Page 11 of Deceptive Vows (Bound by Vows #3)

Chapter Ten

THEA

Having Nazar at a family meal was an odd experience.

Helen’s reaction was expected. I was also right that she found him attractive, which softened the impact.

She understood our world and that sacrifices were often made for the family.

I will admit, her initial strong reaction took me by surprise.

I couldn’t see her reacting the same way to Lucas and Ari.

Beyond Nazar’s presence, this year marked a different kind of change in our family dynamic. While he represented my concession to family duty, Lucas and Ari’s marriages had already begun reshaping our gatherings. New faces, new traditions, all shifting the rhythms we’d known for so long.

Steam rose from the pot as I stirred the pelmeni dumplings, my apron dusted with flour from the earlier preparation. No, I didn’t have to serve a dish that Nazar would like, but it felt right. For some inexplicable reason, I wanted him to feel like he had a place at my table.

“Have you even decided when you’re having the ceremony?” Claire nibbled on a roll as she leaned her hip against the counter.

With the auction occurring around New Year’s, that made the timetable short. “The week between Christmas and New Years.”

Anna’s mouth dropped open. “Wow. And I thought mine was quick.”

“Me too.” Claire blinked.

“Will the church even be available?” Aunt Helen asked.

I shrugged. “If not, Lucas will just have to make a donation large enough that it’ll become available.”

Anna palmed her cheek as her eyes widened. “Okay. That’s… we need to find a dress and fast.”

“No kidding,” Claire added. “ As picky as she is… finding one will be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“No more difficult than you, my Polly Pocket-sized sister.” I looked at Claire and wrinkled my nose, laughing.

Her mouth dropped open, and she grunted a scoff. “I’m… fine. Still, it won’t be easy, which means we’ll need to start the hunt as soon as possible. You can’t get married without finding it .”

Never would I admit I hadn’t thought about this part of the ruse.

Trying on dresses for a wedding I never planned to have.

The invitations were nothing—a given. Gabriele would expect one.

My marriage had to appear real. We would send them out with a fabricated date—something believable enough to fool Gabriele, meaningless enough to keep anyone else safe.

Just in case Marco decided to do anything without Pasha and Nazar's knowledge.

First the ring that sweet Mr. Marcello designed just for me and now a wedding dress. Other than the ring, the dress was the thing that every little girl dreamed about—except me. Alright, maybe I considered it from time to time. I just never thought it’d actually happen.

I stopped stirring and turned to them. “I’m sure I’ll find something. Besides, this is an arranged marriage to someone who no more wants to be married to me than I to him. So there’s no reason to go crazy.”

“I can’t believe he’s Russian.” Helen pulled the bubbling dish of fasolakia from the oven.

The scent of tomato-simmered green beans filled the air, making it feel like Thanksgiving more than it already did.

“Sexy and gorgeous, yes.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But Russian?”

It was all I could do to hold in a laugh at that one. I would have never in a million years pictured that myself.

Anna hummed. “Yeah, but that accent.”

“ Oh yeah .” Claire nodded.

With a waggle of my finger, I said, “You two are taken. You shouldn’t be thinking about another man’s accent.”

“Married, not dead.” Helen chuckled.

I motioned with my hands, shooing Aunt Helen out of the kitchen. “I’ll be right there.” I glared at Claire and Anna. “You too as well. These are done. I just need to add sour cream.”

Anna walked backward. “ Already making him dinner. Now, we just need you barefoot.” She cackled.

“Get out,” I growled, grabbing a towel and tossing it at her.

Claire snickered and trotted out with Aunt Helen and Anna.

Barefoot. As if I’d ever let that happen. Despite the absurdity, I found myself smiling. My brothers were amazing, but I’d truly gained something when Claire and Anna joined the family. They were so different. I was always older than my age. My odometer by the time I hit ten was near thirty.

My sisters brought levity and youth to our family. Claire, with her sarcasm and wit, and Anna, with her propensity to stick her tongue out at me or say something off the wall, were silly, girly, and wonderful. I adored them.

I hoped Lex and Dimitris could find their soul mates soon.

They didn’t need to say anything. It was in their eyes that they wished they had what Lucas and Ari had.

Maybe there was a part of me, buried deep, that longed for that too, but trusting a man was a big ask that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be capable of.

For now, I would focus on what was in front of me .

After plating the pelmeni, I took off my apron and walked into the dining area. It’d always been rather full with my siblings and cousins, but we had to add another table this year. I suspected we’d be adding high chairs in the next couple of years as well.

Nazar looked up, found me, and smiled. Twice now, my heart rate had tripled its speed. An involuntary and unnecessary physical reaction that didn’t make any sense. He was just a man.

My man , a voice whispered in the back of my mind. Ridiculous.

When I reached him, I smiled. “Miss me?”

“I was counting the seconds.” He winked.

Why did I like that so much? “I thought you might like something with a little touch of home.”

His lips parted. “Pelmeni? Where did you find that?”

“Find it? I made it. Why buy pre-made when you can make it from scratch?”

“You…” He smiled, and there was something in his eyes—appreciation, maybe? Whatever it was, it made my heart flutter. “It smells delicious.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

He took the dish and set it on the table before holding my chair for me. I could do it myself. I always did. But letting him pull out my chair didn’t cost me anything—and strangely, it felt... good.

As he took his seat next to me, I leaned in. “I had venison flown in from a small farm in Russia. It’s supposed to be the best as far as taste.”

“Venison?” He covered my hand with his. “Thank you for taking the time to make this for me. I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

The amount of gratitude he showed made me want to do more for him. What other ways might he show thanks? Kisses… maybe, among other things. Excitement bubbled in my chest as I waited for him to try the dish. It’d taken considerable effort to make it, and I wanted it to be delicious.

It felt like it took forever before everyone had their plates filled and ready to begin eating. Nazar’s moan as he bit into the first dumpling filled me with a delight I didn’t know possible.

“It’s incredible. Pasha will be jealous when he finds out I had pelmeni.”

“There’s more in the kitchen. I wanted to make sure I had plenty. You can take some home with you,” I said.

Nodding, he stabbed another dumpling. “He’d love it, but he was forced to return to New York this morning.”

“Oh, I hope everything is okay.” If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t offer any information, so I certainly wasn’t going to ask for any.

“I’ll tell you more later.” He held my gaze. “Okay?”

A silent understanding passed between us. We were a team, and teammates trusted one another. “All right.”

The meal was fantastic, as usual. It was a given with Aunt Helen at the helm. A few of the recipes she made were Ma’s. She’d always kept a worn hand-painted olive wood box filled with recipes, mostly handwritten ones, and several cut from newspapers.

The first time Ma ever pulled it out, she’d opened it, and the room had filled with the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg. Curious, I’d asked, and she’d laughed that she’d once spilled pumpkin pie spice in it and had never been able to get the smell out.

Secretly, when I missed her, I’d return home, pull it out, open it, and sit with it while talking to Ma. Aunt Helen caught me a couple of times because she had moved in to help us take care of Ma when she got sick.

More than once, Aunt Helen and I leafed through the recipes and cooked while she told me stories of them growing up. These memories and moments made me even more appreciative and grateful that Lucas was the one who found me.

Blessings. Good luck. Fortune. I wasn’t sure what I believed in that regard, but I couldn’t have picked a better family.

“It’s still hard without my father.” Nazar draped his arm across the back of my chair as he came closer. “It’s been seven years, and to this day, anytime there is a holiday or event, I want to call him. To turn around and find him.”

I don’t know why, but I leaned into him. “Time heals all wounds, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t scars.”

“Nyet. But you can find a balm to ease the pain, render the scars bearable.”

“Yes.” I didn’t let people in. I wasn’t just crunchy on the outside, as Claire would say. I was simply crunchy. My bark and my bite were the same. But this man. He had a way of throwing me out of sorts.

I rested my right hand atop his and curled my fingers around it. Mutual comfort? These emotions he pulled from me were foreign.

Alley rat. I encased myself in ice because as long as I was frozen, I couldn’t be hurt.

Some would call it a trauma response. A coping mechanism.

I called it surviving. Once Gianna was murdered, it was as though we’d realized our true purpose.

Ma asked us to avenge her death and to prevent any other family from experiencing our pain.

“Maybe we could spend a little time together later this evening? Take a walk?” The question was wrapped in a quiet vulnerability.

I was set to say no, but before I could reverse course, I replied, “I’d like that.” Would I? My head wanted me to keep my distance, but my heart was desperate for his presence.

Heat pooled low in my stomach when his lips lifted in a smile. My willingness to spend time with him had made him happy. The thought of being the source was new and strange. Comfortable. As if his happiness enriched my own.

“I enjoyed spending time with you last night.”

“Well, we are about to be engaged, so I think that’s required.” I chuckled.

Shaking his head, he let out a soft laugh. “Maybe, but as luck would have it, it’s effortless.” He lifted his head, his eyes locking with mine. “I never thought a woman like you would walk into my life. One so intelligent, interesting…deadly. Beautiful.”

In the past, men had called me all these things. Well, not the deadly part, or if they did, it was meant as an insult. The way Nazar spoke of my qualities, he liked that one best. “Well, I guess we’re both lucky then. This has been fun.” I wouldn’t say any more than that.

I was positive he said these things so that my family would overhear. While Aunt Helen understood our ways, I still had to sell this. I trusted her not to tell anyone, but I needed her to believe it so others would as well. Plus, as much as I loved my cousins, they were motormouths.

This ruse also gave me the excuse to spend time with Nazar without thinking too deeply about where this could go or what might be. On the surface, this was nothing. I could hold onto that lie and ignore the disconcerting feelings bubbling underneath.

“Isn’t that what a partnership is supposed to be? Fun? Enjoyable. ”

It almost sounded as though he meant what he said. I knew it couldn’t be true though.

I quickly pushed the thought away. It was nonsense. All of it, including the phantom beat of my atrophied heart. Long ago, I’d decided no relationship would ever get its tentacles in me, and I certainly wouldn’t let a fake engagement throw me off.

I was Thea Kalantzis. I didn’t fall. I didn’t hope. And I sure as hell didn’t catch feelings.