Page 114 of Maxim

Maxim continues to lead me down a hallway until we enter a large, formal dining room. I stop in my tracks when I see the number of people waiting.

“Olena, there you are,” Thea calls, jumping out of a man’s lap to rush over to me.

She wraps me in a hug, helping me relax a little bit. She is familiar to me. Almost like a comfort blanket.

“Who are these cuties?” she asks, kneeling.

“My name is Daryna,” my sister announces proudly.

I am still worried about the nightmares she has been having, but it seems like she hasn’t lost her personality. I am beyond grateful for that.

“That is a beautiful name. My name is Thea. I’m a friend of your sister. Who is this handsome boy?” she asks.

I’m well aware that everyone in the room is staring at us as she speaks, but I choose to focus on her and the children.

“Alek,” My brother answers coolly.

He will find it hard to trust. I don’t blame him. Not after what he has witnessed.

“Nice to meet you. How about we go explore while the adults talk?” Thea asks them both.

Daryna is all for it, but Alek looks torn.

“It’s okay. You can go.”

He shakes his head. “I want to be here. I also want to stay with Daryna.”

I want to urge him to go, but he’s not a child anymore, even though his size and age would lead us to believe that. He has seen far more than a child of his age should ever see. I want to protect him, but I don’t know how.

Maxim grabs Alek’s shoulders. “I have soldiers that will watch your sister. Abram, Bogdon, and Akim. Come.”

After they line up, he turns toward Alek. “Will these three suffice?”

Alek sizes them up. Then he steps forward, squaring his shoulders, “If anything happens to my sister, I will kill you.”

I gasp, but Maxim shakes his head slightly, making me shut my mouth.

“Yes, sir. We will protect her with our lives.” With that, they lead Daryna and Thea out of the room.

“Have a seat, Alek,” a voice calls from across the room.

When I look up, I realize this is the man in charge. It is obvious from the way he exudes power over the others. Everyone moves around him as if he is the sun and they are merely the planets drawn into his gravitational pull.

Alek hesitates but walks toward the man. There are no empty seats, but the man sitting next to the one who spoke up stands, offering the seat to Alek.

“Here, take my seat.”

Alek does, sitting and waiting for his next instruction.

“I am Nikolai. My friends call me Nik. You may call me Nik as well. Do you know who I am?” the man who calls himself Nik asks.

“No, sir,” Alek answers, meeting the man’s eyes.

“I am your Pakhan. You are my family now. Maxim is my man. Third-in-command. We keep him in the shadows in case anything ever happens. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I report to you.”

Nikolai looks taken aback by his words.