Sasha & Andriena #1 (Lovers & Sinners) by Marita A. Hansen Page A

hands
and looked up at him, her brilliant blue eyes shining bright with tears. “You
think so?” she asked softly.
    He willed himself to
nod. He didn’t feel comfortable with lying, but he couldn’t cope with anymore
of her crying, the woman wearing him down.
    She wiped her eyes
and gave him a sweet smile he didn’t deserve, especially after the way he’d
treated her. He didn’t understand how she could so easily forgive him. It was
as though he hadn’t assaulted her. For a moment, he wondered whether she wasn’t
just stupid, but mentally impaired. Or maybe he just hadn’t met anyone who was
as kind as her, because, despite her infuriating personality, she was kind,
her offer to pay for his freedom unexpected. His mind went to his baby brother,
who’d also been kind. And like Andriena, Yuri had been weak, often needing
Sasha to protect him from predators. But now Sasha was the predator,
threatening Andriena when he should’ve been helping her.
    “Eat,” he said, wanting
to make up for what he’d done. His brother wouldn’t have treated the woman poorly
because of her family, if anything, Yuri probably would’ve forgiven the man
who’d shot him. Sasha glanced up at the ceiling, wondering whether Yuri was watching
over him, because he was definitely in Heaven, his brother now an angel.
    Andriena wiped her
eyes. “What did you say?”
    He looked back at
her. “You can have my food,” he said, his thoughts about Yuri making it hard to
breathe.
    “Why are you giving
me your food?” Andriena asked, looking surprised. “You hate me.”
    No, I hate myself. “I shouldn’t have treated you so cruelly yesterday. I’ve also been
a bastard to you since I regained consciousness. Take this as a peace
offering.”
    She remained in her
corner, looking taken aback.
    “Aren’t you hungry?”
    She nodded.
    “Then, why aren’t you
eating?”
    “I don’t feel right
taking your food.”
    “Then it’ll go to
waste, because I won’t touch it. So, either eat it or go hungry, it’s your
choice.” He lay down on the bed and turned over. His stomach was already
protesting his decision, the rich smell of the Beef Stroganoff causing it to grumble
loudly.
    A minute or two later, the sound of soft
footfalls reached his ears. Andriena sat down at the table and started eating
his food. He pressed his ear against the mattress and covered his other one,
wishing he was anywhere but here.
    ***
    “Sasha, Sasha, wake
up.”
    He opened his eyes
and looked up at his mother’s panicked face. “You have to leave, your father’s
coming.”
    Terror raced through
Sasha, the need to get away all consuming. He scrambled out of bed, spotting
his nanny helping his baby brother pull on a jacket. Yuri’s young face was petrified.
He was nine while Sasha had just turned twelve, the both of them looking like their
mother.
    Sasha grabbed his
jacket and went for the large bookshelf in their room, pressing the button for
the escape passageway. The bookshelf split down the middle, parting like
sliding doors. Yuri shot passed him with a torch, disappearing down the thin passageway.
Sasha followed his brother through the opening, stopping at the sound of a
man’s booming voice. It was coming from the corridor, growing louder by the
second. Sasha turned back, waiting for his mother, but instead of following
him, she rushed for his bedroom door with his nanny.
    “Go, baby,” she said.
“I’ll meet up with you later.”
    Sasha hesitated, not
wanting to leave her behind.
    She pressed her back
against the door, screaming, “Go!”
    He hit the button,
watching her and his nanny labor to keep the door shut, despite it being locked.
The bookshelf closed just as a loud bang came from his room. Terrified for his
mother, he placed an eye to the spy hole. His mother and nanny staggered back
from the door, which had flung open, revealing a tall man dressed in a long
black cloak. He also had a hood over his head, reminding Sasha of the Grim Reaper,
his