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She doesn’t need to be coddled.
“Come here, Valentina,” I murmur, my voice rumbling loudly in the small space. Both of my brothers shoot me an irritated look, but Valentina finally stirs in Andrei’s arms. She slides from his lap and wanders into mine, wrapping her arms around my neck the moment she’s settled. I hold her close, engulfing her in my arms and against my chest. She’s not so tiny that she disappears, but I wouldn’t mind if I could keep her hidden forever.
“Do you know what makes me difficult to kill?”
She shakes her head softly. Her emerald eyes pull me in, and it takes effort to draw in my next breath. Soft like summer moss, green as a field of spring flowers, soothing as the warm sunlight on your back. I could lose myself in this woman.
I dig my fingertips into the tight muscle on her back, and she draws a deeper breath than before.
“I kill first.”
She leans into my chest, and her warmth radiates through my body. With rapt attention, she waits for me to continue.
“In Russia, there is tradition. All youths gather inside pit. It is cold. It is dark. There is one fire in the center.” I remember the trial vividly. All twelve of us, no older than ten, some as young as seven or eight, with wooden torches wrapped in kerosine-soaked cloth. “The goal is simple. Light your torch. Be last one standing.” A cold stone weighs heavy in my chest. “All other flames must go out.”
I don’t elaborate. I don’t need to; Valentina’s eyes fill with tears, and she cups my cheek in her tiny palm. “That’s horrible.”
Yes, it is.
“I survive,” I continue, forcing air into my lungs, “because I act first. I kill first. The world is cruel, lisichka, and you must be crueler to survive. Faster. Sharper.” I glance at my brothers, each one wearing a scowl on their face. They don’t like what I’m telling her.
Too fucking bad.
I hold Valentina closer and breathe in her sweet vanilla scent. “Be brave in face of danger, and you will not die.”
She nods, and a rush of pride swells within me.
“It also helps,” I amend slowly, feeling Andrei’s glare in my direction, “that I am not alone. I have two brothers with me, and now I have little fox.” Her lips curve up, and my hearts melts a little more. “My lisichka is brave, da?”
Her hands tighten around the collar of my shirt as she nods.
“Then, I have no fear.” My scar stretches over my upper lip as I smile down at my beautiful little fox. “I will even teach you how to handle gun. Then you will be even more dangerous.”
Mikhail huffs like he’s dissatisfied. “I want to teach her how to shoot, you fucking bastard.”
Too late. The honor is mine.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Valentina’s nails scratch the base of my neck, and it feels so heavenly that I lean into her touch. “But I’m glad you’re here with me.”
She braces her palms on my shoulders and repositions herself, notching her knees on either side of my thighs and sitting up higher. It’s rare for us to be on even ground; I always tower over her when we stand side by side.
The change of position knocks something loose in my chest, and my heart pumps harder.
Slowly, she lifts her face toward mine. “I want to be strong like you, Ezra.” Her lithe little hands slide up the back of my neck and tangle in my hair. “I want to keep my men safe.”
A groan settles in my chest at how warm her love is. How kind. How tender.
It’s always been my job to keep her safe. To keep my pakhan safe. To keep all of my charges safe.
Not once has anyone wanted to save me.
“You are strong,” I assure her, grasping her full hips and locking her in place. “Only a strong woman could claim three men.”
She blushes at the compliment, but I couldn’t be more serious.
It takes a heart of steel to care about all three of us. To want to keep all of us safe. And very soon, once she ascends her throne and claims her birthright, she will be stronger and more powerful than the three of us combined.
She could bring the city to ruin with a simple flick of her wrist. She could save it, too, just as easily. No matter if the danger lies within its borders or outside of them, trying to break in.
