Chapter 9 Mikhail
CHAPTER NINE
MIKHAIL
Vhen I enter ze room, everyone stands as I find my seat, annoyed already zhat I’m seated in front of Veronica’s snake of a fazher, Grigori Yishiv.
Pakhan raises a brow, his ringed fingers tapping ze arm of his chair. Everyone in ze room on ze Bershov Council takes a seat on our side of the table, while the Yishiv family on ze other side takes a seat a beat slower.
“Misha, you are late,” Pakhan speaks and cuts his eyes to me.
“I am here. Zhat should be enough.” I slide into ze leather chair beside Pyper.
“Zhat vill be enough,” Pakhan says as he glances over to Grigori. “Considering vee have uninvited guests, vhy don’t vee get to ze purpose of your visit?”
Grigori smiles, a chilling, thin-lipped expression zhat doesn’t reach his unsettlingly still, pale eyes.
“Uninvited, Pakhan? Ssssurely not. Vee are family, or sssoon vill be. Let us not pretend zhisss is simply a courtesy call. Ze terms have changed,” Grigori states, his voice smooth and cold as his serpent’s skin.
“Ze Bershov line is failing. Ze unchanging blood is not a curse vee merely discussss over tea. It is a curse for some of you, but it’s terminal to some…
zhat threatens to make you all insignificant humans and vill eventually have you die out. ”
I lean forward, my jaw clenching. Beside me, Pyper’s eyes glow vhile a seat down, Alik bears his fangs, his muscles tightening.
“You show great insolence, Grigori,” I growl, shaking ze table. “You forget zhat zhough our blood is veak, our claws are sharp.”
“Hsssss hssss hssssss,” Grigori laughs, a dry, rasping sound.
“Claws are useless if you cannot shift. Look around, heir. You need us, or in two generations, ze Bershov bears vill be but a ghost story in ze undervorld. Our strong, ancient genes are ze only antidote to your affliction sssince even filling it vit ozher bloodlines gained you nozhing.” He glances to Dimitri.
“A fox shifter, and even a coyote,” he snorts at Nadya, and I fist my hands.
“Nozhing vill come of it. Ze Bershov’s are bound to disappear vitout us. ”
Pakhan slams his cane down, his eyes gloving a dangerous, elemental blue, vit small sparks of electricity cracking in ze air.
“And you forget, Snake,” Pakhan snarls, his voice guttural and low.
“Vho you are addressing. After your clan’s debauchery in ze garden of Adam and Eve, your clan fell out of favor vit every faction and ze source itself.
Now you are stuck crawling on your belly, begging for legitimacy.
You need our lowly insignificant influence name to re-enter society.
Even if our diluted shifter blood dies out, vee vill still hold power and move mountains in ze undervorld, so you need us more zhan vee need your poisonous genes. ”
“Yet, here vee are,” Grigori smiles, hissing, and ze tension in the room coils so tight, zhick, and suffocating, zhreatening to break ze deal vee vorked so hard for. but I sit back, knowing ze ball is in my court.
“So… vhat do you vant?”
“Vee demand ze official engagement announcement be moved up immediately. Vee vill not have Veronica’s honor compromised furzher by your heir’s… distractions.”
“Vhat does zhat mean exactly?” I hum.
“Veronica told me about your leetle human playzhing.”
“VATCH YOUR MOUTH!” Alik warns, standing, and I cut my eyes to him.
“Vhat? It’s true… vhile it’s faint, I can ssssmmeeellll him on her at ze event earlier.
” He flicks his tongue out and I go still as Alik flinches and frowns.
“So, vee came to agree zhat ze announcement vould happen after Dimitri and Nadya’s, but considering the recklessnessss…
” he pauses, glancing pointedly in my direction.
“Of your heir, vee vant security.” I stare at Grigori as he finishes, his cunning move clear.
He plans to use my current… indiscretion as leverage.
“I see…” Pakhan glances over to me. “Is zhat all you have to say?”
“Da. Move up ze announcement or vee call off ze agreement.”
“I see your daughter seems to have lot of influence over hov you do zhings… I hope you do not zhink it vill be ze same here. Da, I marry for convenience, but…” I slam my fist on ze table.
“Do not confuse zhis for love,” I remind him.
“Vee can move date up as far as you vant… but it changes nozhing.” I lean back in my chair. “Know zhat.”
His flinches, snarling.
“You say zhat, but you cannot mean to say you vill put my family’s honor and reputation on ze line!
Surely zhat is not vhat you’re telling me!
” he sneers, but he is like his daughter.
A bitch… all bark no bite. I stare him in ze eye, smirking, letting him know plainly zhat’s exactly vhat I plan on doing.
“DISRESPECTFUL!” He scrapes his chair back, yapping like a mutt as Pakhan slams his cane down.
“Yishiv, calm yourself. My heir is honest. Zhat is vhy he is ze heir. I vas ze one who placed such burden on him, so he is right to not vant to be tied to a voman he harbors no feelings for…”
“BUT, AS A FAZHER, I C—” Pakhan raises his hand.
“Regardless…Veronica has been a friend of ze family for long time. Her and our Nadya vere once best friends, so as a courtesy for her honor, regardless of feelings, appearances must be kept.” Pakhan cuts his eyes to me seriously.
“Misha, you are free to... indulge... but, for our ally’s soft heart, be discreet. ”
I snort, leaning back.
“I vill zhink about it,” I mumble.
“Zhat settles it. Ze engagement vill be announced early,” Pakhan states, voice controlled, heavy with authority and bitter resignation.
“Zhis discussion is over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a card game to get to.
” He stands, leaving immediately, and I sit zhere pissed, zhough zhere is nozhing I can do.
The deal vas struck, and I stand to leave, but not soon after I feel a presence and I turn to see Alik and Pyper standing behind me.
“Alik?”
“Mikhail…” Alik pauses, working his jaw. “Is vhat zhat Yishiv bastard said true? You’re… you’re messing vit Connie?”
“Vhat’s it to you if I am?” I question vit a straight face.
“I... j-just stay avay from her,” he grits out and I smile, flashing fangs before I incline my head, sighing.
“Alik, you have alvays been an obedient one… stay zhat vay, and mind your fucking business,” I vave him off, but he snarls.
“Connie IS my business.”
“Oh really? She sure vasn’t vhen she had my d—”
“MISHA!” Pyper growls, eyes flashing, and I chuckle.
“Vhat, Pyper? I’m simply stating ze truzh.”
“Da, but still…”
“Fine, I’ll vatch my mouzh if you keep your eyes off of vhat belongs to me.
” I smirk at him and he fists his hands, but I’m done vit zhis conversation so I head off, returning to my ving, unbuttoning my shirt vit one hand before I even reach my room.
I open ze door and I smell perfume, causing me pull out my gun.
“AHHHHH!” Veronica screams, grabbing a pillow to cover her naked body.
“Vhat ze fuck are you doing here?”
“I VAS ONLY VAITING FOR MY FIANCé!”
“Vhat kind of bullshit is zhis?” I cock it and she screams again, but I don’t respond.
“VHAT ZE FUCK, MIKHAIL?! I—” Her vords are cut off vhen I valk over, grip her vrist, and pull her off ze bed so fast ze wine she has sitting on ze bedside table spills.
“YOU’RE HURTING ME,” she yelps, but I yank her harder, dragging her to ze door, opening it and zhrowing her out.
“MISHA!” she cries out and I put ze gun to her temple.
“Say it again…” I dare her. “Go on.”
“YOU CAN’T KEEP TREATING ME LIKE ZHIS! VEE ARE ENGAGED! OUR FAMILIES!” Veronica shrieks, voice trembling with outrage and fear, but I barely flinch, cold eyes meeting hers and daring her to challenge me again. Her wails hang in the hall, sharp against ze tense silence, but I show no mercy.
“You might be wife, but you mean nozhing to me.” I stare at her, vatching tears stream down her face.
“But I used to be everyzhing to you! Vhat happened? Are you still doing that vit zhem?! Vhy vhen you have me?! Don’t tell me you are trying to make zhat Black girl joi—” I crouch down next to her, placing ze gun under her chin, hand on ze trigger, listening to her vhimper.
“Kogo ya trakhayu ne tvoyo delo (Who I fuck is none of your fucking business),” I grit out, glaring, sliding ze gun into her mouth, the trigger a hair avay from being pulled. “Derzhi to, chto prinadlezhit mne, podal’she ot svoyego grobanogo rta (Keep what’s mine out of your fucking mouth).”
She shudders out a breath, tears falling harder as I remove ze gun and stand. She sits there sobbing.
“S-so zhat Black girl…” she grits bitterly.
“Mine,” I grunt, zhrowing her one more look, slamming ze door shut in her face, tugging ze cufflinks loose. I vrinkle my nose at ze stench of her, and go over to my vet bar, pouring myself two fingers of vodka, ze silence a velcome reprieve.
Moments later, a knock comes as I start to pour another.
“Misha?” Nadya’s voice comes. I glance at ze door, going over and opening it just enough to see her and Dimitri zhere, looking at me vit concern. “Are you okay… v-vee saw Veronica… do you need peace?” She pouts, and I smirk, reaching out to pat her head, feeling tired.
“Not tonight,” I mutter.
“Okay,” Dimitri nods, taking Nadya’s hand. “Just call us if you need anything. Misha, vee are alvays here.”
“I know.” I run my hand over his lips and he kisses it. I pull back vhen I feel my body heating up.
“Sleep vell, Misha,” Nadya whispers.
“Goodnight,” he adds
“Da.” I lean my head on the side and zhey turn, valking avay as I close the door and lock it.
I find my vay back over to ze vet bar, zhis time not bozhering vit a glass. I just drop into ze chair and turn up ze the bottle as she flickers across my mind… my Pechenye. I see her in zhat tight leettle dress, valking past me like I don’t exist.
Like I didn’t have her crying on my cock ze night before…vhat the fuck is it about zhat girl zhat is driving me zhis insane?
I turn up ze bottle, flickering my glaze to ze window, eyes on ze forest outside as a hunger unlike anyzhing I’ve experienced comes over me… I vant to touch her again.
Just once more. Ze thought pulses in my brain, echoing over every aching inch of my body as I tip the bottle back, ze fiery liquid burning down my zhroat, just enough to drown ze raw, desperate hunger she stirs in me.
I lick my lips, desperate for more, zhirsting for somezhing only she can quench, deep down knoving I’m going to shake zhis family by making zhat girl mine.