Chapter 28 WHAT IS SHE?
AT A SUPERMARKET
Liana was laughing into her phone, balancing three overflowing paper bags in her arms as she pushed through the heavy glass doors of the supermarket.
"Yes, Mom, I got everything I needed. And the—"
Her words were cut short by a sharp thud. The paper bags slipped from her frantic grip, and a dozen oranges, a carton of eggs, and her precious chocolate bars went skittering across the pavement. Liana felt her feet slide out from under her, gravity pulling her toward the hard concrete.
She braced for the impact, but it never came.
A pair of strong, steady arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back with effortless precision. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she was hauled upward, her chest pressing into a wall of solid muscle.
"Easy there" a familiar, calm voice murmured.
Liana blinked, her gaze traveling up from a pair of broad shoulders to a sharp jawline. It was Dr. Viktor. He was dressed casually in a charcoal-gray sweater and dark jeans, looking less like a sterile campus doctor right now.
"Doctor?" Liana stammered, her face turning a vivid shade of crimson. "I... I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking"
Viktor didn't let go immediately. His gaze searched hers, a professional yet strangely soft concern in his eyes. "Are you hurt, Liana?"
"I'm fine" she whispered, her breath hitching as his hands lingered on her waist for a second too long before he finally released her.
He knelt down immediately, his long fingers reaching for the scattered groceries. Liana scrambled to help him, her mind racing. The last time she’d seen him, she had poured her heart out and been rejected. The embarrassment was a physical weight in her chest.
"I can do it! Really!" she said, her voice a bit too high-pitched.
Viktor paused, holding a slightly bruised orange in his hand. He looked at her, his expression unreadable.
"It's a lot of groceries for one person to carry alone. Let me help you to your car, or at least help you repack these"
Liana looked at the eggs which are miraculously unbroken and then back at the man who had broken her heart only days ago. The "friendship date" with Anya had been meant to help her forget him, yet here he was, smelling of expensive soap and looking entirely too handsome in the morning sun.
"Thank you" she muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Liana scrambled to help him, her hands trembling as they both reached for a scattered bag of groceries. Their fingers brushed briefly, and she felt a jolt of electricity that had nothing to do with the supermarket’s sliding doors.
"I’ve got it, really," she insisted, her voice small. "I’m so sorry for the mess, Doctor"
Viktor straightened up, holding the last of the fallen items. He didn't hand them over immediately. Instead, he stood there, his presence tall and grounding, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made Liana’s breath hitch.
"Liana, I was actually hoping I’d run into you. I've been thinking about our last conversation"
Liana felt her heart skip. "You... you have?"
"I have" He took a step closer, the scent of his cologne wrapping around her.
"I think I was a bit too professional the other day. I'd like to make it up to you. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"
Liana froze, her eyes widening. She almost dropped the bag she was holding. "D-dinner? Like... like a date!?"
The words came out in a shocked squeak. She felt her face burn a deep, humiliated red.
Viktor tilted his head slightly, a small, amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You don’t want that?"
"Of course I do!" Liana blurted out. She immediately bit her lip, mentally cursing herself for sounding so incredibly desperate. She looked down at her shoes, wishing the supermarket parking lot would just swallow her whole.
Viktor let out a soft, low chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine. He reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his touch lingering just a second longer than necessary.
"Good," he murmured. "I have a day off tomorrow. Let's meet by the school’s car park at seven. I’ll drive"
Liana could only nod dumbly, her brain struggling to process the 180-degree turn the man had just made. As he walked away toward his car, she stood there in the middle of the pavement, clutching her bruised oranges and heart-shaped chocolate bars, a dazed smile spreading across her face.
She definitely can't wait to tell Anya about this.
•••
The wind at the edge of the cliff was relentless, whipping Nikolai’s dark hair across his forehead as he stood overlooking the churning, black waters below. The jagged rocks far beneath seemed to reach up like frozen claws, but he didn't flinch. He simply stood there, an immobile statue of cold power, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun refused to fully break through the clouds.
The sound of dry leaves crunching behind him broke the silence.
Slowly, a woman emerged from the tree line. She was a striking, haunting figure; her hair was a shocking shade of bone-white, contrasting sharply with the long, flowing black gown that trailed behind her like ink. Her makeup was just as dark, her lips painted a deep, matte black that gave her an ethereal, deathly appearance.
She was Karina, a witch whose lineage was as old as the mountains.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice carrying a melodic yet chilling edge. She didn't approach too closely, even a witch knew the danger of standing within arm's reach of a Volkov.
Nikolai didn't turn around. His gaze remained on the ocean. "You know why I'm here, Karina. I didn't come to this godforsaken cliff for the view"
Karina let out a dry, hollow laugh that was swallowed by the wind. She adjusted the heavy silver rings on her fingers, her eyes narrowing as she studied his back.
"For Shadow?" she guessed, her tone shifting to one of knowing amusement. "The cat is getting restless in his skin, isn't he? He wants to walk as a man without the tether of your will"
Nikolai finally turned, his golden eyes glowing with a dull, dangerous light.
"Just do whatever you have to do, Karina" Nikolai commanded, his voice dropping to a low, serrated edge.
Karina stepped closer, the black silk of her gown hissing against the jagged rocks like a serpent. She reached up, tracing a long, blackened fingernail through the air, leaving a faint trail of shimmering frost behind.
"The toll is always blood and time, Nikolai. You know this," she murmured, her dark lips curling into a knowing smirk. "But very well. I will prepare the incantations. Shadow will have his skin, for a price"
She paused, her eyes clouded over for a moment, turning a milky, sightless white before snapping back to their piercing depth.
"Least I forgot," she added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that made the wind seem to die down in respect. "That Anya girl... she isn't an ordinary human"
Nikolai’s posture didn't change, but the atmosphere around him grew heavy, the temperature dropping several degrees. He took a slow step toward the witch, his shadows lengthening and twisting at his feet.
"Then what is she?" he demanded.
Karina let out a soft, taunting laugh that sounded like dry bones rattling in a jar. She began to back away into the treeline, her form already starting to dissolve into the mist.
"Why don't you find out for yourself, Volkov?" she challenged, her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere. "After all, you’re the one who brought the storm into your house. Sleep well, Nikolai"
With a final, sharp cackle, she vanished into the shadows of the woods, leaving Nikolai alone on the cliffside. He turned back to the churning black sea, his jaw tight.