Page 49

FORTY-EIGHT

Vlad

T he ice princess shouldn’t be a facade. It was supposed to be who she was to prevent this shit. Inessa was supposed to be nothing. A stepping stone to where I need to be in order to secure my family, but she’s become the frame of the very thing I want to protect. I don’t push the emotional moment away. I obliterate it, knowing it’s going to make her feel like shit for now, but it’ll stop anything worse in the future.

Crossing her arms over her beautiful tits, she looks powerful with my cum running down her thigh.

“Seriously? Can you not say stupid shit all the fucking time? A bowling ball?”

Everyone has their chosen methods of control. Some push it into their tongue, making them more palatable to society, but mine is solely reserved for the fuckers in this house who throw tantrums.

I try to hide my humor at her anger and hold up two fingers while extending my thumb giving her a visual.

“Yeah, like this. Two in your cunt and my thumb in your ass, easy strike.”

Her jaw goes lax, and I want to take it back and have the sweet, soft Inessa who couldn’t stop touching me. But that’s weak as fuck, so I wrap my arms around her middle and sway side to side, hoping she comes back to life.

“I was joking, meelaya.”

It’s a partial lie. It wasn’t well thought out, but she’d look good on my hand, like a puppet. She softens again as she looks up at me, there’s no disgust or pity staring at me. My queen won’t use that shit she’s seen as a way of thinking she has any power over me. She’s good and honest with her brattiness. She has something I will never possess, morality. For anyone else it’s a weakness, but it’s her sword and her shield. I will protect that good in her until my dying breath.

I can’t voice my gratitude and press it into her cheek as she wraps her arms around my middle. I should know better than to trust her gentle eyes, but she’s mesmerizing, and I let her have the order.

“I’m hungry, get me some food.”

Patting her ass, I pull her with me so she’s walking backwards and get cleaned up. Her hands don’t leave my skin as the warm spray beats down on us and she leans up on her toes, pressing her lips to my jaw. She’s always too sensitive right after I’ve fucked her, and I cup my hand between her thighs collecting the warm water to help soothe her.

Her stomach rumbles and my voice hardens, “When was the last time you ate?”

She’s not usually shy and she’ll steal Vitali’s plate if she can’t be bothered warming her own food with them all being pre-prepared. One thing I know about my wife, she’s a terrible liar and her tell is in her eyes as she looks away, and hugs me with both arms. Her mumble is low in the hopes the water drowns it out, but I hit the switch, changing the pressure.

“I was nervous you’d get hurt.”

I pull back so I can see her face and so she can see there’s no fucking argument.

“You do not starve yourself, ever. If you’re angry, nervous, fucking pissed at me, and want to kill me, you will still force yourself to eat around those emotions, or I’ll do it for you.”

She rolls her eyes and turns, giving me her back as she deadpans, “You say the sweetest shit to me, I could pass out from the butterflies taking flight.”

It’s laughable that she thinks she wants sweet, she wants rough and violent, or she’d be bored making some nobody into her bitch.

There’s no more discussion because her stomach fucking rumbles again, and I grab her nape, forcing her to walk backwards into my chest as I rush through the steps and make sure she’s cleaned up. The other fuckers will all be awake after the fight, and no one is going to see my queen with cum on her apart from me.She isn’t some captive to be locked in her room all night and I want her to be comfortable around the others in the chance that when I’m gone, they’ll keep her here and she won’t even think of leaving.

It’s ironic when we step out of the spray, and she tries to look presentable when she has spa sessions with Vitali and Viktor. The three of them sit by the pool with random shit on their faces, but she’s suddenly concerned about looking foolish, and goes to the vanity to dry her hair. Holding her nape, I pull her away from the bathroom, not caring that her hair is dripping as we walk. The robe is long enough to cover anything they shouldn’t see, not thinking the same she freezes seeing where I’m pulling her.

She looks up at me like I’m an idiot and holds her hand out, gesturing to herself, “I’m not dressed.”

More of her body is covered than she would be in the silk she sleeps in, and I don’t bother arguing. I fucked up losing concentration for the first time because of her antics and I’m not going to let it happen again. I need to watch what I did wrong to overcome it. So, I pick her up to stop any arguments and throw her over my shoulder. She doesn’t grumble and relaxes, letting me carry her through the house.

Inessa doesn’t eat alone. It’s a weird habit and she’ll only pick at food unless there are other people there, so who fucking knows when she last ate.

My brothers are fucking slobs, both of them sat in shorts like stoned fucking teenagers with snacks laid out in front of them. The youngest even looks high and holds his arms up shouting, “The parents are here.”

I spoilt them both, this is my punishment for going easy on them. I don’t know what Inessa’s excuse is as she straightens, trusting I won’t drop her and addresses her subjects.

“Don’t even try to compare me to your cunt of a mother.”

Her foul mouth is given a free pass due to the topic; the word is too nice to describe Anika. Setting her on the sofa, she fits in, arguing with the other two fuckers like she’s family. I leave them to battle out whatever new topic they’ve decided on and I turn to go to the office when I’m stopped. Inessa doesn’t look at me or give an order, she’s looped her little finger in mine and squeezes gently. Fucking adorable.

I’ve never sat with my brothers now we’re all adults. As teenagers, they were wild, getting into as much shit as they could and calling me to fix it when it blew up in their faces. But they’re not kids who need me anymore, they’re grown men who take my instructions. It’s intrusive to take their free time away from them.

But my queen is a brat even in silence and squeezes my finger three times. Sitting beside her, I physically fit in without my suit. There’s no discomfort, and the switch is automatic as Valentin plays the fight without breaking his conversation. I could add ten years on to my fake age and it would still be too young for how I fucking feel.

These kids are grown-ass men, the same people that would come home from school and color my tattoos in because I didn’t have money for the fancy shit to occupy them.They have every games console, car, a fucking stable now. Every wish they had as children has been given to them, but unease is still there saying it isn’t enough.

Tapping against my knee I remind myself of what made me.

Forefinger, Len. Middle finger, Anika. Ring finger, Piotr .

Doing the repetition, I list what kept me.

Forefinger, Valyusha. Middle finger, Vitya. Ring finger, Vanya .

What will save me.

Forefinger, Valyusha. Middle finger, Vitya. Ring finger, Vityenka .

My little finger lifts and my mind changes the pattern of a lifetime adding Inessa to the list.

Everything goes silent and I come back to reality to see what’s stolen their attention. They’re not looking at me, but the screen and my body hardens with the fucker’s cheap shot. I should turn Inessa’s ass red for fucking distracting me. I’ve never had one of those pricks get close to touching me, never mind land a damn hit.She tenses next to me. Her breathing escalates, and she fully grips my hand. Her nails dig into my palm, and she doesn’t look away from the screen.

Like he can hear my thoughts, Valya shakes his head and doesn’t act like a toddler for once.

“How the fuck did he manage to get close to you?”

Because the woman at my side currently holding my hand fucks with my head and makes me weak .

For the first time since leaving Sankt Peterburg, I was distracted during a fight. It wasn’t because my brothers were sleeping in the changing rooms, but Inessa wasn’t home. Even if I’d trust my brothers with everything I have, it didn’t ease my mind when they carried her unconscious body away.

The front door opens, and I pull Inessa closer to my side on alert. Seeing Dima walk in I relax, but then his fucking irritating junior follows behind with Katya at her side. There’s a bruise forming on Ana’s cheek and it’s joyous, she’s an annoying little shit. No wonder her parents abandoned her at birth and fucked off. If she was my kid, I’d swan dive from the Empire State Building to get the fuck away from her.

Inessa leans into me when she sees us glaring at each other, and her lips don’t move with her low order.

“Be nice.”

I’m confused as to who she’s talking to, I am not a nice person. It’s not part of the fabric of my DNA and my tongue is allergic to it unless it’s sarcastic. Fitting my lips next to her ear, I keep my voice low, not wanting anyone to hear.

“I was nice to you in the bathroom, want me to do it again?”

She never blushes in front of other people, and she doesn’t now, pretending I didn’t say anything.

The queen comes out dressed in a robe with damp hair and not a lick of makeup, she doesn’t look anything other than what she is because her royal title is something that flows through her veins. She crosses one leg over the other and folds her hands on her knees as she straightens her spine, speaking directly to Ana who is laid on my brothers.

“Why do you and Vlad hate each other?”

I knew Vitya would adopt her, he does it to everyone, but Valya surprises me when he hates everyone. But he doesn’t move pipsqueak’s legs off his thighs.

She sounds like a teacher and Valya laughs like the answer is obvious. Pinning him with a look that says shut the fuck up or spit it out, he chooses the latter.

“She’s a mini Vlad, obviously they wouldn’t get on.”

Fucking prick. After all the shit I’ve done for him he has to fucking insult me by comparing me to the pipsqueak.

Before her annoying voice can taint the air, my phone rings, flashing an unknown number. Answering on the last ring, I stay silent. It’s not my private number, but I don’t owe the fucker anything, whoever it is. One voice I haven’t heard since the night Viktor was left at the gym comes through and every muscle in my body turns rigid.

“You should be careful who you leave your nephew with.”

Everything around me is silent, either my mind has muted it, or they sense the deadly rage coursing through me. My voice comes out unaffected, trying to buy time to get the dumb fucker to give something away.

“I didn’t know they had cell service in whatever hole you’ve been hiding in Leno.”

I hold my hand up when Valentin moves forward, and he balls his fists, but keeps his mouth shut.

He’s not high, there’s too much clarity in his voice and there’s not a single sound in the background of his call.

“His eyes have darkened since he was baby, you know I told Carly that he’d have the same dead eyes as you and your brothers.”

Something shuffles on the other end of the phone, and it sounds like a body dropping until Viktor’s voice comes through, “I’m not scared of you, I’m a Vartanov and we don’t kneel.”

Any pride I could feel is replaced with my heart battering against my ribs and I can’t look at my own brother.

Leno’s laugh comes through and I’m going to rip him limb from fucking limb.

“You’re the son of a drug whore, kid. You’ve got it in you to kneel, so act like your mommy.”

Viktor rages and promises death.

“My dad is going to kill you, then Vlad will. And Vitali will piss on your dead body. Then I’ll send that to your mommy.”

I stand because I can’t sit in anger and there’s a scuffle before the line goes dead. Without looking at Valentin, I dial Dani’s number, hoping to fuck she’s made a mistake and let the cunt in her house. When there’s no answer, I turn to leave, ignoring everyone’s eyes on me and I’m stopped with my brother grabbing my shoulder.

He already knows, it’s there in his eyes. A father knows when their child is hurt, and I give him a promise rather than confirmation.

“I’ll get him back to you.”

I won’t let him know the loss of losing his child, he’ll never have to spend nights awake counting how old Viktor would have been or imagining his milestones.

The temperature in the room drops to below freezing and Dima is the only person capable of moving as he stands. Gripping Valyusha’s nape, I shake him to life, needing him to not lose his shit yet.

“When did you last speak to Dani?”

He was on his phone at the fight and he’s overprotective of his son. He slowly blinks and takes too long to answer with everyone else already moving. Vitali speaks on his behalf, “I spoke to her before we left, she said Vik had fallen asleep watching some movie.”

I nod and turn to leave as Inessa goes to my brother, so he’s not alone.

I pause and kiss her crown in gratitude before I leave. Dima already has the car pulled up, and Vitali is nearly up my ass with his eagerness. Ana has joined our group and jumps in the back with Katya as we peel away before the doors have even closed. We’re encased with rage, and my little brother speaks, letting his emotions out.

“He wouldn’t have killed her, right?”

I made him a promise when he was five to never lie to him, and I don’t answer, not wanting to break it.

We have no fucking idea where to go, but Dima drives in the direction of Dani’s building. Hopefully, Leno’s inept junkie ass hasn’t left.