Page 18 of Rites of Passage

Yuliy sighed and took off his glasses. “You need to try and get along with them. I’m not going to be around forever to keep the peace.”

The pale scars on the backs of his uncle’s hands didn’t escape Vlad’s attention as he watched him pinch the bridge of his nose. Yuliy had literally fought his way through the ranks of theBlack Devilsand was missing a kidney and two toes as a result. The older men in the syndicate who used to visit their estate in Russia had often regaled Vlad with tales of Yuliy’s exploits, much to his uncle’s dismay.

It had never been Yuliy’s intention to involve Vlad in theBratvalife. If anything, his uncle had wanted to keep him as far away from a life of crime as he possibly could. It had been Vlad’s decision to take over the mantle of Yuliy’s heir, after he killed the man his uncle had chosen as the next leader of theBlack Devils.

Kaspar Petrovich’s face swam before Vlad’s eyes.

It’s funny. Even after all these years, I still don’t regret ripping that bastard’s heart out.

Vlad subdued the memories from that dark day and focused on his uncle. “You look tired,dyadya.”

The unease he’d been experiencing all morning grew ten-fold at the hard look Yuliy gave him.

“That’s because my heir is gallivanting around New York with a witch instead of taking care of my business.”

Vlad’s skin prickled.Shit. So thisisabout Mae.

That the infamous Witch Queen from the prophecy long whispered about in the magical community would turn out to be an aspiring surgeon and mortuary assistant from Queens had surprised every sorcerer and witch he knew, including the usually unflappable Bryony Cross.

Truth be told, Vlad hadn’t paid much heed to the Witch Queen’s story and the blind hope her forecasted resurrection engendered in those who wished to defeat the Sorcerer King and his Dark Council. It wasn’t his business and he had zero interest in getting involved in their fight. Though he’d reached out to the covens after his magic awakened, his interactions with them over the years had very much centered around fighting the growing darkness in the underworld he inhabited. A darkness only he seemed to sense and that he’d finally convinced Yuliy would have a huge impact on not just theBratvas, but the entire criminal network.

Though many altruistic souls wished for the demise of all crime syndicates, it was a fact of life that they were essential tools that governments often relied upon to control the more abhorrent transgressors in human society.

Tarang plopped his head on Yuliy’s lap and huffed, impatient for his attention. Yuliy’s face lightened as he patted the tiger.

He sat back in his chair and reached out to the familiar. “Hand.”

Tarang lifted a giant paw and placed it nimbly in Yuliy’s palm.

Yuliy rubbed the tiger’s scruff briskly. “Good boy. Now, play dead.”

Tarang dropped to the floor, rolled onto his back, and went deathly still.

“It’s a good thing Brimstone can’t see you,” Vlad told the familiar dryly. “That fox would laugh you out of town.”

Tarang rumbled a protest and rolled onto his front, abashed.

CHAPTER11

Yuliy grunted.“Is Brimstone the name of that nine-tailed beast?”

Vlad went over to the fire and plopped down on a couch. “Yeah.”

Yuliy rose, crossed the study, and settled on the opposite sofa. Tarang curled up at the older man’s feet and propped his head on his front paws, his mesmerized gaze on the flames crackling in the hearth. He’d been fascinated by fire ever since he was a cub, probably since it was the closest thing on Earth to his and Vlad’s crimson magic.

The door opened. Gustav wheeled in a serving tray with coffee and apple pie, and steak for Tarang. He excused himself and vanished.

Vlad finished his cake and coffee in record time, almost beating Tarang as the latter wolfed down his meat. One thing he did miss about the mansion besides the people he loved was the food.

He polished off his spoon, set it down on his plate, and sat back with a sigh. “I’m glad she didn’t put razor blades in it.”

Yuliy squinted. “Did you do something to piss Lena off?”

“I called her old.”

Yuliy rolled his eyes. “You have a death wish, boy.”

A warm feeling swept over Vlad as he observed the older man. Many assumed his childhood had been mired in violence and blood. Little did they know that that was as far from the truth as one could get. Though his beginnings had been ridden with misfortune, his life with Yuliy, Gustav, Lena, and eventually Tarang had been filled with nothing but happiness.

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