Every ounce of Sofia's courage crumbled. Seeing that red snake and that demonic man together on her bed felt like being buried alive. She couldn't stay there for another second.
She spun around and bolted once more. Her crimson silk nightdress billowed behind her like a flame, and her long black hair whipped wildly against her back. In that red gown, she looked like a single drop of fresh blood amidst the stark white Siberian snow.
The Moment of Hiding:
She sprinted through the corridors like a madwoman, ducking into a dark store-room at the very end of the palace. The room was cluttered with dust and old furniture. Sofia slammed the door shut and pressed her back against it, gasping for air. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through her chest.
In the darkness, even the sound of her own heavy breathing felt like a cannon blast. She huddled behind some dusty trunks, pulling her knees to her chest, making herself as small as possible. She prayed that he wouldn't find her.
Suddenly... the silence was shattered by the rhythmic thud of heavy boots in the corridor.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
The footsteps stopped right outside the door. Sofia clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. From the other side of the door came that hauntingly calm voice:
"Playing hide and seek, Sofia? In that red dress, you look exactly like a hunted doe. But remember, every wall in this palace listens to me. No matter where you hide, the scent of your perfume will lead me straight to you."
The doorknob began to turn slowly. Sofia watched in terror as a wisp of cigarette smoke began to curl under the door.The darkness of the room felt like a noose tightening around Sofia's neck. She sat like a stone statue in the corner, her red nightdress splayed across the dusty floor. She held her breath, fearing even her heartbeat might pierce the walls.
Outside, the thud of the boots had stopped. This silence was far more terrifying. Sofia thought he might have left. But then, she heard the sound of nails scratching against the wooden door.
"I know you're in there, Sofia," that calm, cruel voice drifted from the other side. "You've forgotten—I can read the language of your eyes, and I can track the scent of your fear."
Suddenly, he delivered a violent kick to the door. The dilapidated storeroom door swung open with a bang. As the dim light from the corridor spilled in, Sofia's shadow stretched long against the wall.
He stepped inside slowly. The glowing cigarette still dangled from the corner of his mouth. He didn't look around; he walked straight toward the trunks where Sofia was hiding.
Leaning over the trunk, he looked directly into Sofia's eyes. Through the haze of smoke, his blue eyes were piercing. He smiled with a haunting, demonic charm:
"Caught you, Sofia. You may be a Major, but to me, you're still that little girl who is afraid of the dark. Why are you running? Don't you know that once a hunter tastes blood, it's impossible to escape him?"
He lifted her trembling chin with his finger. His touch was as cold as ice.
"Tell me, Sofia... in this dark room, will you try to kill me again? Or will you join me in that old game we used to play, dressed in this beautiful red?"The mysterious man didn't waste another second. As he held Sofia's chin, he pulled a small Taser from his pocket. Before Sofia could react, he pressed it firmly against her shoulder.
ZAP!
A sharp, blue electrical surge tore through Sofia's body. Her frame arched for a fleeting second, her eyes glazing over. Before a scream could even escape her throat, her muscles went limp. She lost consciousness and collapsed into his arms.
The man smirked with cold disdain. He swept her up effortlessly into his arms. Sofia's long black hair and her crimson silk nightdress trailed against the floor as he carried her out. The palace was as silent as a grave. He walked back to the grand bedroom where the red snake was still coiled, waiting.
He tossed her carelessly onto the bed. The snake began to slither around her paralyzed body. The man ripped off his shirt and leaned close to her unconscious face.
"Four years ago, you shot me while I was vulnerable, Sofia. Tonight, I will make you my prisoner while you sleep. When you wake up, you'll realize that in this Siberian frost, you are no longer a queen you are merely a pet, as loyal as this red snake."
He lit another thick cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke over her unconscious face, staring out at the falling snow.The shadow of the man loomed over the unconscious Sofia. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and toxic. There was no mercy in his eyes only a cold, four-year-old thirst for absolute revenge.
He leaned over Sofia's limp body with agonizing slowness. Tossing aside his glowing cigarette, he began to exert his dominance over her. Sofia was still deep in a state of paralysis from the shock, completely unaware of what was happening.
Sitting beside her, the man began to unbuckle his pants. Every movement was calculated and cold. He intended to bind her in an intimate yet painful union, merging his presence with her crimson silk dress.
The red snake on the bed raised its head, slithering slowly over Sofia's stomach. Dimitri leaned into her ear, his hot breath grazing her skin as he whispered:
"You thought killing me was the end? Look, Sofia... tonight we are reunited. But this isn't love this is domination. Tonight, I will inject my venom into your veins so that when you wake up, you won't even recognize yourself."
Outside, the Siberian blizzard grew more violent. Inside the room, the last flicker of candlelight died out. Only the glowing eyes of the red snake and Dimitri's predatory touch remained as witnesses to the darkness.As the ice-cold dawn of Siberia pierced through the window, Sofia's heavy eyelids fluttered open. Her head was throbbing with a piercing ache, and every muscle in her body felt frozen.
Gradually, she opened her eyes. The heavy scent of tobacco still lingered in the air. As she tried to sit up, she felt a heavy silk sheet covering her. But the moment she felt the touch of the sheet against her bare skin, her blood turned to ice.
She pulled the sheet aside slightly and realized the expensive red nightdress was gone. She was completely naked beneath the covers. The bluish marks of that demonic touch were still fresh on her pale skin. On her Phoenix tattoo, there was now a deep, jagged bite mark.
The red snake still lay beside her on the bed, acting as a silent guardian. Sofia wanted to scream, but her voice failed her. She saw the man sitting on the sofa nearby, wearing only trousers, holding that same thick cigarette.
He had been staring out the window, but he turned as he heard her wake. That same mocking smirk played on his lips. Exhaling smoke, he said:
"Good morning, Major. Four years ago, you took my life, and tonight, I took everything from you. Don't bother covering yourself with that sheet, Sofia, because every inch of this body now bears the mark of my ownership."
Sofia clutched the sheet to her chest, glaring at him with pure hatred as tears streamed down her face. She realized she was no longer the Queen of Siberia she was the personal captive of this devil who claimed to be Dimitri's shadow.
The man walked over, wiped a tear from her cheek with his finger, and whispered, "Don't cry. The game has just begun. You wanted Dimitri back well, I am back. But not as your lover... as your destroyer."All of Sofia's pride and elegance dissolved into salty tears. Clinging to the silk sheet to cover her naked body, she huddled in a corner of the bed. Her sobs filled the room with a heavy, suffocating air.
She wailed, "Let me go! I beg of you, set me free! I've suffered enough between Ricky and Dimitri. I've burned in loneliness for four years. Don't destroy me like this... please, just leave!"
Her pitiful cries evoked no mercy in the man's eyes. He walked slowly to the edge of the bed and sat down. He flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the side table right next to her.
Mocking her pain, he grabbed her jaw firmly, forcing her to look at him. His voice was as cold as ice:
"Set you free? Four years ago, when you pumped hot lead into Dimitri's chest, didn't he ask for mercy? You didn't show any then, Sofia. Today, in this Siberian palace, your crying sounds like music to my ears."
He leaned in, whispering harshly against her ear:
"If you wanted freedom, you should have chosen death. But I won't let you die. This room, this sheet, and my rule this is your world now. I buried the word 'mercy' in Dimitri's grave."
He gripped the edge of her sheet and pulled it toward him. Sofia screamed louder, but neither the handmaidens nor the guards came. They all belonged to the new master now.
The red snake on the bed swayed to the rhythm of her sobs, as if it, too, was partaking in this brutal celebration.The man remained unmoved by Sofia's desperate cries. Instead, he indulged in a demonic ritual. Crushing his cigarette, he moved dangerously close. Sofia tried to wrap the sheet tighter around herself, but he grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip. What he did next left her paralyzed with horror, her voice echoing a single scream: "No! No! No! No!"
He pulled out Dimitri's old gold locket—the one Sofia thought was buried with him four years ago. But he didn't put it around her neck. He opened it to reveal a small needle-tipped syringe.
Ignoring her pleas, he plunged the needle directly into the center of the Phoenix tattoo on her neck.
"No... it can't be! Kill me, but don't put that venom in me!" she gasped.
The man emptied the syringe and placed a finger on her lips. "This isn't poison, Sofia. This is the drug that will make you so dependent on me that you will throw away this sheet and crawl to my feet yourself. You wanted freedom? Here is your freedom from reality."
As the drug took hold, Sofia's pupils dilated. Her sobs faded into a hollow silence. She saw her red snake climb onto the man's shoulder, its eyes changing color. She realized she wasn't just his prisoner; she was becoming his eternal slave.