Page 90 of Untamed

The little kitchenette is attached to the living area but secluded, so we can’t see or hear my sisters until we walk through the door. Sweet little Zoya, petite with dark hair and warm brown eyes, and my sister Yana, taller and slenderer than Zoya, stand up against a counter.

“Hey,” Yana says warmly, extending her long, slender fingers out to grasp Ember’s hand. “I’m Yana. This is Zoya. And you are…”

“This is Ember. Take care of her, girls. I have to go talk to Rafail.”

Zoya grimaces. “Good luck. I’m sorry, he’s in amood,Rodi.” She wrings her hands, always nervous around my thundercloud of a brother.

Yana, however, is less easily intimidated. “Come on, Ember. Let’s get you something to eat. They’ll work things out.”

“I love your account,” Zoya says with a grin. “I can’t believe it’syouhere. I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity. Your book recs are life.”

“Zoya!” I’m shocked by her admission. I still think of little Zoya as a child, the youngest sister. And I’ve read those damn books…

“What, Rodi?” She waves her hand dismissively at me. “Relax, will you? Did you forget I’m an adult now?”

“Barely,” I mutter. My brothers will be getting impatient. “I need to get out there. Takecareof her.”

I go back to my brothers. They’re waiting in the sitting area.

The vodka’s out, of course.

At least I know Ember’s safe in the kitchen.

I walk straight to the vodka, thankful my brothers brought the good stuff. “Anyone want a drink?” I’m deflecting but don’t fucking care. I walk over and pour myself a few fingers.

“I don’t want a drink, Rodion,” Semyon says with a sigh. “I want answers. We all do.”

But to my surprise, Rafail stands and walks over to me. He’s as tall as I am, but it took me a while to catch up. I know when I’ve pushed too far, and god knows I’ve done it before. He’s alwaysbeen like a father to me, but maybe now, in some way, he’s more a father than a brother.

When he reaches for me, I stifle a flinch, prepared for anything after what happened out there, but instead, he pulls me into a hug.

Something in my chest loosens.

I tamp it back down again.

“Good to see you, brother, even if I want to wring your damn neck.”

Well, that’s about as tender as Raf gets.

“Good to see you too.”

We step back from each other, and I sip the vodka before I take a seat next to him. “Alright. I’m going to tell you everything. Just relax, okay?”

Rafail leans against a small wooden desk and shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “No. Talk.”

This is not going to go over well.

I take another sip. God, I missed this shit. It tastes like home.

I blow out a breath. “I was doing the job you told me to do. And then… I saw the video Matvei sent of the mafia thirst traps, and I thought… I thought maybe I’d have a little fun.”

“What the fuck did you do?” Semyon asks in a growl, shaking his head.

Time to tackle this head-on and brace for the fallout. Ember can’t shoulder the responsibility alone.

“I started an account,” I admit. “But I didn’t letanyoneknow who I was. I was masked the whole time since that’s what everyone likes right now anyway.”

“Not everyone,” Semyon mutters. “Do go on. I can’t wait for the rest of this.”

---