Chapter One Maksim
Twelve Years Later
As I stood under the scalding shower spray, I rolled my shoulders, desperately trying to find relief for my aching muscles. Over the last twenty-four hours, I’d overworked myself, and now my body was giving me grief.
Screaming at the top of its fucking lungs was more what it felt like.
A smile curved on my lips when I imagined what Dima would’ve said about the situation. “That’s what you get for fucking across hay bales in a corn maze!”
He’d probably throw in a quip about how at thirty, I was getting too old for shit like that. Of course, I could’ve argued the same to him. But he would’ve countered that he was a dead man walking when it came to his arranged marriage, so he had to fuck random women while he could.
I’d been missing the bastard terribly since he’d just returned a few weeks ago after spending a six-month business trip in Moscow.
He’d also met his future bride, whose father was Pahkan of an obscenely wealthy family.
I’d flown over a few times to visit, but it wasn’t the same as having him in the same country, if not city.
With the shower massager and heat not helping, I knew I’d have to pop some pills. There was nothing, not even pain, that would keep me from this morning’s hunt.
I cut the shower off and grabbed a towel. After drying off, I exited the bathroom to grab my clothes out of the closet. I eased myself into a pair of black dress pants before adding a white button-down shirt.
Flicking my wrist, I glanced at the time on my Rolex Cosmograph. Fuck. The hunt was officially starting in just fifteen minutes. Since I didn’t want to be late, I grabbed the keycard for my room off the table by the door before stuffing it into my pants.
As I remained at the table, my fingers trailed over the sterling silver skull mask. It was one of many custom-made masks I’d commissioned over the last ten years. They not only concealed my face, but they also possessed a voice automator.
Since I had an endless supply of money to throw at very creative engineers, they worked their magic to create a time delay voice automator that completely disguised my stuttering.
Whenever I was in the mask, I became the man everyone always wanted me to be.
The man I wanted to be.
Four years after my inheritance had been stripped from me, I remained spiraling in a pit of self-loathing.
It had taken one of my university buddies with a BDSM kink to see through my despair and rescue me.
When Nash introduced me to masked primal play hunts, he took me from the dark into the light.
The first time I’d donned a mask that hid not only my identity but my defect, it felt like finding a missing piece of myself.
The physical strength of my outward man finally converged with my inner man. I embraced the persona of a dark predator demanding pleasure from his prey. While I was a notorious taker, I did reward with pleasure, and the women idolized me for it.
That’s how I’d come to be known as the Beast in the primal play circles on the East Coast.
Since my identity was to remain secret, I quickly put on my mask before leaving my room. As I made my way down the carpeted hallway, I couldn’t help being reminded of my family’s mansion. Of course, it hadn’t been home to me since the night my father had betrayed me.
After finishing college, I’d never returned there. Instead, I’d used some of my trust fund to buy a penthouse in an up-and-coming highrise. As soon as they’d graduated from college, Dima and then Aleksandr had joined me.
But the heavier I grew into the masked lifestyle, the more I craved my privacy. I didn’t begin to imagine what my brothers would’ve thought about me escaping into a mask for both sexual and personal gratification. So, I’d lied and bought a new place saying I was moving in with my girlfriend.
There were no girlfriends–just women who enjoyed the scene and wanted to play.
Like Gretchen–the woman whom I’d chosen last night as my sub for the weekend.
The very one I’d chased down through a darkened corn maze lit only by torches.
Once I’d caught her, I’d fucked her through the stalks and across the hay bales.
Even though she was younger, I knew she had to be feeling the same aches and pains as I was.
As I stepped into the massive foyer, other masked men and women stood around drinking mimosas and snacking on breakfast hors d'oeuvres. With a shake of my head, I refused an offering from a waiter with a silver tray. This morning I didn’t have an appetite for food.
While the official horn would sound in five minutes, I didn’t want to wait that long. My cock already strained painfully in my slacks.
Through the crowd, my gaze landed on my sub. As if she felt my eyes on her, she jerked her gaze from her mimosa to me. Beneath the intricate mask on her face, heat bloomed in her cheeks. Immediately, she put her crystal flute down and moved through the crowd towards me.
With her eyes cast downward, she said, “You called, sir?”
Leaning over, my lips pressed against the shell of her ear. “Run,” I growled.
A shudder rippled through her body. She licked her lips before whirling around and starting out the side door. Anticipation prickled over my skin like tiny pricks from a needle. While my phone buzzed in my pocket, I focused solely on my prey.
As I started out the back door onto the expansive terrace, it began to ring. Nothing or no one was going to interrupt my singular focus of capturing my beautiful prey.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that she wanted to be caught. She continued throwing sinful looks at me over her shoulder as we started into the woods.
With my phone continuing to buzz, a growl of frustration, not pleasure echoed through me.
To drown it out, I pushed myself harder to capture my prey.
Her shriek echoed through the quiet woods as I dragged her over to a tree.
I made quick work of jerking up the hem of her dress.
I knew I would find her soaked and ready for me.
After freeing my aching cock, I thrust inside her, causing both of us to groan. As I set up a punishing rhythm, a Morse code vibrated in my pocket, causing me to freeze midthrust.
There was only one person it could be.
Dima.
And whatever he needed me for was bad.
“Bylat,” I grunted.
When I eased out of her, my prey mewled in protest. “I have an emergency call. I have to go,” I said, as I tucked my slackening cock back in my pants.
“You’re joking, right?” she huffed.
Keeping up my Beast persona, I snarled, “You dare to question your master?”
She quickly ducked her head. “I’m sorry, sir.”
With one of my hands, I grabbed the sides of her face and jerked her gaze to mine. “Despite your insolence, you have pleased me this weekend, so I’ll send someone to take my place.”
Her full lips turned down in a pout. “But they won’t be you.”
A dark chuckle rumbled through my chest. “Of course they won’t. But at least I won’t leave you unsatisfied.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Get on your knees to wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
After she sank obediently onto the ground, I whirled around and started stalking through the tree line. Once I had put enough distance between the two of us, I dialed Dima back. As I shoved my mask off my face, anxiety prickled up my spine.
Without a hello, Dima demanded, “Why the fuck aren’t you answering your phone?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? I sent five SOS calls, which you ignored, and all you can say is you’re fucking sorry?!”
From Dima’s freakout, I knew something truly horrible had happened. Immediately, my tongue grew heavier as I fought to speak clearly. “Who is it?”
A pause came on the line before Dima’s anguished sigh. “You know the Irish mudak that Papa just promised Annika to?”
“The new one or t-the old one?”
In the last week, my sister’s marital future would’ve given anyone in or out of Bratva whiplash.
Her initial contract had been brokered with Darragh Kavanaugh–from the powerful Irish Kavanaughs in Boston.
But with an engagement party and official announcement looming, a sudden radio silence came between my father and Dare.
Any other man would’ve just sent an emissary to see Dare himself.
But not Danill Korolov. In true bastard form, Father sent Mila in to seduce one of the younger Kavanaugh brothers, Kellan.
After leading Kellan on, she drugged him and placed hacking devices on the computers in the club owned by the Kavanaughs.
Although we’d garnered plenty of information, Dare broke the marriage contract. To anyone but our father, he had a perfectly good reason—the woman he’d loved four years ago had come back into his life. Not only that, he’d discovered that he had a three-year-old daughter with her.
But Father was enraged at being treated with such disrespect, and he intended to make Kavanaughs suffer. So, he brokered a second marriage deal with their wealthy and powerful cousin in Dublin, Brian Byrne.
“The new one.”
“Fuck, already?”
“Da.”
“What happened?”
“He found out her secret.”
“Fuck.”
Although she concealed that side of herself in Bratva circles due to Russians' attitudes towards gay people, Annika didn’t exactly hide being a lesbian in her social circles.
Although Dare had known, it hadn’t bothered him since he didn’t plan on being faithful, and Annika assured him she would produce heirs with him.
“D-Did he hurt her?”
“No.”
“T-Thank, fuck.” At Dima’s quick intake of breath, my chest clenched in panic. “W-What?”
“He hurt Mila.”
A growl erupted from deep within me. “How?”
My pace quickened through the woods. Branches slapped my face and brambles tore into my clothes as Dima told me how Brian had lured Mila to his estate with a false name and on the pretense of having a large art collection to sell.
Since she managed our family gallery, she’d willingly gone to Dublin.
Enraged by Annika being alleged “damaged goods”, he planned to marry Mila.
“But first, he…”
At Dima’s anguished cry, I skidded to a stop where the clearing of the woods bled into the field just below the house. Pinching my eyes shut, Mila’s terrified face flashed before my eyes. “I will make him b-bleed with you, b-brat.”
“He had her naked and tied to the bed–”
The clearing spun around me in a dizzying flurry. “Stop. I can’t hear anymore or I’ll kill some innocent p-person.”
“He was stopped before he could rape her.”
Although a relieved breath rushed from my lips, I said, “He will still b-bleed.”
“Da, he will. But first I have to take care of Kellan.”
As I started across the field, I asked, “D-Did he help his cousin hurt Mila?”
“No. The fucker saved her.”
My steps faltered as I tried processing what Dima had said. “Kellan Kavanaugh saved Mila?”
“Yes, he got her out of the house and to a safe location in Dublin. They’re landing in twenty minutes.”
I frowned. If Kavanaugh was bringing her back safe, why the fuck would Dima need to take care of him? “Is he asking for a ransom?”
“No.”
“He saved her from b-being raped. He saved her life,” I repeated.
“Da,” Dima hissed.
“Then why the fuck are you going to t-take care of him?” I demanded.
“Father has ordered it.”
“Fuck him.”
“Maksim–”
“It makes no sense.”
“There’s a history there.”
“What?”
Dima sighed. “When she was sent in to seduce Kellan, somehow they managed to fall for each other.”
“D-Does Father know?”
“Yes.”
As rage rocketed through me, the control over my speech slipped, “He’s d-doing t-this to p-punish her.”
“Of course he is. He’s been punishing her for the last thirteen years for trying to stab him the night he murdered our mother!”
At the mention of Irina’s death, my eyes pinched shut in agony. The night Father had named Dima heir over me didn’t haunt me just for that reason. When Irina had found out what Father had done, she’d panicked and tried to escape with Dima and the others.
But Father had caught her.
And for her betrayal, he’d put a pistol to her forehead and shot her at point-blank range in the kitchen.
In front of my siblings.
In her agony, Mila grabbed a steak knife from the table and went to stab Father. He’d almost killed her that night as well. Whatever he might’ve felt for her died that night, the same as Irina.
“D-Dima, you cannot d-do this.”
A pause came over the line. “This is an order from my pahkan.”
“Fuck your p-pakhan!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the clearing.
“Maksim–”
As I gripped the phone tighter in my hand, I desperately tried getting a hold of my speech.
“T-Think, Dima. What will the Kavanaughs d-do in retribution if you kill Kellan? They’ll b-bring a fucking firestorm down on us.
For fuck sake, t-through marriages the Kavanaughs are in b-bed with the Nerettis and the Carusos in Philly. ”
“I’m aware of that,” Dima replied drily.
“Are you sure?”
An anguished sigh echoed through the line. “Look, Maksim, I have to show I can accept and follow orders. How will I ever expect my men to follow me if I don’t follow Father?”
“You’ll show t-them a true leader weighs t-the consequences of his actions. T-That he doesn’t give half-cocked orders to p-punish people.”
“Enough!” Dima blared. “I’m the fucking heir, not you, remember? I’m second in command to Father, so I do his bidding.”
Hurt momentarily coiled in my chest at his words before being replaced with anger. “Is t-this what you’ll expect of me when I’m your second? Blind allegiance?”
A cruel chuckle came from Dima. “You keep checking my authority, and you won’t have a place in this organization, least of all be my second.
I recoiled back from his harsh words. I didn’t know what had happened to him in Russia, but he’d come back different. It was like he’d undergone some serious brainwashing.
At my silence, he snarled, “So get your ass back from wherever the fuck you are to be ready for Father’s next order.”
As defeat overcame me, Mila’s face flashed before my eyes. “If you listen t-to nothing else, hear me when I say she’ll never forgive you for t-this.”
The bond between Dima and Mila was unbreakable. Through their shared grief of losing their mother, they were closer than even he and I were. It went without saying that my mother hadn’t welcomed them into our home. At thirteen and sixteen, they’d taken over the raising of Lev and Kira.
When a few moments of silence passed, hope surged within me that I might’ve gotten through to him. But then he dashed it. “The plane is landing.”
I swept my hand over my face. “P-Please don’t d-do this.”
“You have an order, Maksim, as do I. Follow it.”
And then the call dropped.