Page 29 of Vendetta Crown

"Is she nice?" Stella wants to know.

Aurora smiles. "Very nice. How long have you girls been waiting for us?"

"Forever!" Sofia declares dramatically.

Mikayla finally approaches, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. When she sees the bruise on Aurora's face, she flinches visibly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers. The weight of responsibility sits heavy on her young shoulders.

Aurora reaches out, taking Mikayla's hand. "This isn't your fault. None of it. I'm back now. We're all safe."

"It's good to see you up and walking, Uncle Ruslan," Mikayla says, her eyes carefully scanning my injuries.

I pull her into a gentle hug. "You did well, Mika," I tell her. "Keeping your sisters' spirits up while all of this has been happening. I'm proud of you."

She pulls back, her eyes serious beyond her years. "Mother has been trying to contact me again. Several times. I've refused to speak with her."

My heart tightens. No matter what Tamara has done, she's still their mother. This conflict has created a wall between them that might never come down.

"I understand," I say softly. "I know it's not easy."

"It's what's necessary," Mikayla says.

"Uncle Ruslan!" Sofia tugs at my sleeve, her excitement practically bursting out of her small frame. "Artyom is waiting for you too! He brought a friend for us to play with!"

"Did he now?"

Aurora kneels down beside Sofia, wincing slightly as her bruised body adjusts to the movement. "Who is this friend?"

Stella jumps in, her words tumbling over each other. "She has red hair and laughs really loud and knows all the best games!"

"Is her name Hannah?" Aurora says, her face lighting up with recognition.

"Yeah!" Sofia nods enthusiastically. "Hannah is the best! She showed us how to make paper airplanes that can fly all the way across the big room!"

"And she knows all the best hiding places for hide and seek," Stella adds.

Mikayla rolls her eyes fondly at her sisters' enthusiasm. "Hannah's been helping these two terrors find all the ice cream and cookies that Daria doesn't want them to have."

I try to suppress my smile. Daria must be beside herself with Hannah undermining her authority in the kitchen.

"Where is Hannah now?" Aurora asks, hope spreading across her face. I understand her eagerness to see a friendly face after everything she's been through.

Stella giggles. "She's always with Artyom whenever she's not playing with us."

"Always," Sofia pouts with dramatic emphasis.

That's interesting. When I left Artyom and Hannah together, they'd been at each other's throats.

Apparently, something has changed in my absence.

Then again, everything has changed.

"Girls," I say, crouching down despite the protest from my wounds, "would you mind giving us a moment? I think Aurora would like to speak with Hannah."

"But you just got home," Stella pouts, crossing her arms.

"I promise we'll have plenty of time later," I tell her. "Right now, Aurora needs to see her friend. You wouldn't want to keep her waiting, would you?"

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