Page 7 of Ruthless Royalty

I growl (yes, I’m annoyed, okay) and his friend chuckles. Wow, I had forgotten he was here at all.

“Find something amusing?” I ask and turn around to look at him.

He shrugs. “Just here to remind you never to turn your back on an enemy.”

Just as he says this, I’m lifted up off the floor and pinned down to the mat. I let out a squeal and Nikolai pins my hands next to me, locking my thighs between his.

“And now you’ve been beaten and raped,” he says casuallyand my heart leaps in terror at the implication. He’s right; of course he’s right. I shouldn’t have turned my back to him.

I try to catch my breath and he slowly releases my arms, but stays on top of me. There’s an odd look in his eyes, and it feels like he’s come to a conclusion about something.

“Be back here tomorrow and I’ll teach you a few things you need to know. Have you ever fought with a knife or shot a gun?” he asks and I shake my head. “Then I’ll be teaching you. Can’t have you around criminal heirs without knowing what you’re heading into.”

With that, he gets up and holds out his hand for me and when I take it, he pulls me up. It’s weird how that slimy feeling went away just when he decided to help me, and now I somehow feel like I have an ally.

“Why are you helping me?” I can’t help but ask again. There has to be a reason, right? It can’t just be because I’m his ‘little sister’, as he so annoyingly calls me.

Nikolai crosses his arms. “Like I said, you’re family now and you need to be prepared. I’m glad you decided this on your own, but you’re going to need help,” he says, raising his eyebrow. “Going into Willow Bridge unprepared is basically you announcing that you’re a virgin in our world. It’s a shark tank, and you cannot be bait when you’re attached to the Mikhailov name.”

“Especially not with Giovanni thinking he’s running the place,” Nikolai’s friend says, and I frown.

“Giovanni? One of your friends?” I ask.

Nikolai rolls his eyes. “He’s one of The Crowns and practically my brother. But he thinks he’s our leader when we’ve never had a leader since?—“

“Crowns?” I interject, surprised. “What does that mean?”

The two of them look at each other, then Nikolai turns back tome. “Get cleaned up and meet us in the parlor. It’s time someone taught you about the Five Crowns.”

CHIARA

After a shower, I slip on a dress to enjoy the last days of warm weather before I go freeze my ass off in Scotland. I’ve managed to work up an appetite in the gym, so after eating a snack, I join Nikolai and his friend in what I know now is the parlor.

They’re already drinking when I get there, which shouldn’t surprise me. Nikolai looks up when I enter and rolls his eyes.

“God, you took your time. I was starting to think you didn’t want to learn about the Five Crowns,” he says in that lazy drawl that always makes me want to slap him.

“Well, excuse me for being hungry,” I say and sit down on the chaise lounge opposite him and his friend. I realize then that I haven’t introduced myself yet, so I turn to him. “I’m Chiara, by the way.”

He takes my outstretched hand and before he kisses it, I notice that he has a playing card club tattooed on his ring finger. When he kisses my hand, Nikolai slaps him behind his head.

“Fucker,” he says, glaring at Nikolai. “I’m Mihai Vasile. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Chiara.”

“You’re not going to get under her dress, asshole, she’s too good for you. Touch her and you’re dead,” Nikolai says, and I’m shocked at the over protectiveness in his tone.

I scoff. “And since when did you become my keeper? What if I wanted Mihai to get under my dress?”

Mihai’s eyes widen greedily at this, and Nikolai leans back, crossing his arms. “Since my father told me I’m responsible for you. You’re family, and that means something to a Mikhailov,” he says, as if it’s the most simple explanation. “Now, if you’re quite done…”

Hmm, so Nikolai sees me as family now. At least now I know he won’t try anything funny with me anymore. Something tells me I’ve earned Nikolai’s respect, but I still don’t know how I managed that. I thought the guy hated me.

I nod and get comfortable on the chaise. “Why is it called an Academy, anyway? When you think of the word ‘Academy’ the one thing that comes to mind is a private high school or something. Shouldn’t it be a University?”

Nikolai shakes his head. “An Academy is a place of further learning, or rather, further learning into a specific field. In our case, further studies into the world we’ll be entering when we take over from our fathers.”

“Further crime studies, then,” I say, catching Nikolai’s grin.

“You can call it that, but the field we study into will prepare us for our lives after Willow Bridge. My major is computer science and engineering, while Mihai’s major is international law and business. But that being said, even though it’s an Academy, Willow Bridge is basically the Switzerland of the criminal underworld.”

---