“I guess I just hadn’t thought beyond the Sorbacovs.” She whispered the admission.
“Malyshka, I hadn’t thought much beyond the Sorbacovs either, until I met you. Now, it’s imperative we both survive – and we will. So that means… We share the same house. Our house. Our bed. Our world,” he finished.
Lissa liked that he was so confident they’d both come out alive after going after the Sorbacovs. She wasn’t going to back away from that goal, not even now that she’d found Casimir. The truth was, the Sorbacovs would continue to send killers after all of them. There were children to protect now. Her sisters. The men she was coming to love as brothers. She had a family now – a real one. They might not be of blood, but they certainly were in her heart. “I lost one family. I’m not about to lose another.”
“You’re as determined as I am,” he said, his eyes on hers.
When he looked at her like that, completely focused on her, as if she was the only person in his entire world, she melted inside.
“I’ve always wanted to come here and explore the grounds,” Lissa admitted, changing the subject again, wanting this time to be for them alone. “I’ve never had the chance, but we’ve got time today if you don’t mind.”
His smile was slow in coming. Sexy. “Giacinta, I would take the opportunity to spend the day with you anywhere, any way I can. I was alone my entire life. Now, I’ve got you. I’ll never get enough of being with you.”
She liked that. How could she not? She tried not to beam, but she was fairly certain the expression on her face could have lit up a dark night.
“Tell me about them. Your sisters. I’d like to know about the women who managed to tame my brothers, especially Gavriil. I didn’t believe there was any hope for him. How did your sister – it’s Lexi, right? How did she manage to get him to stay around long enough to convince him to remain there on the farm?”
Lissa knew her expression softened. She loved Lexi, truly loved her. “Lexi’s special. They all are, but she’s… fragile. Strong. Perfect. She wouldn’t think so, but I think Gavriil saw all of that right away. She was kidnapped when she was just a little girl by a cult. She didn’t escape until she was seventeen. She’s an earth element and can grow anything just about anywhere, so the cult’s farm thrived with her around. The man forcing her into marriage was a pedophile, so he wasn’t enamored with her more adult body, and suffice it to say, her life was a nightmare. When she escaped, the cult murdered her family in retaliation.”
He drew in his breath sharply. “I hope Gavriil got them.”
She nodded. “They came after her again, and it was a big mistake. Gavriil isn’t going to let anything happen to Lexi. He’s different with her. Not yet with the rest of us, but he’s getting more comfortable around us.”
“You like him.”
She nodded. “Very much. I didn’t think I would. He’s… alpha. I don’t know any other word for it. No one is going to get around that man. Well, with the exception of Lexi. Not even his brothers. I could tell they were a little uneasy around him and that made me worried for my sister, but I didn’t need to worry. I should have worried about the men coming after her.”
Casimir suddenly released her hand, and she glanced up to see the waiter heading their way with their orders. He made a show of putting the artfully presented food in front of them and then disappeared back inside.
“It doesn’t surprise me about Gavriil. My two oldest brothers had it the worst. There were several schools. They were taken to the two most brutal of those. Viktor’s school had the worst reputation. About half of those going through that school died before their training was complete. I don’t know much about Viktor, he’s been undercover for years now. Deep undercover. He’s got a target that so far he’s been unable to get to, but he won’t quit until he’s taken him out. I’d never want that man coming after me.”
“Are you saying that Viktor is even scarier than Gavriil?” Lissa was half joking. She couldn’t imagine anyone being more frightening that Gavriil.
“That school was disbanded after Viktor and about seventeen others finished. Even Kostya Sorbacov realized it was too brutal. There are rumors that the seventeen disappeared along with Viktor. Sorbacov has put out hits on all of them, but they can’t be found. I wouldn’t be in the least surprised to find out that Viktor secretly organized them all in school and they’ve disappeared together. Even young he was a leader.”