Page 38 of Cruel Russian King
“Watch your tone, Yegor,” I growled dangerously.
Yegor inhaled sharply, trying to rein himself in. “Artyom…why is Ninel here?”
“You mean why ismy wifein my house?” My expression cold.
“Fuck,” Zahkar muttered under his breath. “Artyom, you’ve just destroyed everything we worked for over the past year.”
“I destroyed nothing,” I replied flatly. “Everything I did was for one purpose: to bring Ninel here. And she is here, exactly where I want her. Which means everything worked out according to plan.”
“Artyom,” Yegor ground out, his patience fraying. “This isn’t only about factions. Our families are tied together. This move, bringing her here, will tear our relationship with our sisters…with Alexi and Evie…it will tear every damn thing apart.”
“I don’t care about those relationships,” I sneered. “Did you really think I would forget the betrayal of our sisters? What Lev and Jaroslav dared to do? Don’t insult me with talk of relationships. I am the leader of the Rykov faction, and I will carve my path as I see fit.”
Yegor and Zahkar exhaled, but I could see the unease in their eyes.
“Lev and the others are not to know she’s here,” I commanded. “Do you understand?”
“Artyom…” Yegor began.
“Do you understand?” I snarled, my voice reverberating through the room threateningly.
“…Yeah,” Yegor muttered reluctantly.
Zahkar ran a tense hand through his hair and nodded.
“Good,” I said, my tone abruptly shifting to a lighter one. “Now, let's go to the lounge and pour ourselves a drink. We’ll celebrate my marriage.”
Chapter 12 - Ninel
As soon as the library door closed behind us, Kira pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her. We held each other for a few moments before pulling away.
Her fingers twisted together. “I didn't expect to find you here. Why are you here?”
“Artyom and I are married.” I tried to keep my tone casual.
Kira gasped. “What? When?”
“A little over three weeks ago. But, he's still in negotiations with Lev.”
I didn't want to get into how he kidnapped and the threat he used. Kira looked panicked as is. Maybe, if she thought it was mutual on both sides she wouldn't be worried.
She nodded slowly. “How has he been treating you?” she whispered.
My mind ran back over the day. I hadn’t expected to say it, but the truth slipped out anyway. “He’s been treating me well.”
Possessive? Absolutely. Controlling? Without question. But he hadn’t locked me away in a dungeon, nor laid a hand on me in anger, nor tried to force himself on me.
“Ninel, are you sure?” Kira pressed. “I’ve lived with Artyom my whole life. I know what he is, and ‘nice’ isn’t even in the same dictionary as his name.” She bit her lip.
Her concern shown made my heart swell. It also made me miss my other sisters and their affection. I took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Kira, you do realize Artyom isn’t just Bratva,right? He’s a faction leader. If ‘nice’ made the first ten words to describe him, he wouldn’t have survived long enough to keep his men in line.”
She gave a small nod, but the worry didn’t leave her eyes.
“I promise,” I added. “I can handle Artyom. He hasn’t forced me to do anything I don’t want to do, and he hasn’t lifted a finger to hurt me.”
Her silence told me she still wasn’t convinced, so I told her about today…about the flea market, the art, the welding, the petting zoo. The whole strange, unexpected tour he’d given me. When I finished, Kira just stared at me, stunned.
“Artyom…my oldest brother…did that? For you?”
