it from her, then took a sip before placing it on top of the table. His hands wrapped around the cup. “I don’t know where to begin.”
She gnawed her lip with her teeth. “How about with your grandmother?” Inside, she winced. She’d acted so rude that morning to the sweet old lady who’d practically raised Cam.
“Yes. Princess Natalia of Zaratena. It was a small country in the Baltic region.”
“Was?”
“Yeah. There was a revolution a few decades ago when my grandmother was a teenager. The people rose up and rebelled against my great-grandfather, the king, and the monarchy was overthrown. Not that it mattered because without a strong leader, Zaratena was eventually swallowed up by its neighboring countries.”
“And your grandmother … she escaped?”
“Yes.”
“What about the rest of her family?”
“They … were not all as lucky. The king, queen, and the crown prince and his family all perished. She had one older brother who was living abroad at the time, in Scandinavia. Grandmother was taken away by their most loyal servants and spirited to Russia where she lived in exile with distant relatives. When she was eighteen, she met my grandfather, Igor Dashokov. He was … not a very nice person.
“The Dashokovs were a well-known polar bear shifter crime family. Igor’s father started as a petty thief on the streets of St. Petersburg, but he grew his gang into a true criminal organization. When Igor took over, he wanted to go legitimate, and so he built upon his father’s empire, getting into almost every kind of business there was. Oil. Gold. Energy. Agriculture. Over here, you’ve probably never heard of his name or his company, MedvedDaz, but there, it’s a kind of a big deal. But, despite his wealth and power, Igor was hated by the elite of Russia. The members of the high society couldn’t see past his criminal origins or his low birth. Even with all the money in the world, there was one thing he couldn’t buy: respect and approval.”
He paused, then took a long sip of the coffee. “He married my grandmother so he could elevate himself. The rest of the family objected, but he was determined to have his princess and sire well-bred, strong polar bear sons to continue the line. He promised—no, he pledged an oath to his brothers—that he would produce an heir to take over the business when he was gone. It was the only way they allowed the marriage and the legitimizing of their businesses.
“Unfortunately, their union only produced a daughter. My mother. But that didn’t stop him, so he married her off to someone who could expand his business’s reach across Europe and get his foot in the door in places where he’d normally be snubbed.”
She gasped. “Your parents … their marriage was arranged?”
“In a way, yes. My father’s father, the old duke, was up to his eyeballs in debt. But he had a title and connections, and Igor knew no one would ever close their doors on a duke and the grandson of royalty.”
“So you … that’s why you have to go back? To take over your grandfather’s business? Because he literally promised you away even before you were born?”
“Yes.”
There was a sadness there, in his eyes. “You don’t want to go.”
“I … no.”
“Because you love your work,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’d rather be in the bogs, digging up birds’ nests and literal shit than living the high life in Europe.”
A smile curled up at the corner of her mouth. “Among other things.”
“Then don’t go,” she said. “Stay here.” With me, she added silently.
“It’s not just a promise,” he said. “It’s a blood oath. It cannot be broken. If I don’t go, then the remaining Dashokovs—my uncles and cousins—will consider the oath broken. And … they’ll want repayment.”
“Repayment?”
“Yes. In the form of my grandmother’s life.”
“What!” She shot to her feet. “They would … how … no, they couldn’t …”
He nodded. “You don’t know my family. They take honor seriously. So, you see, that’s what I was afraid to tell you. I didn’t want you to get involved in all that. If you want to be with me, then you’ll have to live in Russia. Be my mate, bear my children. And I think … you would hate it.”
“You don’t know that, Cam.”
“You wouldn’t have this.” He gestured around him. “Or your friends. Your garage. You’d have to leave Blackstone eventually. I couldn’t do that to you.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have all this.” She reached over and took his