Page 49 of My Dark Horse Prince

“Aren’t these hugely expensive?” I can’t stop gawking at the turbines. They’re so much bigger than I realized. Massive, really. Hundreds of feet higher than anything else in the area.

“The Russian government made some promises to the United Nations and to Germany in their latest trade agreement, to move to using a certain percentage of renewable resources in the next five years.” Aleks laughs. “They’re way, way behind. Let’s just say that these should be two or three million each, install not included, and I bought two hundred and eleven for two hundred thousand euros each.”

“I’m not great at math,” I say. “Because when I did that in my head. . .it seems like you spent forty million on them.”

“Forty-two,” Aleks says. “But don’t worry.”

If I had a paper bag, I’d be hyperventilating into it. How could he have spent that much on them and still have even a single ruble left to pay for my surgery? My mind is reeling right now.

“Not only that, but a few weeks later, a private party reached out. They had bought eighty-seven turbines and then been unable to find places to install them, so I bought those for only a hundred thousand each. They’re being installed on my property right now.”

“But you hadn’t found Grigoriy yet,” I say. “When you bought these, I mean.”

Aleks smiles. “Some things you take on faith.”

“Don’t believe a word of that,” Kris says. “He was panicked when months passed with no sign of Grigoriy. He had to sign a pledge to generate a certain amount of energy, and he’s already four months behind.” She sighs. “His penalty fees if he doesn’t meet those quotas are. . .painful.”

“But we will, now,” he says. “No risk, no reward.”

“You got lucky,” Kris says. “You know how I feel about gambling.”

“Says the woman who bet every euro she had on a losing horse.”

I really, really like the two of them together, now that I know enough to understand what makes them work.

“Let’s do it.” Grigoriy reaches for my hand.

“Wait.” I snatch it back. “That’s it? We just do it? Just like that?”

His expression’s bemused. “What did you expect? Should we have some performers come and celebrate this momentous event, first? Or perhaps we should open a bottle of champagne?”

“No, we do that afterward,” Kris says.

“It just feels like a big deal. I read about wind turbines last night, and one of them can power fifteen hundred homes all year.”

Aleksandr smiles. “These are a bit bigger, actually. Try two thousand homes at average capacity.”

“Don’t you need to, I don’t know, prepare? Draw a warding circle in chalk, or something?”

“Where do you get these ideas?” Grigoriy laughs. “My magic, more than any of the others, is part of who I am.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Aleks says. “More than any others?” He rolls his eyes. “I think you meant to say that your magic, like mine, does exhaust you sometimes, but it’s exhilarating too. And you know your limits well, because you trained to master it for a decade.”

“More than a decade,” Grigoriy says. “Now.”

When he reaches for my hand this time, I let him take it. “Good luck.”

“I won’t need it,” he says. “But thanks.” He’s not even looking at me when he reaches for my hand, but I can’t seem to look away. His big, strong hand moves toward me smoothly, confidently, and slowly, his big fingers slip over mine. Even though his is covering the top of mine, his hand shifts a bit, and his fingers slide through the gaps between mine.

A shiver runs up my spine, and I suppress it, hoping he won’t feel it.

He’s far too focused on the vast army of wind turbines stretched out in front of us to even care what I’m doing, I’m sure. I crane my neck up, up, up, and then swivel back and forth a bit, trying to take in the hundreds of acres on which the wind turbines are placed.

“How big is this estate?” I ask.

“The turbines take up more than two hundred and fifty acres,” Aleks says. “It was the closest I could get anyone to agree to install them.” He sighs. “But Grigoriy has several thousand acres, so it’s not a huge inconvenience.”

“I can’t believe we can see them all,” Kris says.

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