Page 63 of Ruthless Bonds

“He’s protective of you, I take it?”

“Very.”

I took a sip of my drink, noticing that she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. “And your husband? Is he just as crazy as Kreos?”

Her smile slipped for a moment, but if I’dblinked, I would have missed it. “Oh, I’m a widow, actually.”

My face heated, and I wished for the ground to open and swallow me. What an idiot I was. “I’m so sorry. Kreos never said. How long were you married for?”

She cocked her head to the side, scrunching up her nose as if she was deep in thought. “One hour and forty-three minutes.”

My eyes widened, which only made her burst out laughing. Did I even want to know what had happened to her husband? Probably not.

“Listen.” She motioned to the crowd in front of us. “These men will be threatened by you, by the power you’ll have as the Pakhan’s wife. You don’t need their approval, just their respect.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“The same way you handle rowdy people at your bar who are all ego and bravado. Carefully, and always stay one step ahead.” She gave me an assessing stare, nodding in what seemed like approval. “You’re about to become a queen, so start acting like it. That means the next time Katia over there touches Kreos”—she pointed with her chin to the dark-haired woman—“you break her fingers.”

I laughed so loud a few people around us turned to give us a questioning look. The weight in my chest lifted a little bit. It seemed like Gavriil was right. We probably would make good friends.

“Is that your sister over there looking like a virgin sacrifice?” She pointed at Dove who was typing something on her iPad and shoving it in Gavriil’s face.

“Yeah, that’s Dove with the modern-day Satan.”

Bela threw her head back, laughing, slapping her hand against her thigh. “That’s what I call him, too.”

“Well, well, who’s this pretty little thing? Too bad I didn’t meet you first, otherwise I’d be the one calling you wifey soon.” A man with black hair tied back into a ponytail leered at me, his drink spilling as he stumbled into my personal space.

“Ivan, get lost,” Bela grumbled as she rolled her eyes. “Our cousin from our mother’s side.”

He leaned in close, his breath reeking of Scotch. “Don’t be rude now. I’m family, after all.” His hand slid inappropriately low on my back, sending a chill up my spine.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Kreos appeared next to us in an instant, his expression terrifyingly calm. He gripped Ivan’s hand and twisted it behind his back. Leaning in, he whispered something into Ivan’s ear. Ivan turned pale. A second later, Grig and Tash appeared and took him away.

“Are you alright,milaya?” Kreos wrapped his arm possessively around my waist, pulling me against him.

“Yeah, I’m OK.” I offered him a smile, patting his chest. The crowd around us were staring, watching us closely to see what would happen next. Maybe it was the champagne, or the look in his eyes, but I couldn’t help myself as I reached up on my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his lips.

It’s all for show. None of this is real.

“What was that for?” he murmured, his grip on me tightening.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know once I figure it out.” I chuckled and turned to see Bela with her hand over her heart, making puppy dog eyes.

The rest of the party went smoothly. I hated to say it, but it was more fun than I’d thought.

By the time we got back to his estate, I was exhausted. Kreos disappeared somewhere with Gavriil and I took the chance to grab my phone. I was tempted to text the group chat, but didn’t know what I was allowed to say to them. It was a little lonely only having Dove in my corner tonight. I’d have to talk to Kreos about letting me see my friends before I ended up breaking his rules and going to see them without his permission.

There was one missed text on my phone, and my heart sped up in hopes that it was Dylan finally texting me back.

But it wasn’t.

It was from an anonymous number.

Chills ran through me as I read the text over and over again.

Stay away from Kreos Zokrov or you’re dead.

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