Chapter 50
Dominik
After the entire estate has been searched for straggling enemies and the fire is completely put out, emergency medics are called in to help the wounded.
That’s basically everyone.
Gavriil, Alina, and I eventually find a quiet space together in the living room. We sit on the long, leather sectional in the midst of the fight’s aftermath. Knocked over furniture. Cushions with bullet holes. Blood staining the rug in front of the fireplace.
“Are you sure you want to keep this place?” I ask Gavriil as I hand Alina a small bottle of vodka that I found in the nearby bar.
Alina pours a little bit onto the wound on Gavriil’s side as he sits shirtless next to her, making him hiss through his teeth. “Yes. It just needs some cleanup.”
“A bunch of people died in here, on both sides,” Alina mutters under her breath as she concentrates, holding a needle with sterile suture thread attached with a needle driver.
“If I avoided every place where people died, I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere,” Gavriil replies.
“You want to live here,” Alina says before piercing Gavriil’s skin with the point of the needle.
Gavriil tightens his jaw, his body tensing from the pain. “It’s a good house.”
A small smirk forms on my lips as I rest my hand on Alina’s thigh, watching her work to patch Gavriil up. He turned away all the medics so that they could focus on other people, but Alina wore him down to at least letting her treat him.
“I’m not a doctor. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” Alina reminds him as she threads the needle through his skin, steadily sealing the gash.
“You’re doing well,” I assure her.
Alina passes me a grateful look before focusing back on suturing. “I’m glad you’re both okay. You scared me there for a minute.”
“The Irish bastard put up a good fight,” Gavriil replies as he rests his forearm on the top of his head, keeping it out of Alina’s way.
“We put up a better one,” I say as our eyes meet.
The side of his mouth turns up ever so slightly. “No surprise there.”
Adrenaline still courses through me, sheer determination glowing in my chest. My body may be tired, but I feel motivated enough for ten more fights. We’re more of a team now than we’ve ever been.
Alina is the glue that solidifies us even more.
“A lot of cleanup needs to be done. Not just here at the estate,” I add, wondering what my brother’s plan is going to be.
I know he suggested that I take over as Pakhan down in the bunker, but that was probably just a temporary request. It would feel good to lead but it’s also nice to still have him by my side.
It feels…right.
I just don’t see my brother giving up the position he was trained to fill from the time we were kids.
Gavriil nods as he lowers his eyes. “I’ll take care of things. It’ll be a pain in the ass, but worth it.”
“Scissors,” Alina says as she pulls the thread tight.
I hand her a small pair of scissors from the first aid kit that I found.
Alina snips the thread and hands me all the equipment to put up. “There. Done.”
Gavriil glances at his stitched-up wound. “Thank you.”
I frown when Gavriil gets to his feet like he’s about to leave. “Where are you going?”
Gavriil avoids our gazes. “I have a lot to do. You two should go.”
“Go?” Alina questions him as she gazes up at him with a hurt look on her face.
“Go live your lives away from this mess,” Gavriil replies as he waves his hand dismissively. “You don’t deserve to live in my aftermath.”
Alina’s eyes widen as my jaw sets. He’s pushing us away again. Didn’t he learn his lesson the first time?
Before Gavriil can even take a step, I stand up and put my hand on his chest, blocking him from moving.
Gavriil frowns, still not meeting my eyes. “The survivors could retaliate. You’ll both just be in danger again.”
Alina stands up between us, moving so that he has to look at her. “We’re not leaving. Never again.”
“Why would you stay?” Gavriil questions her. “You two could go anywhere, do whatever you wanted, and I wouldn’t be in the way.”
“So, what, offering me the crown was just a wartime convenience?” I ask. “Something you planned to take back once the blood dried?”
Gavriil swallows. “I…wasn’t sure if you wanted to stay and lead. Wouldn’t you rather be with Alina?”
“No one is going anywhere!” Alina says firmly. “We came back for a reason, Gavriil. For you.”
“To help me win the war. That’s done,” Gavriil replies, looking between the two of us. His composure is already starting to crack.
Alina sighs as she places her hand on his arm, both of our touches making him tense in surprise.
“You still don’t get it. I guess I haven’t made it clear enough.
I’m not choosing between you and Dominik,” Alina says.
“I’ve lost too much already. Choosing one of you would mean cutting out half of my heart, and I won’t do that to myself ever again. ”
Gavriil shakes his head. “Alina, you can’t…we can’t…”
“This is the life that I want, that I’m choosing,” Alina tells him. “And I don’t care how unconventional it looks. Say you want this too, Gavriil.”
I think my brother stops breathing.
Alina looks at me, her face softening. “Dom, I know you don’t understand. Not yet. But, I have you to thank for…everything. If it wasn’t for you, I never would’ve survived long enough to love him too.”
I give her a small smile, hearing the happiness and gratitude in her voice.
Everything that we’ve gone through and done has been a team effort in some form or fashion.
We’ve been connected in ways that we didn’t even realize.
And for the first time, leading doesn’t feel like a burden, it feels like a decision I’m choosing.
“I don’t see this as a competition anymore,” I tell her and my brother. “There’s nothing to win here, only something for us to both protect.”
Gavriil and I have survived too much for us to fight each other, especially over someone we both care about. I don’t want to tear Alina away from Gavriil to have her to myself.
That would only hurt both of them.
Alina deserves to be happy, whole, and free, and Gavriil is part of that. He’s a requirement, just as I am.
When I meet Gavriil’s gaze, I move my hand to his shoulder. Even the battle didn’t shake him like this. Emotions make him feel more vulnerable than deadly fights.
“You protected her, too. You sacrificed for her,” I tell him. He showed his care for her in unexpected ways, but I can see the intent behind his actions more clearly now.
It’s always been about protecting her. Strengthening her. Cherishing her.
“You’ve never believed that you deserved love, or anything good in your life,” I continue, seeing his expression shift a hint. My words weigh heavy, but he needs to hear them. “You deserve her,” I say. “And you deserve me standing beside you.”
Gavriil still looks unsure. From the beginning, all he’s known is punishment, pain, and distance. What we’re offering is something that he hasn’t ever experienced before.
Of course, it scares him.
“I’m alive because of you, Gavriil,” I tell him. “We’ve always been stronger together; don’t tear us apart now.”
The tension woven into every feature of his face and every muscle in his body finally lessens. He doesn’t speak, but I can see the gleam of relief in his eyes. He leans into our touches more.
A silent, intimate embrace built on the support that we provide each other, the protection we swear to each other, and the care that we gift each other.
Alina slides her hand up his arm and cups his cheek before lifting onto her toes, her lips brushing his in a kiss that feels like a vow.
Not possession. Not surrender.
Choice.
Three parts of a whole, finally choosing each other.