eyes gleamed. “Anything at all. Cameraman, snack guy—”
Konstantin growled.
“Right, right. I’m gone.” Roman shut the door behind him, but as soon as he was in the hallway, we heard him yell, “BOSS IS AWAKE!”
Konstantin sighed deeply and pressed his forehead to mine.
“They’ll all be here in a moment,” I said. “We might scandalize them in this position.”
He kissed my nose. “I’m willing to take the risk.”
I grinned as he leaned down to kiss me. This kiss was slow and languish, the seduction of our mouths—
Someone banged on the door. “Kostya? You’re awake?” It was Roksana who spoke, but I could make out the deep voices of Artyom and Dmitri as well.
“I might kill your family,” I noted.
Konstantin grinned and squeezed my hip. “Try and refrain yourself, lyubimaya. There has been enough poisoning today.”
The comment was meant as a joke, but a somber mood took a hold of me.
Oh, Kon, I thought. You have no idea.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Konstantin would still love me after I told him what Tatiana had done.
Part Three -
Heart of Foxglove
“It is humbling to think that all animals, including human beings, are parasites of the plant world.”
- Isaac Asimov
27
Elena Falcone
Odessa nickered when she spotted me, tossing her head over the fence. She was fitted with a blanket and ankle warmers, an attempt to fight the chill.
I greeted her with a nose scratch. “Is your Pakhan here?”
Judging from the pair of byki playing durak, guns on show, this was exactly where Konstantin was. They nodded to me as I passed.
The stables were warm, heated to keep the horses comfortable as November grew colder. At the end of the path, Konstantin stood, feeding Basil handfuls of barley. He had recovered quickly, though I suspected he was ignoring any lingering discomfort so he could get back to being king of the Tarkhanov Bratva.
Konstantin wore a casual suit, the sleeves of his shirt rolled to his elbows and revealing his tattoos. He looked relaxed as he tended to his horses, but I wasn’t fooled into thinking his guard was down. In a second, Konstantin could snap into the feared Pakhan he was.
“Lyubimaya.” he turned to greet me. His eyes darted down to my bare feet, the corners of his mouth tugging up. “Walked, did we?”
“It’s not as far as you think it is.”
Konstantin inclined his head.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I am perfectly fine.” His eyes gleamed. “Thanks to you, Elena.”
I shrugged and came to stand beside him. Basil sniffed me in interest, but when it became clear I didn’t have any food, he directed his attention back to his master.
Konstantin plucked out a twig from my hair, holding it between his fingers. “How poor you have become at hiding your savagery, Elena,” he mused. He pressed down, snapping it in half.
“Unlucky for you.”
A quick grin snapped over his face. “I disagree. Your wildness is refreshing in our word of duty and secrets.”
“You don’t have to flirt anymore, Kon,” I said. “You’ve already gotten a blowjob from me. The game’s over.”
Konstantin didn’t laugh. Instead hunger gripped his face, warping and darkening his features. “The game hasn’t ended just yet, lyubimaya.”
My heartbeat began to speed up. “Oh?”
He leaned down, eyes leveled with mine. This close it was easy to get lost in the power of him. “There are still a few more things I want to do to you before I claim my victory.”
“What makes you so sure you’re going to win?” I asked, rising an eyebrow at his arrogance.
“A worthy opponent you are,” he purred, “but no one has ever beaten me.”
I smiled, feeling my plan weave together in my mind. “Oh, yeah?” I leaned my face closer to his, our lips a whisper a part. “Then catch me.”
Konstantin’s arms snaked out, but his fingers barely managed to graze me as I skidded out of his grip. My laughter rose to the ceiling as I sang, “Too slow, Kon.”
He didn’t move, watching me with a small smile on his face. “Run, then, lyubimaya,” he murmured. “And we’ll see if I can catch you.”
I wasted no time. I spun on my heel, legs pumping beneath me as I fled out of the stables and to the paddocks. In the distance, the line of forest loomed.
Moments later, I felt Konstantin on my heels. He wasn’t going as fast as he could, letting the game play out before it came to an end.
When I hit the mess of woods, he yelled, “Don’t get lost, lyubimaya.”
I laughed and skidded around a tree, barely avoiding