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I laughed. “Father told me himself. Something about him giving you enough time to grieve.”
If looks could kill, I had no doubt I would’ve been dead the moment Aleksei’s eyes locked with mine.
Our father, the previous Pakhan, wasn’t a generous man. When it was nearly Aleksei’s time to rule the kingdom that had been in our family for generations, he’d found him a bride. Though it was more like Aleksei had seen a damsel in distress and decided to be her hero. It was an arranged marriage, a marriage of convenience, with a wonderful girl named Davina.
No one understood how she’d fallen in love with him. He’d taken her away from everything she’d known and loved, and yet, despite him putting her through hell, she’d fallen for him. And from the moment Aleksei saw her, she was his. It was a possessive kind of love, and when an attack happened, she didn’t think twice before jumping in front of open fire to save my brother.
She died later in hospital that evening.
It had been two years since that event, but Aleksei still wore the wedding ring he’d chosen for her, as if wearing it would bring her back.
“That’s not something you should worry about, Kaya.”
The bastard knew how to provoke me—which strings to pull. Our mom was the only person who’d called me Kaya, because it was the name she’d always wanted to give me, and I never liked it when another person used it.
I ignored the flame of anger that had built inside me. “Isn’t it? You’re still my brother, and I don’t want you and Father fighting.”
“Leave Father to me, and let’s talk about your return to Russia.”
I choked on my whiskey. “I’m sorry?”
“Father wants you back in Russia before summer. You’ve had your fun here; now it’s time for you to go home.”
I wanted to kill him. Instead of acting upon the intrusive thought, I laughed it off. “I have a life here now. I’m not a kid anymore, and the only way Father will get me back home is in a body bag.”
Aleksei remained quiet for the next few moments as we had our meal in peace. I wasn’t hungry, given I’d not long eaten breakfast, but neither was he it seemed. He barely touched his food but continued to drink the wine—half of the bottle was gone by the time I finished my meal. I hated wasting food.
“I’ll assign new guards to you, Kaya.”
I ignored the nickname. “Is that necessary? I’ve been here for years and not once have I needed them.”
“Recently, someone who was off grid returned, and he isn’t a man to be taken lightly.”
I hummed. “So, another person you fucked over who’s out for revenge?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Those people are all six feet under, but this one is unpredictable and as much as I hate to say it, good at what he does, and I don’t know what ideas might run through his mind.”
“Who is he?”
“A very dangerous man.”
My eyes were glued to the scar on Aleksei’s face. It started underneath his left eye and dragged down to his chest, a relic from the battle that had left his fiancée dead.
“He goes by the name of Davorin. We’ve never crossed paths, but I know he’s a highly intelligent trained hitman. Who knows who might hire him now that he’s active again?”
The name made me freeze. Aleksei noticed but, aside from giving me a skeptical look, didn’t comment further. It took no longer than two seconds for me to regain my composure, and I let out a small laugh.
“God of death? That’s the name he chose? Fine. If you think the guards are necessary.”
Aleksei spent the next hour and a half trying to convince me to silently go back home and not put up a fight. Once he realized there was nothing he could bribe me with, and that trying to manipulate me was useless as I saw right through him, he gave up. For the time being anyway.
The new guards were going to be assigned later in the day and wouldn’t bother me unless I requested their assistance or it became necessary. I never needed them—I was capable of taking care of myself.
The walk back to my penthouse was much needed.
The crisp air hitting my face was refreshing after having eaten so much in such a short amount of time. Tiana called me, and we talked for the next ten minutes. Apparently, she loved the new clothes I’d sent her, which, in a way, made me content.
By the time I arrived home, my fingers were frozen from holding the phone to my ear. It was a struggle to fold them—it felt as if they were going to snap.
