7. Nikolai
Fyodor”s Rules #11 - Never let them see beneath your mask.
Ihadn”t expected Yana to be so against the plan. Fyodor had warned she was used to working on her own. I hadn”t expected her to do what I said blindly, but this was a good plan. We needed to work out exactly who our enemies were, and all the spying in the world wouldn”t tell us as much as someone’s genuine reaction. Surely, she had to know that. Fyodor had spent a lot of our conversation talking about how skilled Yana was socially, and how I should listen to her opinion on those matters. It made her argument with me all the more frustrating.
Tonight, the Italian women were visiting the bar downstairs again. A sort of first date between Fiorenza”s granddaughter and me. It was not as private as I would have liked, with all the wives sitting around and gossiping as they watched us from the corner of their eye. I wanted her to be comfortable though, and I doubted she would be relaxed if she was somewhere alone with me. The few dates I had been on in the past had taught me if a woman knew what type of Scion I was, one of two things would happen. They would either be scared to be alone with me, or all too eager. It was hard to tell which one was worse.
Things seemed to have calmed down between Yana and Lukas, at least. And I didn”t need Pasha”s ability to see the object of people’s lust, to know they had finally given in to the sexual tension boiling between them. The smell of both of their blood on Alexei told me they hadn”t been alone. I tried not to think about it too much, as it would be too easy to let jealousy bloom in a place where there should be none.
Pasha had finally emerged from his room after a full night of sleep and was back to his old self. We had all been worried. This sort of hyper-fixated behavior wasn”t like him. I hoped a good night”s sleep was all he needed to fix what bothered him. Or to fake things were fixed, anyway. He realized what happened between our three siblings almost as quickly as I, and was now doing his own pouting. I had some ideas about how to snap him out of it, but it would have to wait until after tonight.
I had dressed no different to my usual clothes. A nice suit—not my best—but better than anything my brothers would be wearing. I am sure an argument could be made that Pasha was better dressed than I, but his tastes were too flamboyant. There was a lot to be said for the classic look of a good quality black suit.
I couldn”t keep myself from fussing with my hair a little. I was supposed to marry this woman, the least I could do was make a good impression. It wasn”t my first impression, as I had already met her a few times. Brief meetings, always in social settings surrounded by people, where we didn”t have to hold a conversation only between the two of us. Somewhere it was easy for us to get along.
I needed tonight to go well. I needed my brothers to see, this plan could work. Not only the plan to catch whoever it was who had screwed us over, but the marriage plan. Sure, Yana was back, which I knew took Lukas out of the equation, but that still left Pasha and Alexei. It wasn”t like all five of us were going to end up together. Yana could barely look at me. It didn”t help every time she was around, I could feel my fangs itch in my mouth. We had done enough damage to her. I didn”t need to rely on her to feed as well.
Yes. I could only feed on people I loved. The people I cared about. And no matter how much hatred I saw in her eyes every time she looked at me, it didn”t change how I felt about her. Yana had been the first girl any of us had loved. When we thought she had died, those feelings hadn”t gone away. Instead, they had become something else. Something deeper, and yet more indescribable. Now she was back, we all had to confront our feelings. Or, in my case, ignore them in the hope they faded.
I couldn”t keep fiddling with my suit, it was going to get creased. It was time to move. With one deep breath, I locked away all my worries and all my troubled thoughts. My expression smoothed into my usual charming smile. I stepped out of my room, surprised to find Alexei and Yana waiting for me in the living room. Everyone showing up for the event on time was something I would not let bother me. That route led to insanity. Judging by the smirk on Alexei”s face, he knew what reaction it was going to get from me, and he had done this one purpose.
Ublyudok.
They were dressed as a pair, both in black with splashes of red. Alexei wasn”t in a suit, but he rarely wore one, unless it was a special event. Tonight, he sported dark jeans, and a black button-down shirt with a red tie. Simple, and yet he somehow made it menacing. Yana was in a black cocktail dress, tight at her waist, the skirt flaring out. Red gloves and lipstick matched the heels which brought her to Alexei”s height. Her hair was immaculate, in soft waves around her face. She looked like she had just stepped out of some old Hollywood movie. And Alexei looked like he should be outside leaning against a car, cigarette in his hand. He looked like trouble; the kind a sweet girl would find irresistible.
I really needed to get laid more. Maybe after dinner, I could convince Pasha and Lukas I needed blood.
“I hope you two are ready for this. I need you at the top of your game.” As soon as I spoke, Yana rolled her eyes. Alexei was still smirking, like he was already imagining all the ways this could go wrong. As if he was waiting to rub this whole thing in my face. While I knew none of them were happy about the marriage plan, I wasn”t used to all of them being against me.
“You”re the one who needs to be at the top of their game, Nikolai. You have a girl to impress. Unless you are planning on marrying someone who hates you?” Already, Yana was throwing shade at me, and there was something about it which made me want to smile. It was almost like she cared I was going to marry this girl, like it bothered her. That small feeling was one I was doing my best not to nurture. It wasn”t worth thinking about.
Not wanting to get into yet another argument with her right now, I led the way to the elevator. I was thankful we had one which was private and stayed on the penthouse floor whenever we were all home. It meant no awkward waiting, as we tried not to look at each other. Of course, I wasn”t so lucky during the elevator ride itself. Mirrors stood on all sides, while our reflections judged us. It showed me every moment as Alexei wrapped an arm around Yana”s waist and pulled her against him.
It surprised me how well they fit together. It shocked me to see Alexei looking like he belonged with anyone who wasn”t one of my brothers. But somehow, even with the malicious, violent aura which always surrounded him, she looked like she belonged at his side. Like she matched him. Like she was still one of us.
We reached the lobby of the hotel as the Italian convoy was arriving. Usually, I liked to be down here before they entered, as I liked to make sure everything in the bar was ready. I had delayed today because having Alexei around while I fussed was just asking for him to cause trouble. At least he didn”t have as much dislike for the Italian women as he did for the Bratva. It wasn”t often any of his siblings or cousins came for the Bratva women”s drinks, but it was better he wasn”t around when they did.
Although if he was going to sell this whole engagement thing, he was going to have to be here for the next one. I was sure his family would be here in droves to see the girl he’d gotten engaged to. Gossip traveled fast amongst the wives and mothers, regardless of which family they were a part of. It was a thing they all had in common.
My thoughts were interrupted by Fiorenza and her granddaughter making their way through the throng of women who were talking in rapid Italian as they made their way into the bar. My most charming smile was on my face as I kissed Fiorenza”s cheeks and then her granddaughter”s. “It is so good to see the both of you. Thank you for coming.”
Fiorenza wasn”t looking at me though, her eyes instantly having gone to Alexei and Yana.
“Who is this, Nikolai?” She didn”t wait for my answer, pushing past me to look Yana up and down. Her expression seemed more curious than anything, which I counted as a victory so far. She didn”t seem disgusted, and I didn”t think she was shocked. Maybe a little surprised that someone was standing so close to Alexei.
It was also when I realized we hadn”t come up with much of a backstory for Yana. There had been too much arguing to come up with a firm plan. When I first floated the idea past her, I had given her a couple of suggestions, but we had cemented nothing. I didn”t need to worry though, because Yana had this covered.
She smiled at Fiorenza, kissing her cheeks as though they were old friends meeting again. “You must be Madame Fiorenza. My name is Adrienne. Nikolai has told me so much about you. He has been filling me in on all the important players in the city, and you were at the top of his list. It is such a pleasure to meet you.”
Lies fell from her mouth as easily as she breathed. It was all wrapped in a French accent I couldn”t pick as fake, and I knew what Yana normally sounded like. And it was working. Fiorenza”s smile had widened, her cheeks slightly pink.
“He is a good young man, Nikolai. Such a good match for my granddaughter. He didn”t tell me that his brother would be here, or that on his arm would be such a charming guest.” Fiorenza sounded like she meant it. As if Yana had charmed her already, though even I was charmed at this point. I couldn”t do anything but watch as Yana smiled brightly. Her hand came up to her necklace, and then she placed it on Alexei”s chest like it belonged there. Appearing to all like they were a genuine couple.
“I can”t wait until Nikolai and your granddaughter make their announcement. He has been talking about how much he is looking forward to finally settling down with a good woman. Alexei and I have kept our own announcement quiet until afterwards, as we don”t want to be overshadowed by the eldest son. I’m sure you understand. Siblings can be so silly about such things.” She just slipped it into conversation like it was nothing. I was astounded. I had always thought Pasha was the most socially adept of us all, but this was like watching a master at work.
“Alexei is engaged? Nikolai didn”t say anything, which is surprising, given we were discussing marriages so recently.” Fiorenza was looking at me now, like I was in trouble. I hadn”t had time to do anything wrong yet, so I wasn”t sure why. She couldn”t be upset about Alexei being engaged to someone outside of Chicago, could she? I could see the entire plan tumbling down around me, and I needed to save it.
“It was all rather sudden, Fiorenza. A business deal, you know how it is.” I tried to play it off, and she seemed mollified for now. Business deals were something she understood. And she knew as well as I did finding someone who would marry Alexei was nothing short of a miracle. Or I hoped she did, anyway.
Fiorenza hooked her arm through Yana”s, and was leading her away from us, all while Alexei looked on amused. He hadn”t said a word in all this and didn”t look like he was going to join the conversation soon.
I turned my attention to Fiorenza’s granddaughter, offering her my best smile, and then my arm. “Shall we join the others? We have a lot to talk about.” I wasn”t surprised when she said nothing. I was just glad she didn”t pull a face as she took my arm, her wing brushing against my back as we walked side by side.
This was going to be a long night.
You would think, being surrounded by women who were the descendants of angels—some with wings, or glowing eyes, and others with halos—the conversation would be sweet. That they would be worried about making the world a better place than they found it. But these were mob women, through and through. The conversations which surrounded us may have sounded like gossip, but if you followed the undercurrent, they were talking about power. Stalking it as it twisted and was passed back and forth between the families.
It always amazed me how much they knew about what went on outside their own family. And they weren”t the only ones. The women of each of the four factions of Chicago were the same. If the men knew what was talked about in this bar, I was sure quite a few would have had a heart attack. As I had been in enough meetings to know, the men of the Chicago Underground liked to think everything they did was a closely guarded secret, and their actions were invisible to anyone outside of their inner circles.
Clearly, very few of them had an in-depth conversation with their wives.
But everyone listened to their women. Whether they realized it or not.
It was the only way anything got done in this town. The women organized everything, and then fed the ideas to their husbands. I had thought Fiorenza was the best I had ever seen. I had watched for years the way she twisted her husband around her fingers. The only reason he had accumulated as much power as he had—the reason he was next in line for the Italian throne—was because it was what his wife wanted.
Though watching Yana was a whole new experience. It only took her a few minutes, and she had them all eating out of her palm. Somehow, she even had Alexei behaving. He was fetching her drinks, laughing at things she said, and sitting with his arm around the back of her chair. Sure, he was spinning a knife between the fingers of his other hand, but I would have been worried if he hadn”t been. The women were talking around him, not to him, and he didn”t talk to them either. But sitting next to Yana”s side, he wasn”t hindering her conversation at all. I wasn”t sure if she was using her Siren abilities on an entire group of people, but she had to be, didn”t she?
Her powers had grown more than I could have imagined. Not just in their reach and scope, but in their subtlety as well. Her tone didn”t sound any different from normal. It wasn”t like everyone was staring at her dreamily. If I didn”t know she was a Siren, I wouldn”t have been able to tell from watching her talk.
I was so distracted by Yana I wasn”t paying enough attention to Fiorenza”s granddaughter. When I finally turned back to her, she had leaned back in the booth and watched me with a cool expression.
“You’re in love with your brother”s fiancée. That must be tough. If you want to call this whole charade off, I wouldn”t blame you.” She sounded like she was angry at me, or maybe it was pity. It was hard to tell, her tone was so ice cold. I could feel the blood wanting to rush to my face, but I would not let her shame me. We hadn”t even announced our engagement yet.
“Alexei has his hands full with her. And I’m sure you know as well as I, she”s not exactly in for a fun life being married to him.” Alexei wasn”t as bad as people liked to think, though sometimes he was worse, but he was my brother. No one knew him the way we did. “I was making sure no one was at risk of getting stabbed. I’m sure you can understand how it would be a concern?”
Her laughter was soft, almost like she tried to hide it, and her hand even came up to cover her mouth. That action had always confused me, like laughing was something a woman needed to feel guilty about. I didn”t know any men who did it. But there were some things I knew I would never understand, especially about this woman.
“Are you sure? Because if you don”t want to do this, I really wouldn”t blame you?” There was something to her tone which caught my attention—an odd eagerness. It was something I occasionally heard from Pasha, when he tried to convince me something was my idea. My brow furrowed, as while I knew I probably wasn”t her first choice, she sounded like she was looking for any excuse to get out of our arrangement.
“You don”t want to marry me, do you?”
Her shoulders slumped as I asked. Her eyes flicked across to where Fiorenza was paying attention to Yana, rather than to us. As she leaned in, I did the same, giving her at least an illusion of privacy.
“You wouldn”t be the only one in this marriage who is in love with someone else. But there is no telling my grandmother. Once she decides something, it is as good as written in stone.”
I leaned back with a sigh and a look between Fiorenza and her granddaughter. While I hadn”t expected her to be over the moon about marrying me, I had at least expected for her to be willing. Now my brothers weren”t the only ones with a sour taste about this matchmaking.
I was going to have to come up with another plan, and soon.