6. THE ABANDONED

~DAHLIA

"What?" I exclaimed as I shot to my feet.

My heart began to pound heavily as I looked from Viktor to my mother.

"Dahlia. . . Sit down!" Mother ordered through clenched teeth.

I turned back to Viktor and I saw that his expression was already turning into anger. "Usually, I would punish anyone who speaks out of turn or interrupts me in any way. . ."

I gasped and instantly sank to my feet.

"But my father will spare you since you're now our new sister and it's your first time," Cassius finished before flashing me his signature smile.

I swallowed hard. "I— I'm sorry I did that. I— It's just that I've never been away from my mother. We always go everywhere together."

Viktor broke into laughter. "What are you, human? Eight?"

Orion chuckled before going back to eating his food like he didn't just laugh.

"I'm so sorry about Dahlia. She's just very attached to me too much and so am I. But I'll be more than happy to go on a honeymoon with you, knowing that Dahlia will be perfectly safe with her brothers." Mom touched his arm.

Viktor smiled proudly before turning to her and beginning to kiss her like we were all not in the room.

Orion sighed heavily at the sight of them. "Why am I subjected to watch this?"

I blinked too as I heard both of them moan. They both seemed inseparable and it all still felt like a dream.

"Rest assured, Camilla. . . We will look after our little sister," Vladimir said before rising from his seat.

Viktor stopped kissing Mom at this point and stared at his son. "And where are you going, Vlad?"

He scoffed. "Isn't it obvious, I'm excusing you two, so that you can have your privacy. It's not like I'm hungry anyway."

Then Vlad turned to his brothers and nodded once. They all stood up at his wordless command and began to follow him when Orion suddenly stopped and turned to me.

"Little Human, didn't you get the message?" His voice sounded as if merely talking was too much work for him.

I swallowed hard and turned to Viktor only to see that he was also waiting for me to leave. I looked at my mother and she smiled in encouragement. It was indeed my cue to leave.

"I— I'm sorry."

I shot to my feet and hurried after them. We went up the stairs in silence and I believed that we were all going back to our rooms.

It was until we reached the top of the stairs and entered the corridors, far from Viktor's eyes that Cassius grabbed me from behind and pulled me backward so that my back hit his chest.

I gasped, not just because of his masculine aura and warmth but because I could swear I felt his hardness poking against my lower back.

I froze in place, not able to move as Cassius' fingers began to play around my lower stomach.

I shuddered at the feelings his fingers were provoking within me. It was like a forbidden dark fire coming alive in my core and threatening to ask for more.

"What are you doing?" I breathed when I finally got the courage to speak.

By then, even Vlad had stopped and was now resting his back against the wall of the long corridor. Orion did the same to the opposite wall while Cassius and I remained in the center of the corridor.

Cassius pulled back my hair with his free hand and brought his lips so my left ear that I felt hot tingles assault my skin. "We promised to come back for you that night. Didn't we, Dahlia?"

My heart skipped two beats at that moment. I blinked multiple times as I realised that my fear had finally caught up with me.

Vladimir pushed off the wall at that moment and slowly made his way to me, making sure that every step he took, intensified the power of dominance in his aura.

"We never leave unfinished business," he whispered before grabbing my chin roughly and forcing me to look up at him.

"W— what do you want from me?" I managed to say in a terrified whisper.

They all chuckled. Including Orion who was standing there and looking as if he was not paying attention.

I swallowed hard as my body started trembling this time. Cassius began to move his overly warm hand lower down my stomach until he stopped on my private area.

Heat scattered inside me at the mere thought that his hand was there and I bit my lower lip gently.

"You have no idea the scent that you possess, do you?" Cassius asked still behind me.

"How do you expect her to know?" Orion asked before shaking his head. "I wonder why a mere human like her has the rare Blood Orange scent."

I blinked twice at his words and I wanted to ask him what he was talking about but I was too scared to because I feared that it would prolong my time here with them in this dimly lit hallway.

Vladimir leaned over my face. "Neither do you have an idea how much that scent drives our control level crazy. . ."

I released a shaky breath in that moment and he shut his eyes gently as if he was revelling in the air before opening his eyes again.

Then he revealed his tongue and slowly but deliberately licked my lips. I widened my eyes at him as I began to panic.

Why was he doing this? Why was Cassius even touching me in this provocative and inappropriate manner?

Our parents had just gotten married! We were now siblings in the eyes of the law! This was not even supposed to be happening.

Yet it was and deep down, at the darkest corner of my mind, I wanted more.

Vlad inhaled sharply as if the taste he had gotten of my lips awakened something within him and in a split second, he claimed my mouth— roughly.

I was too shocked to react as he moved his lips hungrily against mine, drinking me in like he had been waiting forever to do this and my heart began to race faster than normal because somehow, I was enjoying this.

He suddenly pulled away before exhaling sharply. Then he looked at his brothers as if he was passing a secret message to them and they suddenly broke into a chuckle.

Cassius released me at this moment and I staggered as I tried to catch my weight but it was futile.

I was about to fall when Orion pushed off the wall swiftly and caught me.

I widened my eyes as I looked up at him. He was the last person I expected to do that. He looked down at me as if he was unaffected and turned me around so that he pinned me against the wall.

That was when I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I was mesmerised.

His ocean blue orbs had begun to glow and they looked enchanting up close. He watched me silently as if I was a strange species.

Then he leaned so close that I thought he was going to kiss me too when he spoke instead.

"Whatever you do, don't bleed. . . Or you will unleash the very monsters you fear from within us. . .”