Page 140 of Kings & Queen

“No,” I reassured him, my voice carrying a hint of relief amid lingering apprehension. “Your mother calmed her down nicely.”

“And did you calm Mother after?” The worry deepened in his voice. He knew how his mother got, having seen me comforting her time and again over those years with his sister.

“I did. I think calling Marcel can wait until tomorrow. Son, what happened to Kinsley, like really happened? She kept repeating that they branded someone.”

“I don’t have a lot of details, Father. All I know is her grandfather had her kidnapped, held captive, and mentally tortured with her future. She was supposed to be a slave whore.” His voice broke, and I hurt. For him, for her. Hell, for my other boys as well. And an anger burned within me. “He’ll make her one again if he gets his hands on her. We can’t let that happen, Father.” Aleksandr’s voice grew stronger as his focus shifted.

“I am in 100 percent agreement with you on that, Son. I’ll do whatever you need. Whatever.”

I knew what my boys did, what they’d become. I carried that burden with me as well over the years. If we could keep Kinsley safe, maybe, just maybe, I could taste a bit of that redemption they told me comes with what they do.

“Father, please don’t let Mother in on too much. I don’t want to worry her.”

“I can agree with that as well. Get some sleep. I’ll keep you posted if anything else happens. I love you, Son.”

“I love you too, Father. Take care of her for us.”

“As if she were one of my own,” I assured him.

Chapter 54

Kinsley

Dinner Out

The next morning, Iwoke feeling groggy, and I was startled when my phone rang. It was Alek, wanting to FaceTime. I sat up and pushed my hair back, then yawned.

“Kitten, are you okay? I held off on calling Marcel until I could talk to you. Tell me, do you need him?”

“No, I’m fine. Your mother and father were kind enough to help me through it.”

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?” he asked, his voice feather soft, and I knew it pained him to do so.

“It was a random one. I have no idea what even triggered it because it wasn’t anything to do with…with anal or fisting,” I murmured, heat hitting my face.

“Okay, that’s good. I’m glad to hear that. My father mentioned something about branding.”

“Yes, it’s rather complicated,” I offered, debating on sharing, but then decided to. “My captors used to put on shows. Almost like a preview of what was to come. It was like a potential outcome, depending on fan ideas. I’d rather not talk about all the details, Alek. It really hurts to know someone was hurt because of me.”

“Will you talk to Marcel about it, then? It’ll make me feel better.”

“I will. I’ve got a reminder set to call him. I didn’t mean to upset your family with my statement. Vanya wasn’t branded, was she?” I asked, horrified by the thought.

“No, she wasn’t. I heard my mother sang to you. Is that true?”

“Yes,” I said, watching his blue eyes crinkle at the corners as he grinned. “She was super sweet. You should be thankful for her, you know. All of you should. In fact, I insist you buy her something amazing from wherever in the world you are. Speaking of that, where exactly are you?”

“Kitten, the only thing my mother wants is grandbabies. She has everything else she could possibly want.”

“I feel like I’ve heard this story before, told by a green-eyed devil.”

“Have you, now? That’s good to know. Maybe when we get back, we can start working on that. Make the story a dream come true for her,” he teased, causing my heart to constrict.

“I’m fresh out of dreams unless they come in the form of a nightmare. Best not to go there. Again, you haven’t told me where you are?”

“Paris, and if you give me and my brothers enough time, we’ll cure you of those nightmares for good.”

“Aleksandr, stop. Now, back to picking up something for your mother. I’ll bet you could find your future wife if you look hard enough. Tell her you can’t commit for another two weeks or, well, I guess it’s a week and a half now, right?”