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“I’ll scan these before I leave for the night,adelfós,” she said, tapping the papers to straighten them in a neat pile. From the bright cocktail dress she wore, it was obvious she was going to a club tonight. All hips and curves, my sister was every man’s wet dream, and while she knew it, men weren’t her type. Iryna was only intimate with other females, and her sensual appetite was voracious. She chased more tail than a playboy, and when she set her sights on some beauty, she caught them in her web of lust. Secretly, I always hoped she’d findtheone to settle with. But as a free spirit, she wasn’t ready to be monogamous, preferring to share her amorous nature with as many partners as she could find.
“You wanna be my date, cuz?” Adrian asked her. “So we can watch pretty boy here squirm all night?”
“Ooh, as much as I love that idea, and trust me, I do!” Iryna grinned, teeth pearly white against her lush red lips. “I have a hot date.”
“What’s her name?” Adrian was probably her twin in a former life. They went out as wing-mates nearly every week.
“Ellaine,” my sister purred, blue eyes blazing with the sensual fire she’d turned into a raging power. Men might have used her, but she was a phoenix, emerging from the fire.
“Exotic.” Our cousin leaned forward.
To keep him from salivating, I snapped, “Get dressed or get out.”
Adrian barked a laugh, but he stood and took the garment bag from Iryna. As he went into the private bathroom, I walked to the window and looked over the city below. The view from my office was stunning. Mariposa was a thriving metropolis about an hour north of LA. While the underworld had a presence in the second largest US city, most of the members chose to live away from the bustle of Los Angeles.
“Con?” my sister asked, breaking through my somber silence.
There was a note in Iryna’s voice, one that wasn’t generally there. Concern, or something more meaningful. It tugged at my heart. I would die for this woman, and nearly had fifteen years ago.
“Yes?” I slipped my hands into my pockets.
“Don’t let them kill you.”
I snorted. “I’m well aware I’m walking into a nest of vipers.”
“And bringing one back to your bed,” she seethed.
I cast her a sidelong glance. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Yna?”
She huffed. “To be jealous, I’d have to like the witch.”
“But you’ll play nice, for my sake.”
“I’m always nice,” she sulked.
I leaned back against the window, crossing my arms over my chest. “What’s on your mind,louloudi mou?”
It was a moniker I used only in private. I called her ‘my flower’ because it symbolized the bond we shared. There might not be any blood relation between us, but our bond was forged in fire, death, and survival. What we had endured knit us far closer than children sharing the same parents.
“You’re making a mistake,adelfós.” Chest heaving, Iryna’s eyes flashed. This was the she-devil who I saved all those years ago. In this moment, I knew she would kill for me.
As I gazed on my sister’s fair features, a rare emotion bloomed there—raw pain seeped with panic. Things I abhorred seeing. It had me crossing the distance between us. I stopped before her but didn’t reach out. We didn’t do physical comfort. She didn’t like it, and neither did I. But seeing her like this drew that seldom-used side of me to the surface. Ever so slowly, as if dealing with a trapped animal, I reached out. I brushed back the fine creamy hair that framed her face and dropped a chaste kiss on her brow. She tensed but didn’t pull back.
“Iryna, I’m safe,” I said softly. “I have you and Adrian at my side. Nothing will hurt us.”
“But she’ll be yourwife,” my sister nearly sobbed.
I leaned down so we were at eye level. “My decision is made. If I’m going to beat Beaumont, I’m going to play his moves. He thinks to plant a spy in my home, but I’ll be using her for our ends, not his.”
“Spy or assassin?” Iryna bit back. It had been her greatest argument since I broke the news to her.
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Keeping her where I can see her is the best course of action.”
“If you’re so worried, come to the rehearsal,” Adrian ribbed, stepping out of the bathroom.
I held my sister’s eyes for one more moment before giving her a reassuring nod and stepping back. “Have a wonderful night, Yna.”
“You as well,adelfós.” Iryna left the office, tossing a comment to Adrian as she went past. “I’ll be at the wedding, cuz. That’s all I can stomach of that accursed family.”
