Eudokhia Kuznetsov was bold for her sex; her mother had often said she was meant to be born a boy. Eudokhia would always retort that women were allowed to be as bold as men and that her mother, God rest her soul, might still be alive if she had been a little more like her husband. Truth told, Eudokhia did not miss her mother much. She’d been a weak woman, and growing up Eudokhia had been taught to do as her father and her brothers told her. But the girl had always been headstrong, and it was a great game of hers to defy what was ordered of her. Whatever her mother’s weaknesses may have been, she’d been a beautiful woman and Eudokhia had inherited those looks. Strawberry blonde hair and flawless porcelain skin, and lips so plump they were begging to be eaten.
Men were drawn to the girl’s figure; she was not a stick, and nor did she wish to be. She had curves in all the right places, a regular Betty Boop with all the sex appeal to boot. She did not flirt like that iconic cartoon character, however; she was fierce, and that was one difference between her other’s appearance and her own. Eudokhia’s eyes were sharp and a danger to behold. Any who were caught in her glare felt their souls being rifled through.
It was a mask, of course. Eudokhia had learned that did not wait for power, one must simply take it. And if that meant faking confidence and regality, then so be it. It was a betting game, and she played only so long as it would take to get out from under her father’s heavy paw. Whenever she threatened to leave he would threaten her with something worse. And for all her ferocity, the girl with ice for a heart had fallen in love. She’d slipped up, and it was her brother who’d found her out. Dimitrii was the smarter of her two brothers, Kasyan was mere brute. They were both older, and though they could be protective, they’d been brainwashed by Viktor Kuznetskov. Their younger sister was merely a pawn, a pretty thing to be used to sway the decisions of other men.
Viktor threatened Sergei’s life. If Eudokhia left, then Sergei would die. If she left with Sergei, then Sergei’s parents would die. His sister. His grandmother. His best friend. Everyone Sergei cared about was being watched, now. They were being threatened.
It was the night of the deal that everything went awry, that Eudokhia finally escaped, though at what cost? Her father had brokered a deal. It was all about territory; he wanted to rule all of Moscow, and to do so he had to have Mister Alexandr Sokolov on side. He’d agreed that Alexandr could marry Eudokhia. Eudokhia had no choice in the matter. She’d made the mistake of calling Sergei; strong, naive, stupid Sergei who came to her rescue like a knight in shining armour.
Except his armour had been make-believe, and Sergei had died with a bullet in his heart.
There was nothing stopping Eudokhia; she wept, she agreed, she played the part of a weak woman who’d been beaten into submission. She waited three days before she found her opportunity to slip through the cracks. On the plane, the bruise covering a quarter of her face -- now glowing a sickly yellow -- garnered her more notice than she would like. The coldness of her glare halted any questions that anyone might want to ask.
One week she travelled, bouncing from airport to airport until she found herself in a city as cold as Moscow, and as mysterious. Harper Rock was out of the way; it was lesser known. There was no reason why her family should look here, though she was lost. She knew no one. She had no contacts. She needed a new name. She had a bag full of money because she did not wish to use her cards. She had no phone, no device through which she could be found. She had to find a hotel that would accept her cash payment and would not ask her name.
But for all her efforts, she had not been careful enough. Little did she know that Kasyan had been tracking her. Kasyan, who was in contact with Dimitrii. They were to bring Eudokhia home. Eudokhia was not aware that her brother had tracked her to her little hotel, and that he was following her through the city; she was headed for the border of Newborough and Swansdale. Apparently there was a man there who could forge some papers. Her first step in her new life was to start over as someone new, someone fresh, someone whose name was clean.
Men were drawn to the girl’s figure; she was not a stick, and nor did she wish to be. She had curves in all the right places, a regular Betty Boop with all the sex appeal to boot. She did not flirt like that iconic cartoon character, however; she was fierce, and that was one difference between her other’s appearance and her own. Eudokhia’s eyes were sharp and a danger to behold. Any who were caught in her glare felt their souls being rifled through.
It was a mask, of course. Eudokhia had learned that did not wait for power, one must simply take it. And if that meant faking confidence and regality, then so be it. It was a betting game, and she played only so long as it would take to get out from under her father’s heavy paw. Whenever she threatened to leave he would threaten her with something worse. And for all her ferocity, the girl with ice for a heart had fallen in love. She’d slipped up, and it was her brother who’d found her out. Dimitrii was the smarter of her two brothers, Kasyan was mere brute. They were both older, and though they could be protective, they’d been brainwashed by Viktor Kuznetskov. Their younger sister was merely a pawn, a pretty thing to be used to sway the decisions of other men.
Viktor threatened Sergei’s life. If Eudokhia left, then Sergei would die. If she left with Sergei, then Sergei’s parents would die. His sister. His grandmother. His best friend. Everyone Sergei cared about was being watched, now. They were being threatened.
It was the night of the deal that everything went awry, that Eudokhia finally escaped, though at what cost? Her father had brokered a deal. It was all about territory; he wanted to rule all of Moscow, and to do so he had to have Mister Alexandr Sokolov on side. He’d agreed that Alexandr could marry Eudokhia. Eudokhia had no choice in the matter. She’d made the mistake of calling Sergei; strong, naive, stupid Sergei who came to her rescue like a knight in shining armour.
Except his armour had been make-believe, and Sergei had died with a bullet in his heart.
There was nothing stopping Eudokhia; she wept, she agreed, she played the part of a weak woman who’d been beaten into submission. She waited three days before she found her opportunity to slip through the cracks. On the plane, the bruise covering a quarter of her face -- now glowing a sickly yellow -- garnered her more notice than she would like. The coldness of her glare halted any questions that anyone might want to ask.
One week she travelled, bouncing from airport to airport until she found herself in a city as cold as Moscow, and as mysterious. Harper Rock was out of the way; it was lesser known. There was no reason why her family should look here, though she was lost. She knew no one. She had no contacts. She needed a new name. She had a bag full of money because she did not wish to use her cards. She had no phone, no device through which she could be found. She had to find a hotel that would accept her cash payment and would not ask her name.
But for all her efforts, she had not been careful enough. Little did she know that Kasyan had been tracking her. Kasyan, who was in contact with Dimitrii. They were to bring Eudokhia home. Eudokhia was not aware that her brother had tracked her to her little hotel, and that he was following her through the city; she was headed for the border of Newborough and Swansdale. Apparently there was a man there who could forge some papers. Her first step in her new life was to start over as someone new, someone fresh, someone whose name was clean.
