A smile tugs at my lips. Now I get what he meant when he said they drive each other crazy.
His brothers seem surprisingly okay with me being here. They left to pack up my things and get Clover while Alexei stayed with me, and now here we are.
Apparently, they live on the same land, not in the same house but close enough. There’s space between them, but still. It makes me nervous. I don’t know how big the property actually is, but it sounds like some family compound situation.
Mikhail’s the one I recognized from the club that night. Makes sense now that it was a setup. The gene pool in this family is borderline insane. He’s twenty-four, just as tall as Alexei but with slightly bulkier muscle and way fewer tattoos. Ridiculously hot with a buzz cut, dark eyebrows, and piercing blue eyes. I getwhy Camilla’s been losing her mind over him. He seems more open personality-wise too, talks constantly, doesn’t know how to be quiet.
Daniil’s different. He’s adopted, which makes sense now that I think about it. He’s beautiful in a softer way. Delicate features, about an inch shorter than me, none of that intimidating bulk. Black hair sticking out messily from his hoodie. Hazel eyes. Nose ring.
Alexei slows the car down. I glance out of the window as we turn onto what looks like a dirt road. Trees everywhere. The pavement gives way to crunching gravel, and then he stops.
A little further ahead, a massive black gate with guards carrying guns standing outside. There’s a huge golden wolf in the middle of the gate, curled and heavy-looking, with a skeleton key in its mouth. I’ve seen that symbol before on Alexei’s ring and Daniil and Mikhail’s necklaces.
“Put this over you for the cameras.”
He gives me a blanket, helping pull it over my head and shoulders.
The car moves forward again, then stops. Everything’s still throbbing, so I lean on my other senses. Metal grinds somewhere close, something heavy opening, and then he drives through.
He removes the blanket, and I lift my head and look out of the window.
The land is massive with endless trees. We’re back on smooth asphalt now with fields stretching out on both sides. We drive past one enormous mansion, then another, both with their own gates.
Is this like a mafia suburb?
We keep going, then turn left down another tree-lined road. Then a full-blown mansion comes into view. Modern architecture with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and woodpanels mixed with white stone. Huge, tinted windows wrap around the entire structure.
This is where he lives? And he’s been staying at my tiny shoebox apartment this whole time? Sleeping in my bed with the uneven frame and broken heater, listening to street noise all night?
He stops the car and both his brothers jump out immediately. Alexei comes around to my side and opens the door, putting his hand out. I take it and get out, still feeling lightheaded and just stare.
This place must have cost millions to build.
I watch Mikhail try to grab Clover’s cage, but Alexei hip-checks him out of the way and takes it himself without a word. Mikhail flips him off in response.
I follow them to the front door where Alexei types something into a keypad. The doors open with an electronic click, and he pushes them open, walking inside.
I stand there for a second.
The interior is all open layout with expensive wood floors and cream-colored walls. Everything smells clean and warm. Cozy in a way I didn’t expect from the exterior.
I glance toward the wall by a mirror near the entrance and notice a long crack running through the drywall.
“I bet you’re wondering what happened there,” Mikhail says. “Your asshole boyfriend had a tantrum and punched the wall. Right next to my head.”
He walks off, flipping Alexei off again. I blink and turn toward myboyfriend, who mutters something in Russian, hands me Clover’s cage, and immediately takes off after his brother.
I hear them yelling down the hall, doors slamming, then Mikhail yelling something back in rapid Russian.
I glance over at Daniil, who’s still standing near the entrance. He sighs and shakes his head like this is completely normal.
“Is it always like this?” I ask.
He nods and strolls into the house. I follow him with Clover’s cage.
There’s a sunken living room with massive black sectional couches arranged around a low glass table.
I don’t have words for this place.
