Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“I’m known for my complete control,” Gorya countered, lifting his head to stare at the four men with glittering eyes.
“It’s true,” Kyanite agreed. “Rogue loses it, but Gorya stays calm.”
Rodion nodded. “Known him since he was a kid. Always the voice of reason when his cousins were losing their damn minds.”
Matvei rubbed his chin. “I don’t want to add to his arrogant-ass ego, but he is the one always in control, Gedeon. Back in the day, when Fyodor and Timur would tear down the world, no matter what, Gorya stayed cool.”
Gorya nudged Maya with his shoulder. There you have it, baby, eyewitness testimony. These things you accuse me of can’t possibly be true.
She was too pale for his liking. Whatever the four leopards had revealed to her had made her sick, triggered too many memories. He wanted to change the subject. Make her laugh for a minute. Give her time to recover while they gathered up the leftover items from their impromptu picnic.
You have an atrocious temper. I have no idea how you managed to hide it from everyone.
Despite the trauma, she was willing to let him lead her. How had he ever gone through life without her?
Have you considered you’ve been wrong all along, blaming me, when clearly the culprit for those foul moods is Rogue?
Rogue gave an inelegant snort. He thought Wraith may have sent a small curl of amusement as well, but if so, it was so fleeting, he couldn’t be certain. Gorya tucked Maya under his shoulder without looking toward the four men. The temptation was there. They’d put that haunted tension back in her mind when the four of them had finally managed to push past it. He didn’t, because when it came to his woman, his atrocious temper bordered on rage.
His comment earned him Maya’s laugh. The sound was golden in the sunshine. It blended in with the way the birds sang to one another and the squirrels chattered. Nature moved all around them, adding to the beauty of the afternoon. They were walking through various groups of men, looking for traitors, something he would have done with Gedeon. It would have been a grim walk, although he would have looked easygoing and casual. Inside, he would have felt dead, the way he’d gone through most of his life feeling. Dead with enough of that rage Maya teased him about. He needed violence the way others needed air. Now, with her, everything was different.
Gorya glanced down at the top of her head. She appeared so small and delicate, but he knew she was every bit a warrior as the men surrounding her. She was pure steel. At the same time, she made his life fun. An adventure. He had a reason to live. And she’d saved Rogue. Hearing that laugh of hers was worth every bad moment he’d ever gone through.
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. You’re choosing not to see the broken and damaged parts of me.
I love those parts. Those are the parts that allow you to live with me. You would never have looked at me twice, nor would I have been able to live with you.
Another smile broke out on her face and flashed through her mind. She knew what he said was the truth. The reason they worked was because they fit. They could make concessions for each other. With all four working together—Rogue, Wraith, Gorya and Maya—they had a real shot at living their life together.
They spent a good portion of the afternoon walking through the gardens and trees, making certain to check every single one of the security people brought on the property by his cousins. The only traitors they found were the four strangers. Gorya felt very satisfied that the plants hadn’t had the time to set up any of the crew members he knew and liked so they could be blackmailed into helping them betray those they worked for.
It wasn’t difficult to set up a festive room for the security teams to enjoy the baked goods from Evangeline’s now famous bakery. Everyone loved the pastries from her shop, and setting up a long buffet table seemed normal to most of the security guards. Fyodor was generous with his teams, as was Mitya. Both had been in security themselves and took care to see that their men were paid well and lived in good conditions. They were treated with respect and, for the most part, as family.
Gorya gave the men in the room his easy, charming smile, keeping their full attention on him once he entered the room with Gedeon at his side. They’d left the women behind. He thought it best to handle this without any of them being close, especially Maya. He didn’t want that trigger, not when he had the reports from both her and Gedeon of what these four strangers’ leopards had revealed to them. He didn’t want the men to see that each of the exits was blocked by his security force. His security did so casually, but if one really paid attention, they would see that it wouldn’t be easy to get out of the room.