Page 127 of Inked in Devotion

“You picked well, Zahkarov.” Dima grinned at Kirill. “Your wife⁠—”

Kirill grabbed his collar. “Don’t even talk about my wife, or you can start shoveling your grave in Irina’s rose garden.”

“Oh God,” Chloe mumbled beside me.

“Christ, what happened to them?” Dima was addressing Rurik. My protectiveness over Chloe and Kirill’s touchiness when it came to Lucy surprised him.

“You snuck this bastard in?” I snapped at him.

Rurik, as brigadier, did not outrank me. I operated independently and reported directly to the pakhan. No one except Kirill gave me orders, and sometimes even I defied them.

But it was Maksim who confronted me while Kirill was trying to keep me from murdering Dimitri. These Zahkarov brothers. When did they get along?

“Would you dial it down,” Maks said quietly, harshly. “We’re already spooking Theo, and with the wedding this weekend⁠—”

“I got this.” Chloe claimed my arm and hooked our elbows together. “There will be no fighting, dammit.”

I raised a brow at her vehemence.

She dragged me away. “This party is for Theo and Aralina. Let’s not make it about us.”

“What did Dimitri say to you?” I was still vibrating with an aggression I had trouble reeling in because it did not gain the satisfaction of a release.

“Nothing much until you stormed over like he had a gun pointed at my head.”

“You have no idea who he is, Chloe, or what he can do.”

“The eyes gave it away. I figured he’s like you, so you can’t say I had no experience.”

We entered a function room where the Zahkarovs held events like this. Chloe paused our conversation to take in the area. Shades of gold and pink decorated the space.

“Oh wow, this could be the wedding right here.”

“I wish,” I muttered. “Then this could be over with and you’d consider my proposal.”

“Oh, did you propose?”

“That’s sass, right?” I led her to a corner and clasped her shoulder to face me. “You’re sassing me.”

“‘You’re marrying me, princess’ is hardly a proposal,” she retorted.

“You want a ring?”

She glared at me. “Figure it out yourself, Petrov.”

She knocked my hands from her shoulders and stomped off to join Lucy and Aralina.

I hissed out a frustrated breath. It was hilarious when it was Kirill floundering. But Lucy was already his wife at that time. I didn’t know how to do this. I didn’t know how to make Chloe see she was mine without putting on an act. I wasn’t a man of flowery words. Protection equals love. Love. What was it that Aralina said about love languages? Shit. I couldn’t recall a single thing.

“Looks like you need a drink.” Rurik handed me a glass of vodka.

“What the fuck were you playing at, Sokolov?” I grabbed the glass and downed the vodka. It went down smoothly and restored a semblance of calm to my nerves. A Petrov did not lose control. Dima didn’t. Faced with my fury and with my fingers strangling the life out of him, he still had the audacity to mock me. I was the aggressor, but it exposed my weak underbelly.

Chloe.

She and Sebastian were my weakness. And that was why I was desperate to cement a fort around them by all means necessary.

“Dimitri is your cousin. He comes and goes in this bratva.” He shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”