Page 60 of Thorns of Death

ISLA

The smell of freshly baked pastries filled the air.

Our home was quiet, the early hour and cold morning keeping most of the guards in their respective booths around the perimeters or in the kitchen. It left me alone to roam the portrait-lined hallways with the ghosts of this castle’s past.

Priceless paintings hung everywhere. Works by Aivazovsky, Repi, Malevich, Michelangelo, Monet, Da Vinci.

And then there was the family portrait. The familiar pang in my chest throbbed.

Like always, I paused by that ten-by-ten frame, probably painted by someone famous. It was the original Konstantin family. My father with his wife, and my brothers. Illias and Maxim.

There was something about it that always stirred resentment. Not toward my brothers, but at my father and my mother. Illias said when his mother died, Father lost himself and couldn’t find his way back to normalcy. When I questioned him about my mother, he’d just shut down.

Shaking my head, I made my way downstairs. The moment my feet touched the last step, I heard my brother’s phone ringing from the study. My brother was a dedicated workaholic.

“Hello?”

“Konstantin.” A shiver ran down my spine as I crept closer to the threshold, trying to make sense of what this meant and the familiar voice. “I heard you finally got married. Congratulations,” the voice spoke. My brother must have had him on speaker, because I could hear him clearly.

“Somehow I have a feeling you didn’t call me to congratulate me on my marriage, Marchetti.”

I knew it.It was Enrico. But how did he and my brother know each other?

Glancing around, I ensured none of my brother’s men lingered around before pressing my ear against the cool wooden door. I didn’t want to miss a single world.

“You’re right,” he drawled, his deep voice cold. Indifferent. “Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long to marry the woman. You must have her willing by now. No?”

Illias scoffed. “If this is the reason for your call, I’m hanging up.”

Enrico’s chuckle sounded through the speaker. “I doubt that. Especially when you hear what I have to say.”

“What’s that?”

A heartbeat passed before an answer came. “I know your sister.”

Blood rushed through my veins. Oh my gosh, if Enrico told my brother about us, I’d die of embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks burning as images of the two of us flashed through my mind. Enrico on his knees, eating me out. Me on my hands and knees as he thrust inside me with such force I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

I gave my head a slight shake, chasing memories away. I needed to hear where this was leading, not remember those erotic images.

“I don’t know what in the fuck you’re talking about.” Illias’s voice was deathly calm, but the undertone of the threat was unmistakable.

“Really? So Isla Evans is who? Your protégé?” Hearing my name coming from him made my heart speed up. Except, I was unsure whether it was in anger or arousal. “Let’s stop playing games, shall we?” I detected a hint of annoyance. “She’s your sister. She told me herself.”

A growl vibrated through the room. “You’ve been speaking to my sister?”

“You could say that. We’ve gotten pretty close,” Enrico replied coolly. The tips of my ears burned knowing exactly how close he’d gotten to me. Jesus, he’d buried himself so deep inside me, I hadn’t known where he started and I ended.

“You stay the fuck away from Isla.” My brother’s voice thundered, and I could almost feel the whole castle shake with his threat. “You better not pull her into this shit, Marchetti, or I swear to God… I swear to God, I’ll send this alliance we have burning to ash, and you’ll find yourself at war with not just Sofia Volkov, but also with me.”

My brows furrowed. Who in the fuck was Sofia Volkov?

“I have no desire for war, Konstantin,” Enrico drawled. “In fact, I was thinking of a more formal alliance between your family and mine.”

There was a moment of silence while I contemplated the meaning of Enrico’s words. They made no sense. What alliance? I was growing more confused by the second.

“Elaborate, Marchetti.”

Good, at least I wasn’t the only one.