Page 64 of Love to Defy You
I peruse the buffet table and fill a small plate with finger food, then join Birgitta and Josie. The sofas are pushed against the walls to make room for the dance floor, forming little intimate pockets for small groups to chat.
“Where’s Prisha?” I ask.
Birgitta gives me a conspiratorial grin and nods toward the corner. “Over there.”
I turn to find Prisha pressed against the wall, her arms wrapped around Henri’s neck as he shoves his tongue down her throat.
“YEAH!” I catcall at her. “YOU GO, GIRL!”
Prisha breaks away from Henri, glasses askew, and gives me a guilty look as if she were caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I wave my hand to keep going, and she gives me a shy smile before turning back to Henri.
“At least someone’s getting laid tonight.” Josie sits cross-legged with her elbow resting on her knee in a contemplative pose, shoulders hunched.
“What do you mean?” I follow the direction of her wistful gaze.
Then I see what she sees. There, on top of a coffee table, Anastasia sways her hips in a sensual dance, running one hand along her body and holding a bottle of vodka in the other. A group of guys is gathered around her, cheering her on as she starts to slide her dress up her leg.
“Is she drunk already?” I ask.
“She was drinking from a flask all afternoon.” Birgitta swirls her drink. “Didn’t you notice?”
No, I suppose I didn’t.
“This is my last hurrah, boys!” Anastasia’s loud voice doesn’t hold its usual sophistication, and her words slur together. “Who wants to fuck me before I get sold off?”
The guys cheer and reach for her, skimming their hands over her body to pull her closer. I glance around, but Alek is nowhere in sight to intervene. If Anastasia loses her virginity tonight, she’ll have to answer to both her brother and her mother.
Instead, Mikhail appears and shoves the guys aside, sending one backward onto the floor. “Get your filthy hands off her.”
“Mick, don’t ruin my fun.” Anastasia pouts.
He growls so loud I can hear him over the pulsing bass. “You’re drunk.”
Ana starts to argue, but Mikhail hoists her lithe body over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He rests his hand on her ass to support her weight as he weaves through the crowd, a head tallerthan everyone else. She kicks and beats on his back, screaming like a banshee, but Mikhail doesn’t put her down. Instead, he carries her up the stairs.
“I think he’s going to lock her in her room.” Birgitta covers her mouth and giggles.
“Better him than Alek,” I say. I’m not sure what would happen if Alek saw those guys touching his underage sister, but I’m sure it would involve his switchblade.
Josie downs the rest of her champagne in one gulp. When she finishes, she sets the empty glass down and turns to me. “Word of advice—make sure Alek is fully committed to you before the next ritual.”
I frown. “What do you mean? What’s the next ritual?”
She stands up abruptly and wanders off without giving me any more. Before I can ask Birgitta, she jumps up from the couch and chases after Josie, calling her name.
What is she warning me about? How does the next ritual test Alek’s commitment to me? Does it somehow test a candidate’s strength to resist other women?
Red-hot jealousy courses through my system as my mind comes up with all sorts of scenarios. Alek wouldn’t cheat on me unless he had no other choice. Unless our lives were at stake... and they are.
Would Enzo use this to drive us apart?
“Ladies and gentlemen!” The DJ’s voice rises above the music. “Please turn your attention toward the window for the New Year’s Eve Drone Show.”
Every head in the room turns toward the panoramic view of the dark valley, and sure enough, dozens and dozens of lights appear in a grid pattern in the sky. The lights slowly morph from color to color as they transition into the shape of a stick figure, which begins to wave its arms above its head. The room laughs.
The drones break apart to form another shape, this time a flower, which starts to pinwheel in the dark sky above the valley.
“Fireworks are banned in this area of Switzerland,” Alek’s low voice whispers in my ear. He wraps his arm around my waist to watch the sky with me.
