Chapter 12 #3
“I’ll be fine, Moye Solntse,” I soothe, rubbing my face against her hair. She’s so soft, yielding where I’ve only known hardness and pain. “He won’t kill me because I’m his heir.”
“But he’ll hurt you,” she whispers, her voice stilted, and I want to lie to her but she already knows the answer.
“We’ll take care of him, zaya,” Dima assures her gruffly, his voice softer than usual, and my brows raise to my hairline. Looks like she’s gained more than just the Shadows as protectors if Dima is calling her bunny, something I know he used to refer to his younger sister before she died.
She shifts so that she’s facing him, but I refuse to release her just yet, needing her in my arms for a while longer. “Promise?”
A jolt runs through my body, the realisation that once again, I have someone who’s worried about me hitting me in the solar plexus.
Someone who cares about my safety. I’ve not experienced that much since I got sent to Russia and she was sent away, her letters the only thing keeping me going some days.
Dima and Andrei are like brothers to me, our bond forged in trial and pain, a need to look out for one another to survive the harsh world. Iris was always like a soft blanket on the coldest of nights, something to keep going for, something that soothes the soul.
“I swear it,” Dima replies gravely, and after a moment, she nods before turning to face Andrei.
“And you?” she asks, her tone stern and unyielding. I see the way his lips twitch, sharing his amusement that this small, delicate creature would make demands from a warrior, a hardened criminal.
“I promise to take care of him too, zaya,” he agrees, his face turning serious as he makes his vow, holding her stare unwaveringly. “I swore to protect him with my life five years ago, and nothing has changed.”
My throat thickens, my chest tight at the knowledge that I am not alone like I was for so much of my childhood.
To have all three of them, Dima, Andrei, and Iris, around me for the first time is making my loneliness feel so far away.
I knew the guys would protect me with their lives as I would them, but to hear it said out loud for all to hear, and for Iris to care about their answer, it strikes a chord that reverberates throughout my body.
“Then it’s settled,” Hunter interjects, his voice that of a leader, all firm assurance and decisive action, and we all turn to face him.
“Iris stays here and you’ll deal with Sergi.
” I bristle, not used to taking orders from anyone other than my father.
More often, I’m the one giving them out, and if the slight twitch of Hunter’s lips is any indication, he enjoys trying to boss me around.
If not for the woman in my arms, I would make a point of showing him the error of his ways.
“He won’t give up. He’ll try even if he can’t declare an outright war.
Be on your guard,” I tell him sternly, and he gives me a nod even as his eye quivers at my commanding tone.
Tit for tat, he needs to get used to the fact that he is not my leader.
I don’t have to go into details for him to know what I’m referring to.
My father is known for his ruthless ways, ruling with an iron fist, and fear is how he earns loyalty. “Then we’ll take our leave.”
“Now?” Iris gasps, twisting in my arms so that she’s facing me once more. Suka, in the few moments of her facing away from me, I’d forgotten how beautiful she is. Her hazel eyes bore into mine, her brows dipped low as the sparkle of unshed tears makes her eyes shine.
“It’s better if we don’t linger, Solnishko,” I say, uncurling one of my arms to cup her face in my palm. Her lashes flutter against her cheeks briefly as she nuzzles into my palm, and my soul screams at me for even entertaining the idea of leaving her.
“Will I see you again?” she asks, opening her eyes and stunning me again. The green is more pronounced now, reminding me of the times we spent running around her garden on lazy summer days.
“One day.” I sigh, watching as her lower lip trembles. “Until then, you must stay with them. Hunter and his men can keep you safe, but only if you stay by their sides.”
She sniffs, swallowing and nodding before I bring my lips down to hers.
I taste the salt of her sadness when we kiss and feel the desperation in the way she clings to me again.
I wish it was enough, wish that I could keep her, but she’s not safe with me, not yet.
And it’s the only thing that allows me to stop, to not throw her over my shoulder and steal her away.
That allows me to share this part of my soul with them, who may not be my enemies but are certainly not my friends.
I pull away far too soon, knowing that if I don’t do it now, I might never leave. Then I look beyond her to find one of the twins, Roman I think, waiting. With a final kiss on the top of her silken hair, I push her into his arms, my beast raging at the injustice of it all.
Then stealing my shoulders, I turn, my own eyes stinging as I leave my soul behind.