“But you still have the demon eyes, right?” Andrei asked.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to make them go dark. When I opened my eyes, they both laughed. “Yep, still there,” Misha said.
“What were the other ones?” Andrei asked,
“Whi te means I’m scared. I’d rather not have to show you that one right now. I don’t know how far away it still works on Ivan, but he definitely feels it when I’m scared. I don’t want to distract him right now,” I said.
“The only other one we’ve seen is they turned golden brown, almost amber, when she was thinking about Trino seeing his m om for the last time,” Adrik said. “That’s only happened once, though.”
“You don’t have to try to show us that one, either. I can’t wait until you start making up new colors. I want to see purple and orange next. Get inventive, spider monkey,” Andrei said, teasing me. “I would try if I had any clue it was happening. I was only just barely getting a handle on the demon eyes and they started doing this on their own. I don’t have a clue when it’s happening. It’s not like I can feel it. I just see it in his expression that they’ve changed, but I still sometimes have to ask what color they are,” I said, looking at Adrik.
“Are you going to tell Stephen and Viktor about it?” Misha asked. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face when he asked.
“Might as well. They’ve both likely noticed the absence of her demon eyes, just as you did,” Adrik said.
“Ten bucks says Stephen offers to turn you to a vampire because of it,” Misha said.
“You’re on,” I said, laughing at him.
I managed to pull Adrik away from the Wonder Twins when I went to put the contacts back in before Viktor got back with Vitaliy and his men. He was standing behind me in his new favorite spot while I put my contacts in, his arms wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.
“You’re okay with having told them?” I asked. I was fairly certain he didn’t mind telling them, but I also knew how much he loved having a secret that was just between us.
“Of course, solnishko. I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out. I sometimes forget how observant they all are, especially of you. Ivan just has a leg up because he can feel your emotions like I can, but given what happened earlier, I think Misha might be tapping into that as well. You didn’t look angry when he asked about your demon eyes. You never look angry, unless you’re an absolute raging inferno and even then, you generally only look slightly miffed,” he said, rubbing his stubble against my neck lightly.
I laughed. “I wasn’t a raging inferno, but I was angry about them being picked on. I wish I would’ve known it was happening while we were down there. I would’ve put a stop to it,” I said. I caught him smiling at me in the mirror as I put the second contact in. It was a strange sight to see my one seemingly normal eye and one demon eye.
“You should only wear one contact at a time, just to f**k with people,” he said, laughing.
“I don’t think the guys are going to like how busy that’s going to keep them, fighting off random people that think I’m possessed.”
“Worth it,” he said, still laughing, his lips against my neck. “As for the Wonder Twins’ problem, I’ll talk to Vitaliy. Those guys haven’t been with him long, but I won’t stand for them disrespecting my men.”
“Is that going to cause even more problems, though? If they already have animosity toward you and I, will that just make it worse? What if Andrei and Misha give them an old-fashioned attitude adjustment? Do you think that will work? Do Vitaliy’s guys have the same kind of training that your guys do?” I asked.
“The other guys do. I don’t know about these two. They haven’t been with my father very long. Two of his guys retired a few years ago, so he needed replacements. I don’t know much about these two. Aleksei will know,” he said.
“I know they’re both bothered by it, even though they’re trying to act like they’re not. Misha made me fish it out of his head what happened. He’s really bothered by it. I’m sure Bubba is too. They’re both the sensitive ones, but they also shouldn’t have to deal with this. It makes me want to punch both of your father’s guys in the nose.”
“If I haven’t told you lately, you’re extra adorable when your hackles go up,” he said, turning me to face him.
“I don’t have hackles,” I said, matter-of-factly.
“Oh you do. They go up even when you don’t like someone’s tone with one of us. It’s very endearing,” he said. “I sometimes want to make it worse and then turn you loose, just to see what will happen.”
“You’re a little bit evil,” I said, laughing at him.
“That’s a lie. I’m a lot evil,” he said, pressing his lips to mine.
*Adrik “
Viktor, Ivan, and Stephen walked into the penthouse with Vitaliy, Aleksei, and the rest of my father’s men. Viktor was especially happy to be back, as Sephie told him she would make his favorite meal since it was easy to make enough to feed the small army we had present.
“Sephie, that smells like I love you even more than the last time you made this,” Viktor said. She quickly freed up her hands, walking quickly to him and hugging his neck. It never mattered how long they were gone or what they were gone for, she was always incredibly happy to see them again. It made them want to come back to her as soon as possible.
“Papa Bear!” she said as he picked her up off the floor, his giant frame completely dwarfing her. He kissed her cheek, setting her back down. She walked to Ivan, hugging his neck as well. She said something quietly to him, which clearly surprised him, but she moved quickly to Stephen. While Stephen had always been shy about any kind of affection from her for the longest time, he now loved it as much as the rest of them. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up just like Viktor did, telling her how happy his stomach was going to be in a matter of minutes.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.