“Mercy! I cry mercy for my child,” she begged.
“Granted. Instead of eliminating you right now, you shall remain here until you give birth. Any woman who could plan the death of someone else’s child cannot be trusted with her own. Consider yourself lucky for the extra time granted.”
He left Lilly alive—reluctantly.
Her crazed screams brought him no pleasure as he slammed the door and told his men to turn the music up to full blast.
Rytsar looked at Thane, feeling deeply troubled that he would have to share this news with him.
“I find it difficult to tell you more. I am not able to eliminate the threat for the time being and you will only be able to lie here with the knowledge of what she tried to do.” He looked at his own palms and lamented, “Both of our hands are tied for different reasons.”
Thane stared at him and whispered hoarsely, “Brother.”
Rytsar nodded. It was Thane’s right to know.
Wrapping his hand around Thane’s in an act of solidarity, Rytsar laid out what Lilly had confessed to him.
There were moments during the conversation that Thane closed his eyes, unable to accept what he heard. Rytsar waited until he indicated he was ready to continue. The reality that they had almost lost Brie and the baby was hard to stomach. The dominant, protective side of their personalities couldn’t handle that truth.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, moy droog?” Rytsar accused. “I could have squashed the creature before she had the chance to harm Brie.”
Thane shook his head, but Rytsar clearly read the remorse in his eyes.
Suddenly feeling guilty, Rytsar realized he was equally at fault and admitted, “I am not being fair to you…”
Thane’s eyes narrowed.
He chuckled sadly. “The truth, moy droog, is that I am also guilty of keeping things from you in an attempt to protect radost moya. Like true brothers, we share the same flaw.”
Thane frowned and squeezed his hand weakly, demanding an explanation.
Rytsar looked him in the eye. “The situation involving the maggot I killed has become complicated. The Kozlov brothers are seeking revenge because it turned out he was their second cousin once removed. Although they’d never met in person, it’s made a convenient excuse for vengeance against me.”
Thane nodded slowly in understanding, knowing his connection with the Kozlov family.
“I thought I was safe,” Rytsar confessed. “But now I see the tides turning and I cannot stop what is coming.” He slapped his other hand against Thane’s and held tight. “But I promise with every breath still left in me that I will not let radost moya suffer for what happened in Russia.”
Thane furrowed his brow.
“No. My people never broke their silence, but the girl’s confession gained the interest of the bratva. When the maggot was identified as missing, the Kozlov brothers eventually put two and two together. You know our history, brother, and with their patriarch dead, there’s nothing to stop them now.”
Thane’s expression set Rytsar on edge.
“I’m sorry, moy droog. Too much information to process when you’ve only just rejoined the living.”
His comrade shook his head and croaked out the word with difficulty, “Truth.”
Rytsar accepted his assurance. “For better or worse, I won’t keep information from you anymore. The Kozlov brothers desire my death as payment for the maggot. My only option is to avoid capture and attempt to convince them otherwise.”
The look of sorrow that Thane gave him echoed his own emotions when he thought he’d lost Thane.
“I vow not to go down without a fight but, if the worst should happen, do not mourn for me. I will be with Tatianna, and will sup at my mother’s table again.”
Thane shook his head, forcing out the word, “Coward…”
Rytsar smirked. “Fine, you peasant bastard. I will fight as hard as you have. We are brothers after all. Stubborn to the depths of our dark souls.”
A faint smile briefly played on Thane’s lips.
“Should I give you a few moments to process before I go get your woman?”
Thane nodded and closed his eyes.
Rytsar left Thane feeling uneasy. Having just awakened after months in a coma, his brother needed to focus on himself. Instead, Thane had been forced to carry not only the burden of Lilly’s treachery, but Rytsar’s own uncertain future.
He found Brie waiting just outside the door. He stopped her from going in, whispering, “He needs some time to himself.”
Rytsar had to push her to the waiting room, where he sat her down.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“He needs a few moments to process.”
“Does he seem fully aware to you?”
“Da.”
“I think so too. It’s been so long since I’ve looked into his eyes and seen him looking back…” Tears pooled as she said it.
Rytsar wrapped her up in his arms, grateful that this day had finally come for both of them. “I know it has been hard, and there is still much work ahead, but you and I have every reason to rejoice.”
Brie pressed her cheek against his shoulder, tears falling as she confessed, “I have waited for this day from the very first moment I saw him in the hospital. I’ve fought so hard and for so long that I’m scared to believe it’s real.”
Tatianna
Rytsar lay in bed that night with Brie asleep in his arms, feeling more relaxed than he had in years. He’d lulled her to sleep sharing his story about the day Tatianna answered the door at the tender age of sixteen—the day he’d finally noticed her for the woman she would become.
What Rytsar hadn’t told Brie was that had been the moment he’d became utterly obsessed with the girl.
He’d played hard to get at first, choosing not to visit as often and appearing nonchalant whenever their paths happened to cross. Inside, however, his Dominant was raging to possess her and Tatianna didn’t make it easy for him, flirting with the other boys when she didn’t feel she was getting enough of his attention.
Oh, that girl… Her arched eyebrows expressing everything her lips did not say.
Tatianna wanted him—needed him—but that Russian sparrow was too proud to admit it. Instead, she’d glance at him as she playfully teased Titov’s many friends, hoping to catch Rytsar’s eye.
What she didn’t understand was that he was a Durov. Her fate had been sealed that day, just as it had for his mother all those years ago.
No amount of posturing on Tatianna’s part would change the fact Rytsar had chosen her for his mate. He knew, despite all her pretense, that she longed to be possessed by him. It was the reason he waited patiently, looking forward to her eighteenth birthday, when he would stake his official claim and she would be his—and his alone.
That insatiable need to possess her stirred his soul.
He understood now what his father must have gone through when he’d met Rytsar’s mother for the first time. She’d never had a chance, but what Rytsar had failed to realize until now was neither had his father.
At nineteen, Rytsar was remarkably stubborn. Even though Tatianna was of legal age in Russia, he had bided his time, wanting to give her the chance to mature into the fine woman she was destined to become. He didn’t want her to submit to him as a Dominant until she was ready and willingly to give herself to it freely.
Rytsar had decided to surprise Tatianna on her eighteenth birthday. He would come to her parents’ home dressed in a tailored suit and make his formal declaration of intent. Rytsar planned to sway her father with his sincerity and charm her mother with his smile.
Although the family knew him only as Titov’s childhood friend, he would make certain they understood he had separated himself from their son in recent months because of his association with the unsavory youth that made up Russia’s disenfranchised male population.
Rytsar knew that Titov aligning himself with the fringes of organized crime, would eventually le
ad to his destruction—it was only a matter of time—and he’d tried to warn Titov on several occasions but his friend refused to listen.
Whereas Tatianna’s family was part of the working class, Rytsar came from a long family linage of well-respected aristocrats who did not entangle themselves in the underbelly of Moscow.
Her parents respected Rytsar’s family history, but he would make sure they understood he was also a man of ambition. He planned to make a name for himself beyond his family surname—on his own terms that had nothing to do with his father.
While Titov was off sowing his wild oats, Rytsar was concentrating on his future. He knew exactly where he was headed and who he wanted by his side. He’d already purchased the suit, a smoky gray ensemble accented with a dark red tie.
He’d also picked out the ring he would slip onto her finger…
Everything was set, the die had been cast, and all he had to do was wait and be patient.
Rytsar was surprised, however, when an unexpected opportunity presented itself. He’d knocked on the door with the excuse of wanting to see Titov, knowing he would not be home.
When Tatianna opened the door, her eyes widened in pleasure and she blushed. “It’s you!”
Rytsar shrugged, trying to act interested but aloof.
Her smile grew. “I’m so glad to see you.”
This was the first time she’d been so forward with him and he wondered at the cause. “Any particular reason?” he asked with a smirk.
“The house is empty.” She giggled self-consciously. “I’m all alone.”
Suddenly his interest was piqued. “When will your family be back?”
“Not for hours,” she said, moving aside to invite him in.
Rytsar stepped across the threshold without hesitation. Although he had no intention of taking her innocence just yet, there was no reason not to introduce her to the pleasures that awaited their future coupling.
“A lot can happen in a couple of hours, little girl.”
“I’m not little,” Tatianna protested. As if to prove it, she asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Vodka.”
She grinned. “Of course. What else would a good Russian have?”
“A taste of Tatianna,” he answered with a wicked grin.
Tatianna blushed deeply as she disappeared into the kitchen. Rytsar made himself at home in the parlor. It was the first time the place had been quiet in all the years he’d been here. It tended to be filled with her family and extended relatives, so this was an extremely unusual turn of events.
She came back out with a bottle of vodka and a single glass.
He tsked disapprovingly. “Get yourself a glass, Tatianna. I never drink alone.”
She raised a beautifully arched eyebrow in amusement, but turned around and went back to get the second glass. Upon her return, Rytsar took the bottle and filled both glasses, handing her one.
After a traditional toast, he poured another glass so he could add his own. “To time spent together—alone.”
“To the rare treat,” she agreed, raising her glass to him.
He winked at his beauty as he downed the vodka and set the empty tumbler on the table.
Tatianna blushed again and looked away, clearly smitten.
Rytsar knew he would have to watch himself with her. He was far too aroused to let his guard down. Since he’d started playing with submissives at the age of fifteen, under his father’s critical eye, he already knew much about the female form, including how to provoke and incite it.
But this was Tatianna—an innocent. He wanted to experience something completely different with her. He could not allow his past experiences to taint this first encounter.
Knowing he had little time to waste, Rytsar stated boldly, “I would like to taste your lips.”
“Anton!” Tatianna protested, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. No one called him Anton anymore except his mother, but he found it oddly thrilling coming from her lips.
Rytsar held his hands up in mock surprise. “What?”
“You don’t address a lady like that.”
“I beg to differ, vorobyshek.”
She rolled her eyes flirtatiously. “Now you’re calling me by a pet name?”
Rytsar moved closer to her. “Naturally, little sparrow.”
She would have protested further, but he grasped her chin and planted a kiss on those pouty pink lips. The chemistry between them was dangerous, and he had to pull away. “Do you feel it, Tatianna?”
“What?” she whispered.
“The electricity between us.”
She only nodded as she stared at his lips, obviously entranced by the kiss.
“Would you like me to kiss you again?”
“Pozhaluista.”
Hearing her murmur “please” was charming, and this time Rytsar rested his hand on her throat as he kissed her, his cock responding to her taste and proximity.
“Oh, Anton…” she murmured, reluctant to break the embrace when he pulled away to sit back on the couch.
It would be so easy to take her right now. She was willing, his manhood certainly wanted the connection, and they had the whole place to themselves…
Deciding there was no harm in taking a peek, he went to undo the buttons on her blouse, longing to touch her bare skin.
Tatianna stilled as he began slowly undoing each button, holding her breath as he progressed lower and lower. “Breathe, my little sparrow.”
When the last button was undone, Rytsar pushed back the thin material of her blouse to expose her delicate shoulders. He leaned in and kissed one, lightly biting it afterward.
Goosebumps rose on her skin from the contact.
Rytsar stared into her eyes as he slipped off the bra strap. Each movement one step closer to freeing her breasts from their feminine constraints.
Tatianna started breathing again in shallow little pants. It helped remind him how inexperienced she was.
Moving more slowly, Rytsar reached around and undid her bra, letting it fall gently to her lap. She bit her bottom lip, afraid to look up at him. His eyes drifted to her naked chest—his mate finally exposed.
Rytsar reached out and touched the swell of her breast, lightly rubbing her erect nipple with his thumb.
Tatianna closed her eyes, concentrating on his touch as her breath became even more shallow and rapid.
“You are fully woman,” he growled lustfully in appreciation of her petite but decidedly womanly curves.
A sigh escaped her lips as he began caressing both her breasts, tugging and teasing her hard nipples. She reminded him of the Russian instrument, the Balalaika, as he began playing with her virgin body—it would be so easy to pluck and strum her body into a beautiful frenzy.
Rytsar kissed her again, concentrating on the taste and feel of her mouth as his hand traveled lower, pulling the material of her skirt up so he could stroke her bare thigh.
Tatianna froze for a moment.
“I just want to touch you,” he assured her as he resumed his passionate kissing.
She was too caught up in the chemistry flowing between them to deny him, and opened her legs wider.
Rytsar smiled as he kissed her more fervently. He barely grazed her wet cotton panties with his fingers and felt her entire body shudder in response.
His own libido became an inferno.
Tatianna looked down at the outline of his cock bulging against the material of his pants and became transfixed by it.
Rytsar didn’t mind the attention and sat back in a more relaxed position. “Would you like to get acquainted?”
“Da, pozhaluista.”
Rytsar unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans for her. He then lay back with a mischievous grin and commanded, “Unzip my pants.”
Tatianna sucked in her breath. He marveled at how attractive she was, so innocent and pure, but with that slight upturn of the lips that let him know that although she was inexperienced, she had an adventurous spi
rit.
Her hands trembled slightly from nerves as she unzipped his pants and pulled down the briefs to expose his naked shaft.
“You are allowed to touch it,” he stated when she continued to stare at his cock without moving.
Tatianna tentatively reached out and laid her hand on his shaft. He closed his eyes for a moment as jolts of desire blurred his resolve.
“Can I kiss it?” she asked.
Rytsar opened his eyes again, unsure if he could handle the intimacy of her lips without ravaging her, but he was unwilling to say no.
“I want you to.”
He grunted when her soft lips made contact with his rigid shaft.
“Do you like that?” she asked with a slight grin.
His cock released precum in answer and Rytsar smirked. “Lick it and find out.”
Tatianna gazed back down at the head of his cock, glistening with his essence, and took a shy, inexperienced lick.
Fire rushed through his groin and he growled passionately.
Tatianna licked her lips afterward and arched her eyebrows.
“To your liking?” he asked casually.
“I have tasted nothing like it before…but yes, Anton. You taste good.”
Her demure smile sent his libido into overdrive.
Lord help me…
“I would like to admire your naked body, vorobyshek,” he whispered in her ear, pulling at the waistband of her panties.
Her eyes grew wide, but Tatianna stood up and undid her skirt, letting it fall to the floor. She then slipped her fingers under the material and slowly pulled her panties down, showing off her dark curls and just the barest hint of her clit.
“You are even more beautiful than I envisioned,” he said huskily, reaching out to her.
Tatianna took his hand, her gaze locked on to his as she hesitantly moved closer. His hands trailed over her skin and he wondered at the sheer smoothness of it.
Untouched, virgin territory…
Today would be her introduction to his loving caress. Someday, after every part of her body had become accustomed to his passionate touch, Rytsar would acquaint her with the intimacy of his ’nines. He was certain the synergy of the exchange would prove life-altering for them both.