Page 83 of Bratva Bride

She glanced around the warehouse. “This is a little crazy, isn’t it? Can you believe they’re this barbaric? Fighting each other while people place bets and cheer them on?” she said, shaking her head in disgust.

“I think it’s pretty awesome actually.”

She threw her head back in laughter. “Of course you would.” She took a step towards me and brushed her fingers over a small bruise that had formed just under my eye from the impact of the blast that threw me in the air. “Poor baby, you’re hurt.”

Illayana’s gaze found mine over the crowd and the smile on her face vanished, eyes narrowing into slits.

Fuck.

Before I even had the chance to back away from Gabriella, she rose to her feet. We stared at each other for what felt like bloody hours, but I knew it had barely been ten seconds. I quickly stepped away from Gabriella but the damage was done.

She broke eye contact first, moving with determination towards the ring. Lorenzo and Luca immediately stood, following close behind her. Once she reached the ring, she slapped her palm twice on the hard floor to get her brother’s attention.

Lukyan straightened from his defensive position and moved to the edge of the ring, bending down and sticking his head between the ropes so Illayana could whisper something in his ear. After a few seconds, his eyes locked onto me from across the room and he smiled. He gave a single nod before rising to his full height and making his way over to Christian.

Illayana moved quickly to a wall on the far side of the building that housed a variety of different weapons. Knives, daggers, swords, axes, fighting sticks, staffs, batons…the list went on and on. The whole thing was actually pretty damn impressive.

She picked up a pair of fighting sticks and a long, wooden staff and made her way back to the ring.

Christian had already jumped down, joining his brother and Lorenzo in the crowd. Lukyan stood in the centre of the ring shirtless, blood and sweat dripping down his torso. He wrapped his long hair up into a high bun to help keep it out of his face and jumped lightly up and down on the spot, keeping the adrenaline pumping through him.

I could hear Gabriella’s shrill voice still talking to me but I wasn’t processing a single word she was saying. My eyes were glued to the scene playing out in front of me.

Illayana threw the staff like a javelin and Lukyan caught it with ease, twirling it around his body effortlessly before landing in a fighting stance, facing Illayana. She had a fighting stick in each hand, a look of determination on her face as she stopped directly in front of the ring.

Oh, fuck off.

I took a step forward, intent on locking this shit down right fucking now when a strong hand gripped my shoulder. I turned my head slightly, curious to see who the fuck thought it was okay to stop me, when I saw Dimitri standing at my side.

He glared at Gabriella and she shrinked back, cowering. He flicked his head to the side, signalling for her to go away and she did, running back to the infirmary room where her mother was.

He eyed his children curiously. “You said something to piss her off, didn’t you?” he asked.

I was a little irritated that he figured out so quickly that I was responsible for her bad mood.

“Anything I say makes that woman mad.”

Dimitri chuckled. “True. She is quite temperamental, just like her mother. Word of advice?”

I grunted.

“She’s getting up there to prove a point to you and only you. Pay attention.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds an awful lot like a command, Dimitri,” I sneered, my anger rising. I wasn’t in the fucking mood to be spoken to like I was one of his goddamn soldiers.

“That’s because it is. Trust me when I say she’ll be even more pissed off if she has to do this shit again just to prove a point to you.”

Illayana jumped into the ring and my focus snapped onto her. She twirled her fighting sticks around her body a few times before crouching into a position similar to Lukyan.

The emotions in the room were a mixture of excitement, confusion and worry. The Bratva men were talking to each other fast in Russian, placing bets on who would win and passing money around. The Cosa Nostra men,my men, were looking at my new wife in bewilderment.

Bodies facing one another, Illayana and Lukyan both turned their heads toward their father. After a few tense seconds, Dimitri’s deep voice could be heard throughout the entire warehouse.

“Nachat.”Begin.

Lukyan lunged, bringing his staff down hard and fast, aiming for Illayana’s head. Illayana didn’t falter, didn’t hesitate. She brought her fighting sticks up high, over her head in an ‘X’ formation and blocked his attack. She shoved forward, pushing Lukyan back a couple steps, and went on the offensive.

She struck quickly. Left, right, high, low, alternating between both hands, but Lukyan blocked each strike, matching her stride. Lukyan swiped his staff at her head and she ducked underneath. In a move almost too fast to track, she jumped, pressed her foot into his thigh and pushed off, spinning in the air and kicking him straight in the face. Lukyan’s head snapped back, the crowd cheered and Illayana landed on her feet with a cheeky smirk.

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