Page 11 of Nikola

Something ugly flickered in my chest for the first time ever, taking me aback. I stood frozen amid all the guests, analyzing it, when realization sunk in. Jealousy!

Fuck, why was I jealous? Skye was practically another cousin, although not by blood. But it was clear from the moment my aunt and uncle had adopted her that she was our family.

“It’s wrong,” I muttered under my breath.

“What’s wrong?” Uncle Sasha stood next to me, eyeing me suspiciously. “And why are you staring at Skye?”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. But I couldn’t find the damn words.

“Nikola, you better not be starting any shit with my Skye,” Uncle growled when I remained speechless. “I told you when you two were little: she’s family and she’s to be protected. I expect you to keep her safe when she goes to D’Arc too.”

“You realize I’m older than her. I’ll be graduating next year,” I grumbled.

“Shouldn’t you work on your master’s?” It was a suggestion-slash-order and I couldn’t decide whether it was a good one or a bad one. It’d allow me more time around Skye which was good.

No, you fucking idiot. It would be bad, my mind scolded.

“I think you’re right,” I heard myself say. “I’ll work on my master’s and ensure nobody gets the wrong idea with Skye.”

“Yes, keep those bad boys away,” Uncle Sasha agreed. “Including yourself. You two are practically siblings.”

I never got a chance to respond because Skye threw herself at Uncle, grinning happily. “Thank you for talking to Papa about D’Arc. He would have never let me go if it wasn’t for you.”

Sasha patted her affectionately, her small frame making her look like a child in his arms.

“He’s a tough nut to crack, but not to worry, princess. I’d crack it again and again,” he signed and said the words at the same time.

Skye chuckled. “That sounded too threatening, but I know you didn’t mean it. You two are the best parents in the world. Right, Damiano?”

My cousin, Sasha’s only son whom Skye’s mother birthed as a surrogate, appeared. The kid always trailed behind Skye, the two acting as if they were birth siblings. Fuck if I knew whether they were or not. Our family relations were too goddamn complicated.

The only thing I was certain of was that Skye wasn’t blood-related to me at all.

Damiano yapped while Skye nodded her head enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling like blue diamonds, and suddenly I wanted to smack my little cousin’s head.

Was it petty? Maybe. Did he deserve it? Maybe not. Would I keep Skye at arm’s length? Definitely.

Even back then I knew if I wasn’t careful, Skye could swallow me whole and never spit me out.

3

SKYE

Two Weeks Later

Having a crush sucked, but being full-blown obsessed with a boy sucked even more.

Nikola Nikolaev was the one Ishouldn’twant, but there was no ordering my heart around.

To the world, Nikola was a scary motherfucker with connections to the Bratva. Covered in tats, ruthless, and unforgiving.

To me, he was the boy who always came through for me.

After spending a long weekend in New Orleans for Halloween, partly to visit Branka and Sasha and partly because I knew Nikola would be there, I’d returned to D’Arc in Connecticut.

Unfortunately, Nikola had been avoiding me ever since our run-in, and it was getting old fast. Our kiss on Halloween was proving detrimental to my health—and my heart. I wasn’t having it.

So I opted to trek through the woods to get a peek at the man taking up an unacceptable amount of space in my brain.