you like to wear, miss?"
"I do not want to wear any of them. I want to go home. I want to see Nikolai."
They ignored my protests and picked out a black, stunning dress. It was sleeveless. It hugged my body in all the right places and made me look elegant and beautiful.
They styled my hair, letting it fall in soft waves over my shoulders. They dorned it with delicate silver hairpins that sparkled.
They put makeup on my face. It wasn’t t too much. But it was enough to make my look like a queen.
They slipped my feet into black elegant heels.
When they were done, they stepped back to admire their work.
"Beautiful," one of them whispered.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I did not recognize the girl staring back. She looked like a princess.
Not like a maid or a prisoner.
"Please," I said to them. "Please tell me what is happening. Where am I? Who is this master?"
They just smiled. "Eat something, miss. You must be hungry."
They guided me to the table and encouraged me to eat.
I was hungry. I had not eaten all day.
I picked at the food and ate small portions. Fruits, bread and some cheese.
It was delicious. The best food I had tasted in weeks.
When I was done, they led me out of the room.
And my jaw dropped.
The hallway was magnificent.
Everything was white, silver, and gold. With accents of rich dark wood and jade.
It looked like a British palace from the movies.
Crystal chandeliers hung from high ceilings. Marble floors gleamed. Expensive paintings lined the walls.
Where was I?
They led me down the hallway, through several rooms, each one was more beautiful than the last.
Finally, we stopped at a massive double doors.
The women knocked softly. Then pushed the doors open.
The room inside was enormous. A study or office of some kind. Bookshelves lined the walls. A massive desk sat in the center. Windows overlooked a garden I could barely see in the darkness.
And standing with his back to me was a man.
He was tall. He has a lean build. His silver hair flowed past his shoulders like a waterfall.
He was not Dmitri.
But something about him looked familiar.
When he turned around, my blood froze.
Alexei Volkov?!
Anger replaced my amusement.
"You asshole!" I screamed. "Take me back! Take me back to Nikolai right now!"
I pulled off my heels and threw them at him.
He dodged them easily, smiling.
I pulled off the hairpins and threw those too.
"How dare you! How dare you kidnap me! Nikolai will kill you! Do you hear me? He will kill you!"
Alexei just stood there. Calm and collected, smiling like this was amusing.
I looked around for more things to throw. I found a small statue on a table and grabbed it.
"Anya, please calm down," Alexei said. His voice was smooth. "I am not here to hurt you."
"Liar! You kidnapped me! You had Dmitri drug me!"
"I did. And I apologize for the method. But it was necessary."
"Necessary? Necessary?" I threw the statue. It missed him and shattered against the wall behind him.
Alexei did not even flinch.
Then he raised his hand, making a signal.
The double doors opened behind me.
I turned, ready to run, ready to fight whoever was coming.
But when I saw who walked in, I froze completely.
It was a young man. Maybe twenty years old. Tall and handsome with familiar eyes and familiar features.
He looked older and more mature. But I would know that face anywhere.
Tears streamed down my face. My knees went weak.
"No," I whispered. "It cannot be."
The young man smiled. Tears filled his own eyes.
"Hi, Anya," he said softly.
My younger brother. My baby brother who I had not seen in four years was sanding right in front of me.