Stones and Glass Houses (Book 1)

🕷(94) Ivan's Heiress

Brooklyn POV-

After waking up with a headache so often, Brooklyn really shouldn't have been surprised by her circumstances.

Once again, she'd been taken by the Red Room, and as she laid there with eyes closed, trying to use her other senses to figure out where she was...Brook was just hoping she was not too far away for the reach of her implanted tracker.

Perhaps it would take her friends and family a day or so to figure out she was taken, then again, the Stark had no clue how long had passed already.

She was on a bed, that was for sure. The plush mattress under her was very comfortable, and the air around her smelled of the sea and something old. 

There was no breeze or familiar winter scents, but it was dark. A fireplace was crackling somewhere too, something that explained the warmth she felt.

Brook knew her head had suffered some injuries, her lip burned as well, likely from when she fell face first on the floor. Other than that, the Stark seemed to have full usage of her limbs even when she dare not move.

Brooklyn quickly became aware of the footsteps by her side, as if someone were walking by the bed to check up on her. 

Doing her best to seem asleep, Brook tried to figure out what she could make of the sounds.

Heavy boots, near silent breathing, a male humming of a very familiar song...

The song was called Katyusha, an old Russian folk song from World War II. Though the person did not spout the lyrics, Brooklyn recalled the sad story of a young woman waiting for her love who is away at war with terrifying vividness. It was one of the few instances in her childhood in which Brooklyn was introduced to music.

There was her ballet pieces of course, but this song was specific to one man in particular.

It used to serve as a warning for the young girls, a way to know that when the song echoed along the dark hallways, it meant Ivan was nearby.

Some part of her had been hoping seeing Ivan earlier had been some sort of mistake, that it had been a panicked illusion of her own mind. Brook tried to keep the shivers at bay, knowing Ivan was basically at her bedside, which felt like she was swimming along with a shiver of hungry sharks.

Brook waited for what felt like hours, but Ivan did not move, nor did his whistling and humming stop. Over and over, the sorrows of the Katyusha kept her painfully aware of who's mercy she was now in.

For once in a long time, Brooklyn was alone, no family or friends nearby to lean on. They had all made Brook stronger these past few months, much more than she ever imagined possible...but being away from them...she'd never considered how weak she'd feel without them.

Like a fool, Brooklyn had left her weapons at home, and whatever daggers she'd carried were clearly taken. All she could feel was the constant cold of the inconspicuous vibranium bracelets at her wrists.

It got to the point that Brook was sure Ivan would never leave, and delaying this dreaded reunion would hold little benefit at this point..so she swallowed the fear in her bones and slowly opened her eyes.

The first things she noticed were the old brick in the room, the darkness only kept at bay by a few candles sitting on lavish tables around the circular space. There were two doors, each made of reinforced metal that did not look as ancient as the rest of the structure.