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“I need to cover this cast so I can shower and then maybe you can help me to get downstairs.”
“Downstairs? Usually one of your men carries you down the stairs.”
Nalia squinted her eyes and gave Malayna a wink. “Not today, Malayna. Today begins the new way things are going to work. I’ll be joining whoever is around for lunch.”
Malayna smiled. “I love your spunk. I wish I had more of that.”
Nalia grabbed her shoulder and held her gaze. “You will have that, Malayna. You’re stronger than you want to accept right now. One day, very soon, the fears you have will suddenly not seem so intense. Your determination to have a new life, a full life free from fears and filled with empowerment, training, and capabilities will replace all the bad things. You’ll see. It will happen, and I’m going to be right by your side to help you. Now, let’s get a move on it. I don’t want anyone carrying me down the stairs to breakfast.”
Malayna couldn’t help but feel Nalia’s determination. Maybe spending so much time with her might help Malayna absorb some of that determination and spunk as well?
* * * *
“What do you think you are doing?” Viktor asked as Nalia and Malayna entered the kitchen dining area. She was walking on crutches, looking like she was in pain but determined. Viktor knew that look. Malayna was right by her side and appeared frightened by his loud tone. One look around the room showed Viktor he wasn’t the only man affected by this situation.
“I can assure you that I am perfectly fine to join everyone for lunch down here. For the record, there need to be some changes.”
“Changes?” Cosivan asked with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He stared at his woman with such a serious hard expression, Viktor hid his smirk as Nalia rolled her eyes and then painstakingly made her way to the table.
“Yes, Cosivan, changes. With my father’s permission and blessing, of course, it’s time to speed up this healing process,” she said and then pulled a chair out and reached for a spoon to dish some eggs onto her plate. Boian made room for Malayna as Cosivan sat back in his chair, holding a firm expression, too. Viktor wondered what Nalia was up to.
“You need to rest. Those stitches could pull, or your leg give out. The doctor said four to six weeks off of it and elevated. Then another two to three weeks in a boot and lightweight bearing on it. Right now you are disobeying doctor’s orders,” Viktor reprimanded.
“Whatever,” Nalia said and sat down. Chatham pulled over another chair and then lifted her leg to elevate her ankle.
She took a bite of eggs and then swallowed.
“Another thing.”
Dusty exhaled.
“Nalia,” he said firmly.
“Another thing,” she repeated firmly back and then shook her head as if annoyed with them.
“I am not about to sit upstairs in a bedroom like some invalid or hermit. I spent most of my life praying, hoping that one day my father and I could be together, spending time together and getting to know one another and have a normal relationship. I also spent a lot of time alone and that is not how life should be led. We’re a family, all of us, and we need to start acting like one because damn it, we’ve got a lot to offer and help with, me included. By the way, Dad, we’ll need to talk. Alone. There are things to discuss,” she stated.
“Really?” Karlicov asked.
“Yes, sir. Now, can we all sit down and have breakfast together? I really don’t want to have it alone upstairs. I finally have a family, five men I love, a father, and a new best friend,” she said and winked at Malayna.
Viktor looked at Cosivan, who didn’t seem too happy about how Nalia was running the show.
“That sounds like a great idea, but, Nalia, right after breakfast you and I are going to have a little discussion about showing respect and not making demands on people. We’re all here to ensure your safety and your happiness, but it seems you’re still in need of some discipline,” he teased.
“Sounds like a plan, Cosivan, and for the record, it’s about time,” she said and then leaned back and popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. The guys chuckled but Viktor couldn’t help but feel like Nalia’s show of independence and strength was for another reason entirely. One glance at his new cousin, Malayna, and her expression of shock but also shyness and fear, and he had a feeling Nalia was trying to help Malayna fit in and feel safe. That was simply amazing considering that Nalia hadn’t even spent any time living here, getting to know her father, or even starting to work on a new life with Karlicov included. Nalia had a huge heart, a great spirit, and one serious ass spanking coming her way from Cosivan.
* * * *
Malayna made her way down the long corridor, admiring the fine art her father displayed. He was an avid art collector, only the finest pieces, and she enjoyed taking the time to admire their beauty. She thought about Cornikup and how he would make her read and learn all about Russian art, Russian lifestyles, and about business. Yet her heart remained with thoughts of her Ukrainian life, and the old home in which she lived, grew up in, and remained alone with her mother, Mya.
Her heart was hardened now. She had learned to submerge her emotions, had been trained to be obedient, passive, and controlled. Watching Nalia exert her assertiveness and to hear her determination to not allow the pain to rule her life made Malayna wish for so many things. At the moment those wishes were simple. Malayna wanted to feel safe. She wanted to learn more about who her father really was, rather than how Cornikup described him. It was obvious to her that Cornikup was jealous, and his hatred strong.
She stepped closer to a large picture of a mother with her daughter standing by a small house with fields of flowers surrounding them. That could have very well been her and her mother, except for the abundant flowers. In their home, a small, quaint house where they worked hard to live a modest life, there was little money left for planting flowers or engaging in frivolous things like pretty flowers to gaze upon. Not when they were both working so hard to pay for food, maintain their home, and ultimately hide. Malayna should have known her gut was right when she started talking to her mother about colleges, and perhaps heading to the States for better opportunities. Her mother forbade that she even look at colleges and told her she needed to maintain her position as a maid and nurse for the elderly in the local hospital. It was there she met Olenna, an older woman who had been a teacher. It was with Olenna that she learned about art, about history, and about photography. Olenna introduced her to the basics of taking photos and then even gave her a
camera to use. She had been taking pictures that day. The day she got home late and stumbled upon her mother being murdered, and Vlladim being the one to kill her.
“Malayna?”
