Page 201 of Filthy Savage

“Ahh, there you two are. And, Mrs. Quinn, may I just say how ravishing you look tonight?”

“Hey,” Fionn snaps. “Keep those eyes to yourself.”

“Oh, my friend, love looks good on you.” He clasps him on the shoulder.

“And what about you, Konstantin?” I ask. “No special lady in your life?”

“You amuse me, daragaya.” He chuckles dryly. “No, I prefer my life to be a little less complicated, at least in that aspect.” He smirks.

“It isn’t that bad,” Fionn throws in. “I’m sure even a man like you could get used to someone actually tolerating him.”

“Ha! You’re a comedian, I see.” He slaps a hand across his back. “Why don’t you go get something to eat? Your family has already arrived.”

He points to a table at the left corner of the outdoor area he had transformed with tents, a dance floor, and more tables than I can count. We head over there, the whole gang greeting us.

“Some party, huh?” Elara says, glancing at Adora and Brody, who are watching a man swallowing fire.

“Wanna go with them, baby?” I ask Fia, who nods.

When Brody sees her, he waves, and she goes running.

“Where’s Cillian?” Fionn asks, pulling out a chair for me.

“He was here a few minutes ago.” Patrick looks around. “Not sure where he went.”

As my eyes scan the area, I catch sight of Cillian with a beautiful woman with long black hair.

“Isn’t that your brother?” I whisper to Fionn, and he follows my line of vision.

“It is. And it seems like he hasn’t wasted any time arguing with Dinara.” He chuckles. “The woman he won’t admit he’s obsessed with.”

I continue to watch them as she digs her finger into his chest, and when he grabs her wrist and smirks, she slaps him.

“Wow!” I say. “What do you think he did?”

“Knowing him, a lot of things,” he scoffs.

“Well, she doesn’t look happy to see him. That’s for sure.”

“She never is. It’s a game they both play. Except they don’t know they’re playing it.”

Someone clinks their glass and the voices dim, the music instantly stopping when Konstantin stands in the center of the dance floor.

“My dear friends and family. It is a pleasure to welcome you all into my home. To share my food and my hospitality with each one of you for our dear Gregory’s birthday is a gift to me.” His eyes go to the boy, who stands across from him, dark hair and eyes like his sister’s. “Come, come.”

Konstantin waves him over, and he walks over to stand beside him.

“Gregory and his two sisters, Tatiana and Dinara, mean a lot to me. I’m sure they know how much I love them. And it’s why today is a special day. Not only because our dear Gregory is practically a man, but because today, I announce something else special to me. Something that I have planned for a very long time.”

“Shit,” Fionn mutters, glancing at Cillian and Dinara, both of whom stare in horror at Konstantin, and I don’t know why.

“What’s going on?” I ask, but Konstantin starts again.

“Tatiana, may I please ask you to come here with me?”

A gorgeous, tall young woman who looks like a spitting image of Dinara comes strutting down in her short black minidress.

“My Tatiana turned eighteen not too long ago, and I wanted to find her a suitable match who would provide her with the same care I have provided her for these past years. And who better than you, Cillian Quinn, wouldn’t you say?”

---