Chapter Seventy One.

Chapter Seventy One.
The moment they descended the last stair, Xena’s eyes darted across the Living area, then widened in pure shock.

“Anya…” she breathed.

There she stood near the lounge. A white bandage wrapped firmly around her shoulder where the bullet had torn into her, supported by a medical brace.

Without hesitation, Xena rushed forward, her footsteps quick and uneven.

Anya saw her coming, only to be immediately pulled into a tight, desperate hug.

"Ahn!" Anya hissed in pain.

Xena quickly stepped back, guilt on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I’m just... I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered, eyes glassy, voice trembling with relief.

But Anya smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “No, I’m the one relieved you’re safe.” Her smile faded slightly, guilt creeping into her expression.

“I’m sorry, Xena. I dragged you into this. If I hadn’t taken you to that stupid club… none of this would’ve happened.”

Xena exhaled softly and shook her head. “But you protected me, Anya. You risked your life. Thank you.” She smiled through her own lingering fear and confusion.

Anya returned the smile gently, but then her gaze shifted behind Xena. Her shoulders tensed. Her face paled just a little.

Xena noticed.

She turned, and there stood Viktor.

Hands buried inside his coat pockets, posture calm, but his eyes… those obsidian eyes were fixed on the two women.

Just then, the door creaked open and Mikhail stepped in. He noticed Xena and offered her a warm smile.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked kindly.

Xena gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded. “Better,” she said softly.

But before anything else could be said, Viktor’s voice cut through the moment.

“Mikhail. Take Anya back.”

Xena blinked. Her brows furrowed instantly as her gaze shot toward him.

What?

Mikhail nodded without question. Anya gave a small sigh. She turned to Xena, her eyes apologetic.

“I’m sorry again, okay? And… take care of yourself, Xena.”

Xena didn’t reply. She just stood there, watching Anya and Mikhail disappear through the main doors, a strange pit forming in her chest.

She turned back and found Viktor already staring at her. Still.

“Viktor…” she called softly, taking slow steps toward him.

“Why did you send her away so sudden?”

“She needs rest,” he replied coolly. “And so do you.”

Xena gave a small nod, unsure, then turned toward the staircase to head back up, but before she could take a full step, Viktor’s hand reached out and caught her wrist.

He pulled her to him in one swift move, so close her body brushed his coat. She gasped at the suddenness of it.

"You won't see her again,” he said, voice quiet.

Her breath caught.

“What?” she asked, eyes wide. “Why would you say that?”

Viktor’s jaw clenched. “She was reckless. And because of that recklessness, you nearly—” his voice faltered for half a second, as if the memory physically pained him. Then he leaned in, his face mere inches from hers. “Marco dared to touch you. Take you.”

His words were low, seething.

“She didn’t mean for that to happen,” Xena whispered, trying to defend Anya, though her voice trembled.

“I’m not taking that risk again.” His tone darkened, raw. “I almost lost you. Do you understand that?”

The silence between them stretched. Her pulse was thudding in her throat now, and she felt the heat of his breath on her cheek.

He was too close. And yet… she couldn’t look away.

Should I ask him?

“Viktor…” she whispered.

“H–How did you know Marco?” She asked suddenly, her voice low but steady.

Viktor’s expression darkened instantly. The soft shadow in his eyes sharpened into something far more lethal.

His grip on her waist tightened, as if her question alone threatened to slip her from his grasp.

His gaze burned into hers. “Did he say anything to you?” he asked, voice like ice.

Xena blinked, startled by the swift change in his demeanor.

He released her slowly, but not fully, his body still caged hers, the heat of him still pressed dangerously close.

“I said,” his voice was lower this time, more guttural, “did he say something to you?”

Xena looked down briefly, heart thudding, should I tell him about the deal Marco was talking about? Or that I'm is fiance? she thought... I need answers and Marco mentioned my Nana, she should know.

Then she look back up. She didn’t answer his question. Instead, her own curiosity erupted like fire from her chest.

“What am I doing here, Viktor?” Her voice trembled slightly, but her eyes held his. “Why did you bring me here, to Russia? Far away from my home, my family… my life?”

There was a pause. The silence between them stretched long enough that she thought he wouldn’t speak. But then...

“The first time we saw,” Viktor said quietly, “...at the airport.”

Xena’s breath caught.

“I got lost… staring at those innocent eyes of yours,” he continued, voice dark and almost reverent. “You were so… pure. So untouched by the kind of world I belong to. I told myself not to look at you again. That it was nothing, just a fleeting emotion.”

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze consuming her. “But that feeling didn’t die. It grew. You started haunting me, Little Fire, even when I closed my eyes. And that’s when I made a promise…”

He leaned in, his breath brushing her cheek. “That if I ever saw you again, I’d never let you go.”

Xena’s throat went dry. Her hands instinctively fisted by her side, the weight of his words sinking into her skin.

“My mission was simple,” Viktor said, his jaw ticking. “Find the traitor and kill him. But you—” his eyes searched hers, “you showed up again. Not by chance. No, it was fate. You were there… defending your friend. Defending girls you didn’t even know.”

Xena blinked rapidly, her heart aching at the memory of the club....blood... dead bodies … the girls screams… Elena.

“I got hooked again,” Viktor said, his voice raw, “but this time I was furious. One of my men touched you. And I hated it. I hated that anyone else dared to touch what I wanted to be mine.”

She gasped softly, her face turning red.

“But then,” he continued, “I watched you. How you protected others, how you didn’t break. That fire in you… it burned brighter. That’s when I knew—” his thumb brushed her cheek, “—I would do anything to have you by my side. Anything.”

Xena’s breath stilled in her chest as he tilted her chin up, her face now fully cradled in his hand. Her skin tingled under his touch. She should’ve stepped back… she should’ve pushed him away… but she couldn’t move.

“That’s why I call you Little Fire,” Viktor murmured, eyes locked on hers. “Because you burn, Xena. You have no idea how brightly you do. You just need someone to feed it.”

Her lips parted, but no words came.

Viktor’s lips curved into a dark smirk. “So why did I bring you here?” he echoed her earlier question.