“Yes. We have to protect Ariana no matter what it takes.”
“Okay.” Alexei lets out a sigh. “I’ll talk to Yuri, but he won’t back down.”
“Lucian says things are tense there.”
“I have a couple of things to wrap up this side, then I’ll join you on the island so we can put a plan in place.”
“Okay. Watch your back.”
Ending the call, I lock eyes with Ariana where she’s watching me from the doorway. “Alexei’s coming.”
ARIANA
Staring at Demitri, it takes all my strength to keep calm. Knowing it’s only a matter of time before my dad dies is more than I can handle after everything that’s happened the past week.
That’s probably the last time I got to talk to my dad.
At least I still have Yuri, but it doesn’t lessen my heartache. I’m not ready to lose my father.
The thought makes me realize how I’ve been living in denial, hoping he’ll get better.
“Ariana,” Demitri says as he walks toward me.
I blink a couple of times. “Uh-huh?”
“I said Alexei will be joining us soon.”
I nod to show him that I heard and then turn and walk back to the kitchen.
Dad said I must only trust Alexei and Demitri.
A frown begins to form on my forehead because Dad didn’t mention Yuri. Then again, it’s probably because he knows I trust my brother.
“What happens now?” I ask as I begin to prepare a bowl of Fruit Loops for myself.
“Alexei and I will take care of everything.”
Turning my face to Demitri, our eyes lock. “Can I really trust you?”
He stares at me long and hard, and his voice is filled with steel as he says, “You can trust me.”
“Good,” I whisper, and then suddenly, I’m overwhelmed with relief, and I quickly glance away from Demitri.
God, things would’ve been so much easier if I had known that from the beginning. Still, it means Demitri really saved me from the assassin coming after me.
“I guess I owe you for saving my butt,” I mutter reluctantly because he still hurt and tied me to the damn bed on the first day.
Demitri doesn’t make this easy for me as he lets out a sigh. “And Christ, did you make it hard. You definitely owe me.”
It sounds like his words carry a double meaning, and it makes my eyes snap to his. “What?”
A sinfully hot grin spreads over his face. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to collect.”
Making a disgruntled face, I grab a spoon and plop it in the bowl of cereal. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
After shoveling my breakfast down, I go to my bathroom so I can wash my face and brush my teeth. After I’m done with my morning routine, I look at my reflection in the mirror.
God, I look like shit.
I head to my closet, and taking one of Demitri’s sweaters from it because it’s starting to get cold with winter just around the corner, I pull the fabric over my head. His scent envelops me, and it makes my ovaries do backflips.
Taking hold of the neck of the sweater, I bring the fabric to my nose and take a deep breath.
Do I trust him because Dad said I could, or was I already starting to trust him on my own?
I guess I’ll never know.
I keep inhaling Demitri’s scent like a damn addict while my thoughts turn to the intense attraction I feel toward him. I have no idea how long I’ll have to stay with him, and every day it gets harder to keep up the walls between us. It also doesn’t help shit that the man knows he’s hot as hell.
Letting out a sigh, I leave my bedroom and go back downstairs. I find Demitri out on the deck where he’s staring at the lake. He must’ve taken a shower because his black hair is damp, and he’s wearing cargo pants and a black t-shirt that only accentuates his divinely muscled body.
Sigh.
Coming to a stop next to him, I glance over the beautiful view, then ask, “How long have you known my dad?”
“All my life,” Demitri murmurs, not taking his eyes off the water in the distance. “My father was his custodian.”
My eyebrows lift, and my gaze snaps up to Demitri’s. “Was?”
“He died taking a bullet for Sergei.”
My mouth drops open, and for a moment, I can only stare at Demitri. Finally, I manage to whisper, “I’m sorry.”
He just shrugs. “It’s the way we live.”
Then the realization hits hard – Demitri is protecting me the way his father protected mine.
“I don’t want you to die for me,” I blurt out.
“I won’t,” he assures me. Glancing down at me, he adds, “I’ll only die for Alexei.”
The words make me frown at him. “What kind of relationship do you have with him?”
Demitri goes back to staring at the lake. “He’s the most important person in my life.”