Katie’s breath caught, and she yanked me behind her a little, saying quickly, “Ignore her. Oddly, she’s just trying to be helpful.” She stared at cracked-eyed Grigori, who had wrenched his neck on both sides, popping it. “You’re fine just how you are.” Katie kept a straight face while saying that doozy of a fib.
I tried to be courteous and do the same.
There was silence until Artur snickered quietly, and everyone looked at him. He was holding up theDeath Comesthermal shirt. Glancing at me, he looked positively furious even as he laughed. “Where did you get this?”
Grigori moved and yanked it out of his hands, staring at it…then at me. Before I could even speak, he shouted, “Have you been in our fucking house?”Christ. Least Ugly was bound to have heard that—a man’s voice inside my room—but maybe not. My door didn’t bust open.
I bit my lip, feeling my gut talking to me again. “Is that your shirt?”
“Yes. My favorite,” he ground out, shaking it. “It’s been missing for two weeks. How the hell do you have it?”
Roman rested against the wall and grumbled, “I told you I didn’t take the damn thing.”
My lips trembled I wanted to laugh so badly. Maybe I was as irrational as they were.
Katie saved me, stating in a calm tone, “Elizabeth took that shirt from Ember’s room when we first came in.”
I added, “She was wearing it this morning when I found her in my bed. I thought it was an odd choice. She also paired it with these huge black athletic shorts. She said she liked them when I commented on her clothing.” This was fucking sweet. Ember had stolen his shirt—probably his shorts, too—right out of his own house. And only two weeks ago. Good thing I’d had a change of heart about reporting piddly shit like this. Otherwise, I would be typing up an article tonight.
Everyone stared at me silently.
Grigori’s grip on the shirt was white-knuckled.
Slowly, he asked, “Ember had this?”
I nodded. If he wanted to be pissed, let it be aimed at the bitch.
“She was in your bed?” Eva asked.
Grigori blinked, and suddenly, he was charging me.
Artur and Roman grabbed him, even as Katie and I stumbled into the closet doors.
Eva said quickly, “Explain, Elizabeth.”
Grigori was staring at me like the devil’s own was seeing through his eyes as he struggled with his brothers. I quickly sputtered, “Brent and Cole were sleeping outside her door. She came in here to get away from their racket. I spent the night…elsewhere…so I didn’t find her until the next morning.” There. Dammit. Calm down, bucko.
Roman shook his brother. “She was hiding, not having sex with Elizabeth!”
Grigori stopped struggling, dazed where they had fallen on my bed.
My door made a clicking sound…and in stormed a breathless Daniil.
He wore only his black linen pants from earlier. He sucked in air, his large bare pecs rising with the motion and abs constricting, slamming the door shut behind him as his gaze darted all around the room, his children suddenly frozen. When he strode past Katie and me, I had a full view of the silver handgun in the back waistline of his pant. His gaze took in Grigori, Artur, and Roman on the bed, obviously from a struggle. Eva was standing off to the side. In a soft voice, he asked, “Who made her cry?”
“Katie,” Eva stated immediately. “They were talking about how Elizabeth doesn’t let anyone call her Beth because of her cousin—Katie’s brother—who died. I’m assuming he used to call her that. And when they started talking about him, she started bawling.”
I gaped and swiped at my cheeks, feeling the dried, salty tears there.
Total tattletale.
Daniil’s eyes darted to mine for a few seconds, his gaze unreadable, before going back to his children. “Did Grigori attack her?”
“No,” I stated instantly before they could say anything. Fuck, I didn’t want anyone in trouble. They hadn’t really done anything. “There was a slight miscommunication about Ember staying the night in here. Once it was explained, he calmed down.” At least, it had looked like he was about to.
Daniil hummed. He didn’t look convinced, staring hard at his children. He jerked his head at the door. “Get fuck out of here and up to my room. Now.” When it appeared they weren’t moving fast enough for his liking, he started speaking harshly in Russian.
Eva and Roman darted out of the room.
