Chapter Three
Vitki resisted the urge to brush the hair back from Ivo’s forehead. The man’s head rested against the bench seat, his mouth slightly open as he slept. Ivo hadn’t even made it to the city limits before he was out cold.
Vitki couldn’t blame him. Ivo had had a very eventful day. Hell, the last few days had been eventful. Vitki just prayed Ivo was strong enough for what was to come, because it would only get worse from here on out.
The life Ivo had known was over. Besides the fact that the man now controlled hundreds of millions of dollars, the world he was about to enter was one only talked about in hushed tones.
Maxmiliánhad to have been insane to keep all of this from Ivo. The man was totally unprepared for what he was about to face, even if he had proven to have a slight temper. Vitki felt an overwhelming need to spirit the man away to someplace safe where the world couldn’t intrude on them.
He knew that came from thelonging.
Max had to have known, as well. Vitki had never visited the small apartment Max stayed in to watch over Ivo, but he knew of Ivo. How could he not? He had known the moment Ivo was born, felt it in his soul.
Now, here Ivo was.
Vitki didn’t know what Max had been thinking putting Ivo into his care. The man had to know that no matter how hard thelongingrode him, he could never act upon it. Vitki was common class, and Ivo was not. Vitki barely had the right to breathe the same air as Ivo. Dreaming of more could be considered blasphemous.
Vitki knew his duty. Protecting Ivo and ensuring he was granted everything he desired didn’t include coveting the man. That was a secret Vitki would take to his grave. Vitki would see to it that Ivo got everything he wanted out of life, while standing in the shadowed background.
Longingor not, that was his fate.
Life had been a hard lesson for him. Vitki would ensure it was not so for Ivo. That’s what he could give to the man. That was theonlything he could give to Ivo besides his protection and guidance.
As Ivo’s personal bodyguard, Vitki had total authority over the man’s personal safety. His voice would be heard above all others except Ivo’s, and Vitki was pretty sure Ivo would follow his lead when danger presented itself.
It was the other things in Ivo’s life that Vitki worried about. Once they reached the clan estate and Ivo was announced, his life would no longer be his own. His word would be law, but Ivo would live for the clan from that moment on. Vitki prayed Ivo was strong enough to fulfill his own destiny.
Vitki glanced to the front of the vehicle before allowing himself one small touch, stroking his finger over the top of Ivo’s hand. His skin was soft. Vitki knew from Ivo’s file that he had worked as a grocery clerk during the day and took college courses at night. He might not work a hard-labor job, but he wasn’t unused to hard work.
Still, the silky skin surprised Vitki.
When Ivo murmured and moved in his seat, Vitki quickly pulled his hand back. Except for matters of safety, he wasn’t allowed to touch Ivo. No one was. Vitki could already tell that was going to drive Ivo insane, but laws were laws and they were in place for a reason, even ancient ones that hadn’t moved into the current century.
Still, Vitki couldn’t help returning Ivo’s smile when the man opened his eyes and spread his lips wide. “Did you get enough sleep?”
Ivo yawned. “I think it’s the time change.”
Vitki pressed his lips together to keep from groaning when Ivo sat up and stretched, his cotton shirt pulling tightly across his toned chest. Mr. Berkshire had tried to convince Ivo to make a quick shopping trip to purchase appropriate clothing for his travel, but Ivo wouldn’t hear of it. He firmly stated that his wardrobe was just fine the way it was.
He was going to set the clan on its ear.
Vitki couldn’t wait.
The clan was too set in the old ways, the old laws. They needed to be shaken up a bit. The world was passing them by because most of the older members refused to live in the here and now. They stuck to the old ways with a vengeance.
That worried Vitki. Some members of the clan could be vicious. Hell, most of the clan could be vicious. If they felt their way of life was being threatened, Vitki wasn’t even sure the old laws would prevent one of them from attacking Ivo.
Max must have felt the same way if he tasked Vitki with keeping Ivo safe. While others whispered about the clan members in the dark, Vitki was the one the clan memberswhispered about. He was the right handof the Král, the king. He was theDýka, the dagger that sought vengeance.
He wasn’t a babysitter, but for Ivo, he would be. And as Max had ordered, Vitki would watch over Ivo until he took his last breath. It was an undertaking that would last a lifetime.
“Are we there yet?”
Vitki drew himself from his deep thoughts to look at Ivo. The man was staring out the tinted window into the darkening countryside. “We’ll be there soon, another twenty minutes or so.”
“It’s beautiful country.”
“It is.” Vitki loved the area surrounding their homeland. The trees were thick this high up in the mountains, lush and green. Wildlife ran freely through the woods, human and animal alike. “We are actually on family land now.”
