�Please Lev, I am begging you, what is happening? Where are we going?� We�re blazing down Highway 1 toward the airport and he is not following safe driving guidelines, speaking rapidly into his headset, ignoring me. The SUV is armored and not the usual one I ride in. This bullet-proof monstrosity is for my otets, or my brothers. Not for me. I�m not a security risk.

I�m just� the daughter. My parents were never cruel, though they made it clear my value was as a bargaining chip. Though other Bratva daughters often had arranged marriages set as early as fourteen - like my friend Mariya Morozova - I�m twenty and unattached.�

As far as I know.�

I wouldn�t be the first Bratva princess who ended up at the altar without knowing what was happening to me until they were lacing me into my wedding dress.

Disconnecting from his call, Lev finally looks at me in the rearview mirror. �Let me get us to our destination and we�ll talk, all right? I promise you an explanation.�

He looks like he�s dreading that explanation, and the knot in my stomach ties that much tighter. Looking out the window as we turn, I see we�re heading for a darkened airfield. It must be one of the private airstrips that circle the Vancouver International Airport.

�We�re flying out of here?� I ask anxiously. �Without my parents?�

Lev ignores me, racing down the road toward the small grouping of darkened airplane hangars. There�s a jet parked outside of one. Its running lights are off, but I can hear the engine. He pulls up in front of the stairs and opens my door before I have time to get my seatbelt off.�

�Wait, hold up!� I dig my heels in, trying to make him slow down as he hauls me toward the jet. �You promised me an explanation!��

Two of my father�s men hurry down the stairs, guns out. �Any sign of them yet?� Lev asks them, keeping me moving.

�Not yet,� Nikolay says grimly, his weapon held up as he makes a visual sweep of the airfield.�

This is bad. This is very bad. Nikolay is one of my father�s top soldiers. He rarely travels without him.�

�Where are my mother and father?� I nearly scream.�

Without breaking stride, Lev throws me over his shoulder and takes the boarding stairs two at a time. I don�t recognize this plane; this isn�t one from the Aslanov fleet. It�s still luxurious, with gray and cream leather seats and elegant wood detailing. I�m carried past a flight attendant, a smile frozen on her lips as I writhe and kick against my bodyguard�s grasp.

He�s barely put me into a seat and strapped me in when I feel the jet move, the high whine of the engine ready to take off. �Are you insane?� I shout at him, clinging to his jacket. �What the hell is happening!�

Lev continues to ignore me as he looks out my window, his brows drawing together. �Tell that pilot to take off before I shoot him and fly us out myself,� he orders the now-terrified flight attendant.�

Following his gaze, I see headlights - three cars, I think - closing in on us. The jet�s cabin shakes as the engines scream, pushed to their limit as the wheels lift off the tarmac. There�s a thud to my left and I turn to see an odd starburst pattern in the window just in front of me; cracks snaking out from a small hole in the center.�

�Did- they just shot at us, didn�t they?� I gasp. There are two more solid thuds along the body of the jet as we finally lift off. More headlights join the others, but we�re out of their reach now.

Lev leans over to examine the bullet hole. �It cracked the outside window, but the interior one is secure,� he said, back to his cold and calm bodyguard demeanor.

Grabbing onto his jacket, I fist the material. �Now. You�re going to tell me what the hell is going on. Now.�

Lucca�

�Who the hell is that?�

I turn to look at whoever sparked Mateo�s idiotic wolf whistle. She can�t be a student; this campus is small enough that everyone knows everyone. She�s gorgeous. Lean, long legs, and blonde hair flowing down her back. Petite. She wouldn�t even come up to my shoulder. She glances over briefly at Mateo�s whistling, rolls her eyes, and continues into the main building.

�Oh, I am fucking that.� Mateo�s such an asshole, though he does well with the women on campus.

�Don�t you mean her?� I said.

�No, that,� he grins, �I just need her pussy. The rest of her is hot, though.�

�You�re a charmer,� I said dryly, walking away from him. I don�t want his asshole stink to rub off on me. I�m meeting with Professor Fukumoto, so I pass Dean Christie�s office as she�s entering it, shadowed by some big bastard who stares at me suspiciously.

�Tatiana Aslanova, a pleasure to meet you!� Dean Christie�s warm greeting is standard for new students. Until you get to know her and she scares the everloving fuck out of you. I don�t see her table saw in her office but I pick up the pace until I�m past her door anyway.

�Ah, Mr. Toscano, come in.� Professor Fukumoto is one of my favorite instructors, and he looks up with a smile as I knock on his open door.�

�Professor, how are you, sir?� Seating myself when he nods at the chair in front of his huge, cluttered desk, I rack my brain for anything wildly against the rules I might have done lately. He doesn�t seem angry, though.

�Quite well, thank you.� He settles back against his chair and examines me. I�m less bitter and sullen than I was when I arrived here two years ago. It didn�t take long to realize being the biggest asshole on campus required a lot more effort than I was willing to put in. I�m still bitter as fuck, though. Mainly at my brothers.

Fukumoto is my �academic advisor,� which is hilarious when you learn he was one of the senior men in a powerful Yakuza syndicate. No one�s certain why he would step down from that position to work here at the Academy. Or they know better than to talk about it.

�I called you in because we will be meeting with Dean Christie in a moment,� he says, watching me closely.

Raising one brow, I wonder if this is an interrogation technique designed to make me panic and spill information about some infraction. There have been plenty, and I�ll never confess to a single one. �Oh?�

His smooth skin breaks out into a thousand tiny wrinkles as he chuckles. �Yes. I wanted to speak with you first. How do you feel you�ve been performing in your major?�

Frowning, I try to figure out where this is going. �I�ve learned a great deal. I feel like I�ve honed my craft.�

�Agreed,� he nodded, �your work is excellent, both academically and in practical application. However, over the last two years, the Dean and I have been watching you grow, and we are questioning your original placement.�

It feels like he just punched me in the throat. Everyone in my family who came through the Ares Academy was assigned the Assassinations major. As the eldest brother, Dante would have been placed in the Leaders major, but he was denied admission. He was furious when Gio and Dario received their admissions letters.

�This� Professor, this is what I will do in life. This is my family�s primary source of power and wealth. You trained both of my brothers in this major,� I said, forcing myself to sound calm.

He inclined his head. �It was a primary source. Giovanni�s been moving the Toscano empire into more mainstream endeavors. You might find yourself without a purpose in your family�s organization.�

My calm, cool exterior is wilting, and I can feel beads of sweat at my hairline. �The only reason you�d be telling me this is if you have an alternative,� I say. �Have you been in communication with my brothers?�

Fukumoto�s eyes are nearly black; endlessly dark pools that drown a multitude of sins and secrets. There is a soft buzz from his laptop, after glancing at it, he rises to his feet. �The Dean is ready for us.�

The drive up to the gates of the Ares Academy is beautiful; the harsh, windswept landscape and sheer cliffs looming over the Atlantic. Kilronan Village is charming, with pretty, painted cottages and a bustling harbor. The Academy, however, rises over the flat lands surrounding it, casting a long shadow in the sunlight. Tall black iron fencing and stacked stone walls surround three-quarters of the estate, the fourth faces the towering cliffs the Aran Islands are famous for.�

All the buildings are Gothic style, with steep slate roofs and ominous towers and spires. It looks like an extremely exclusive Ivy League college until I see the guards at the main building and security cameras in every tower facing outside the campus.� Like� they�re bracing for a rampaging horde of Vikings, bellowing and swinging their axes as they descend upon the campus. It makes me remember what Ilia said, that in case of an attack, every crime family is obligated to protect the school.

Safe from the outside world, I think, but I�m not so sure about inside these walls.

�I wish I could photograph every inch of this and put it on my Dark Academia board on Pinterest,� I whisper to Lev as we�re escorted to the Dean�s office. The only reaction I get from him is a slight upward curve of one corner of his mouth.�

�Your skills are abysmal.�

Opening my eyes, I realize they�ve dragged me over to the side of the room and left me there with an ice pack on my face. There�s blood on the pack and when I wipe my eyes, my hand comes back smeared with more. My blood. I didn�t land a punch anywhere near Jankowski. I have never been in this much pain, even when I broke my arm in two places on our skiing vacation in St. Moritz. My left eye is already swelling shut and I�m pretty sure I bit my lip on that last punch because there�s blood running down my chin.�

Everyone else is sparring in pairs, ignoring me as the professor crouches next to me. �You must practice,� Zimmerman says, �a great deal. We don�t slow down or hold back for weaklings. You must learn how to keep up.�

Chuckling even though this is not the slightest bit amusing, I nod. �My mother ended my Krav Maga lessons because they were unladylike.�

He shrugs, standing up. �Mr. Toscano, attend to me.�

A man almost as tall as Zimmerman halts his sparring and walks over, clearly unhappy to be selected. He ignores me, rubbing his hands together as he nods to the professor.

�I want you to train Miss Aslanova,� Zimmerman says, �she�s essentially useless. Bring her up to speed as quickly as possible.�

The guy is definitely unhappy with this plan. He�s beautiful in an almost unseemly way, with dark hair and pale golden-brown eyes, almost an amber color, which are currently settled contemptuously on me. I�m mesmerized by his tattoos. Blazing up his bare chest, cascading down his arms and up his neck, they�re all beautiful and vividly colored. �Sir� perhaps it would be better if you picked a female to-�

�You�re my best fighter in this class,� the professor cuts him off. �Work with her every day for a month.� Looking down at my pathetic, bloody self, Zimmerman adds, �We�ll take another look at your skills then. If you can�t pass muster, you�re out.�

�Of this class?� I ask hopefully.

Leaning down, he stares at me. �Out of the Academy.�

Putting the ice pack back on my face, I hope it hides my wet eyes. I have to stay here. There must be another way other than getting the living hell kicked out of me every day.

An alarmingly large, tattooed paw is shoved in my face. �Get up,� orders Toscano - I think that�s what Zimmerman called him.

Begrudgingly taking his hand, I stifle a yelp as he briskly hauls me off the floor and into his broad chest. Making an exasperated sound, he lifts me off of him.

�Sorry,� I mumble, �gravity is not on my side.�

�Come on,� he sighs, striding out the door and clearly assuming I�d be trotting after him, like an obedient Shetland pony.�

Which I am.

�Where are we going?� I wheeze, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in my thigh and face.

�To the clinic to make sure there�s no serious damage,� he said, eating up the path with his long legs and forcing me to keep trotting, trying to keep up.

�Could you just- please slow down!� I said, grabbing his arm.�

Looking down like I�d just infected him with typhoid or syphilis with my mere touch, he pulls loose. At least he had the common decency to shorten his stride a bit.�

�So, I guess Jankowski is a �hate at first sight� kind of girl, eh?� My feeble attempts at conversation were met with a slight flaring of his nostrils.

�Don�t flatter yourself,� he said dryly, �it was nothing personal. In combat, it�s always the last man standing. You won�t get any special consideration out there in the real world just because you don�t know what the fuck you�re doing.�

�Well, I�m sorry that I didn�t arrive here as a world-class ninja,� I snarl, feeling the cut in my lip open again, blood trickling down my chin. Wiping it away, I continue, �No one here can be an expert in everything.�

Stopping suddenly, he grabs my arm to keep me from crashing into him again. �Really,� he looks me over slowly, head to toe, and clearly finds me lacking. �And what are you an expert in? Anything?�

I am very, very good with computers, but I�m not telling this arrogant dick a thing about me. �Nothing, I guess.� I snap. �Why don�t you just point me in the direction of the clinic and I�ll-�

Curling his thick fingers around my upper arm, he sighs irritably. �Keep walking. And stop talking.�

�You started it,� I mumble, instantly sorry because that sounds so stupid. What is it about this man that reduces me to the eloquence of a toddler?�

The medical clinic looks reassuringly professional, though the ancient doctor looks like a stiff breeze would blow him right off the cliff and into the ocean.�

Pulling down his reading glasses, he looks at me disapprovingly. �What happened here?�

�Combat practice, Dr. Giardo,� my unwilling guide says.

�Hmm,� the doctor scowls. �Very well, you can leave, Mr. Toscano.� Looking sternly at me, he points to an exam table, neatly covered in a pristine white sheet. �You. Over there.�

As he walks off, I look back to� Toscano, right? �Hey,� I call. He stops, one hand on the door. �What�s your name?�

He turns slightly, looking me over one last time. �Lucca.�

�Lucca? Nice to meet you, I�m-�

He�s already gone, the door shutting firmly behind him.

Lucca�

I want to spank her ass so bad, my fucking palm is itching. Tear those tight yoga pants right off her and slap her perky little ass bright red until I make her cry. Lick the tears off her face and stick my fingers inside her and-

Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me?

Tatiana is walking with me as ordered, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the path. Gleaming white teeth and toxic masculinity? She definitely needs a lesson in respect today. The bruising and swelling around her eye are nearly gone, though that vicious-looking blue-black bruise I�d seen on her thigh is going to take a while.

She�s a terrible fighter, still flinching every time I come at her, and taking her down is painfully easy. I have to admit though, she won�t give up. Maybe it�s her Russian stoicism, but she gets up every time I knock her to the mat.

�Get in position,� I said sharply. The four guys leaving the gym suddenly decide to hang around when I bring in Tatiana.

�I�m sure you�ve got something better to do,� I glared at them.

�No, not really,� shrugs Mateo, �maybe she could use a hand. I could teach her a couple of moves.� The douchebags with him chuckle.

This is the time Tatiana chooses to be brave, which is a huge mistake.�

�I already know about the dangers of STDs from manwhores and the heartbreak of premature ejaculation, so thanks, there�s really nothing you can teach me.�

�Whoa�� cackles the entourage of assholes.

�Cagna, you bitch! Who do you think you�re talking to?� Mateo hisses.�

Shit, I groan silently, she�s ridiculed him in front of his friends, and this isn�t good.

He marches toward Tatiana until I clothesline him with my forearm across his chest. �Mateo?� He glances at me, furious. �Fuck off.�

�You sure you want to be on my bad side?� he says, grinning with his teeth clenched tight enough to crack a molar.

�Go smoke something and calm down,� I said quietly, �or find a girl from your harem and get a blowjob. This isn�t worth getting worked up.�

�Wrong choice, compagno,� he hissed. Throwing his shoulders back, he chuckles, strutting back to his little group of ass-kissers. The only students here who can tolerate Mateo enough to hang out with him all have families connected to his father�s mafia in Sicily.

When the door shuts behind them, I grab Tatiana with my hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to me. �Do not fuck with Mateo Costa. Do you understand me? If you embarrass him, he will make your life hell for the next two years. The little prick never forgets an insult.�

She stares up at me, and from this close, I can see the little flecks of gold in the forest green of her eyes. That she smells of jasmine and something spicy. That the heat coming off her skin makes me want to run my tongue down her throat and between her breasts and-

Fuck. Me. Get it together, you asshole!

�Do you understand me?� I persist, giving her a little shake.

�Yes! Just take your hands off me!� Tatiana snaps.

I let go of her and walk off, hands on my hips as I try to control my temper. Why should I care if she insists on making an enemy of Mateo? The first answer is obvious, that miserable prick shouldn�t be here at the Academy, he�s done some brutal shit without being caught, and she is no match for him.�

The second answer is harder to accept. I want to protect her.�

Her parents were just murdered and instead of keeping her with them, her brothers sent her here to sink or swim. There�s a lot of chatter between the families about the attacks, but no one seems to know who�s behind them. Why would the Aslanov Bratva send her here? Tatiana�s gentle and reserved, she�s not meant for the cutthroat environment of the Academy.

She�s not your problem, I try to convince myself, train her, and move on.

Sucking a deep breath, I clap my hands. �Get into position on the mat.�

Taking her place, she plants her feet. Her lips are pressed together tightly but she forces herself to look at me, eyes narrowed.

�One of your weaknesses is not using momentum in your favor,� I said. �You are rarely going to match an opponent in size, so you need to use their height and bulk against them. I�m going to charge at you, when I�m almost within arm�s reach, I want you to pivot right, get your left arm against my chest, and your right behind my head. The second my chest touches your arm; pull with everything you�ve got against the back of my head. Visualize me flipping over and landing on my back.�

�I�m not strong enough to flip you,� she said, already looking miserable.

�That�s why you�re using my momentum to do the work for you,� I said patiently. �Let�s give it a try.�

Taking a deep breath and shaking out her hands, Tatiana nods firmly.

�I�m going to do this in slow motion the first time to let you get the sense for your foot and arm placement,� I coach her, �then I�m coming at you. Ready?�

�Yes�� she agrees hesitantly.

As always, she flinches when I move in on her, but since I�m going slowly it gives her a chance to focus again. Her arm placement is perfect, and I correct her foot positioning with a tap to her ankle. �Good. Let�s try it again for real this time.�

We work on the move six times and she still can�t make me flip, but she doesn�t want to stop. �Again,� she says, panting.

�We�ll take a water break,� I said.

�Once more,� Tatiana insists.

Cracking my neck, I take my place and charge her, a little faster this time because her stubbornness is both irritating and impressing me. This time, she does every move perfectly and I�m flying, flipping, and landing on my back on the mat.

�It worked!� she shrieks, jumping up and down. �Hah! I did it!�

Leaning back on my elbows, I chuckle at her little victory dance. �You did,� I said, �that was a slick move.�

�Wait,� she pretends to be shocked. �Did the Great and Untouchable Lucca Toscano just tell me I didn�t completely suck at something?�

�Shut up and grab some water,� I grouse, picking myself up off the mat.

�Take a breath, hold it, squeeze the trigger on the exhale,� I whisper, focused on the target, shooting carefully, precisely until the clip is empty.

�Miss Aslanova, that�s impressive!� Professor Suarez hits a button, bringing the target closer to get a look at my shot placement. �That�s a solid cluster of shots for twenty-five meters.��

He�s a short man, but brawny with thick forearms and capable hands. I caught a glimpse once of his chest when his shirt gaped, he has six puckered scars on his chest. Bullet holes. He was a legendary sniper for the US Special Forces, I�m not quite sure how he ended up here.

His keen brown eyes examine the target as he pulls the empty clip out of my Glock and loads another one. Putting a fresh target sheet on the line, he sends it back down the range. �Let�s try thirty-five meters, concentrate on keeping that tight grouping.�

Going through my mantra again, I take the first shot. It�s wildly off the mark, but the next fourteen bullets all hit the target. Holding my breath, I wait for Suarez to bring the paper target in. He�s examining the shot pattern and whistles. �You really have had no training in firearms?�

Shrugging awkwardly, I can see other students cluster in to see the target. �No. I mean, my brother took me out for target practice a couple of times when I was younger, but��

Nodding, he folds the paper target and hands it to me. �That�s worth pinning on your wall as a bragging point. Well done.�

Beaming, I feel ridiculously happy for something so small. But Professor Suarez rarely says �well done� to anyone.

�I want to try you on sniper rifles next,� he said. �On Monday, we�ll go through the various weapons and find one that suits you.�

�Thank you, Sir. I would like that,� I�m still grinning like an idiot. For the first time, I feel like I belong here.

�Where were you?�

Konstantin is acting especially pissy this morning, slouching on the couch, clutching a cup of coffee, and the fireplace blazing away with enough wood to build a new tree.

�How many times have you set our suite on fire?� I ask, using the fireplace poker to even out the blazing logs.

�The key clarification here is almost. I almost set the suite on fire,� he corrects me haughtily, moving his foot to cover a burn mark on the oriental rug. �So where were you? Wait. Let me guess. Dragana Stojanovic�s room? She�s been chasing you for over a year. Did she finally get her hands down your pants?�

Remembering how it felt to have my hand inside Tatiana�s panties, it took me a minute to answer him. �No. That will never happen. I shouldn�t have slept with her cousin.�

�Ljubica, in the Assassins division?� Konstantin asked.�

�Yes, they tell each other everything,� I said. �Dragana already offered me a threesome with her and Ljubica.�

�And you said no?� Konstantin�s sitting up now and clearly outraged.

�You�d sleep with Dragana and her cat and would count it as a threesome, wouldn�t you?� I�m laughing and it�s just enraging him more.

�I've had plenty of threesomes, you asshole!� he snaps.

�Yeah? Were you the meat in a sandwich last night?� I goad him. I know he wasn�t. He fought with Mariya behind the lighthouse and then the two of them disappeared for the rest of the night. Is he going to admit that he is finally fucking his Bratva intended?

A muscle flexes in his jaw. �No. And you�re not going to distract me. Who were you with? It�s not like you to be so secretive.�

�I didn�t know we were going to do each other�s hair and makeup and talk about crushes,� I said, walking to my bedroom and pulling off my shirt. I throw it at the laundry basket and it lands inside perfectly. With a sigh, I hook a couple of Kon�s shirts lying right next to the goddamn basket on the floor and throw them in, too.

�You�re not turning back into a grumpy asshole again, are you?� he asks, �Because I almost killed you six times during our Freshman year.�

�I was the only reason you got laid Freshman year. I�d charm them and then pass them on to you.�

�Fuck you, Lucca. Have you been taking too many punches to the head? It was definitely the other way around, ty mudak!� Konstantin throws his shoe at my head and I bat it away.

�For real though,� I said, �are you and Mariya okay? If you keep this shit up, you will convince her that you hate her. We both know this is an act, brother.�

�We got into it last night,� he says, running his hand through his short blond hair, making it stick up in uneven spikes. �She was dancing with Cox, the sleazy prick.�

�Unless they were fucking on the dance floor, what�s the problem?� I asked. �You know she�s not going to let anyone else touch her and let�s be honest, I know you haven�t been with anyone since she was admitted to the Academy.�

�I�m not going to dishonor her by having sex with someone when she�s right here,� he snapped, �but damn it, I thought I�d have more time.�

�Brother, the tension between you and Mariya is painfully obvious,� I said. �You don�t have to wait until you�re married, for fuck�s sake. Just do it. You�ll be a lot more pleasant to live with once you let off some steam and stop being so paranoid and controlling.��

Konstantin is as tall as I am, with muscles honed from years of sports and combat lessons. So, when he leaps up and stalks over to me, I have to stop myself from clenching my fists, instantly ready to take the first punch.

�Do you know what Maksim Morozov would do to me if I slept with his sister before the wedding? Do you know what my otets would do?�

�Yeah, because you two will be the first arranged Bratva couple in history who slept together before the ceremony,� I scoff, rubbing my eyes. The lack of sleep from last night is catching up with me. �If it�s what you both want and you manage not to knock her up before you�re married, what�s the problem?�

He puts his hands on top of his head, walking in a circle around the room. �I� I can�t. I can�t do that.�

Patting his shoulder, I head for my room again. �I know you�re conflicted as hell about this, but we�ve got two years left here. Are you really going to spend the next twenty-four months yelling at your fianc�e, beating the shit out of anyone who looks at her and ending up with the worst case of blue balls in history? Think about it. Maybe talk to Mariya. Not yell. Talk.��

Pausing in my doorway, I look back at him. The Konstantin I know is always quick with his decisions and so certain about them. This indecisive shit is going to make him a nightmare until he decides to take his thumb out of his ass and court Mariya.�

Getting into my shower, I groan with relief as the hot water hits my back. Working up Kon like that guaranteed he�d be too distracted to insist on asking about my night. I�m not ready to talk about what happened with Tatiana. I don�t even know why I did it. She was pressed against me, so warm and soft. So worried about Mariya. The feel of her skin as I slid my hand into her pants�

Bracing one hand against the tile wall, I take my cock in the other and begin to stroke it, thumb flicking over the piercing on the head. The thought of how it would feel to rub the metal over her G spot and feel her pussy tighten around me like it did last night� Fottere, fuck! When she came, she was so slick� I grip myself tighter. The grip of her virgin cunt on my cock would be�

Stifling my growl, I come, still thinking of being buried inside her pretty pussy. Rinsing off, I rub my face.�

What the fuck was I thinking?

This is Tatiana Aslanova. A sweet virgin Bratva princess. Worse, she trusts me, I can see it. I have no fucking business putting my hands on her. Professor Zimmerman is testing her new skills on Monday, it will be easier then. I can keep my distance. Bringing my fingertips to my nose, I swear I can still catch a fleeting scent of her.

I turn the shower knob to as cold as it can go.

Even though Athena�s orgasmic screaming didn�t stop until she kicked Christos out at around 4 a.m., I still wake up when the sun rises. After staring at the ceiling for a while, I drag myself out of bed to put on some leggings and a fleece-lined hoodie. I may as well go for a run before my training with Lucca.

My fingers get tangled in my shoelaces as I ponder that. Will he pretend it never happened? Will he throw me down on the mat and give me a replay? What the hell was wrong with me for hoping it�s the second option?

It�s freezing outside, any pretense of lingering summer is gone. Zipping up my hoodie, I head for the rock-paved path that circles the outer rim of the campus. I always make a point of waving to the guards when I pass them. They never wave back, but I know a lot of the students here act like they�re servants, which seems like a deeply ill-advised way to treat someone who carries weapons.

This running path is safer than most of other ones laced through the campus. There are no hidden spots, no trees, or boulders where predator scum like Mateo can hide themselves. I suspect this path is kept clear for a reason, so that the guards can spot any potential threats from outside the college. Still, there are dangerous spots where the rock crumbles close to the sheer cliffside. I always wondered why Dean Christie didn�t insist on putting up fencing, but I�m sure it goes back to the unofficial school motto, �If you let it happen to you, it�s your fault.��

By lunchtime, I�m a mess, thinking about training with Lucca in less than an hour.�

�What�s going on with you?� Mariya asks, eyeing me suspiciously as she digs into her stroganoff.

�Nothing,� I try for a breezy response and end up more in the range of an anxious croak. Pretending to cough, I drink half a glass of water. �Just a little stressed. I have a long afternoon of training ahead of me.�

�That�s right, your big combat test is on Monday, isn�t it?� she says, looking genuinely concerned. She�s the only one of my friends here who knows just how crucial this performance for Professor Zimmerman is going to be. �Hey, you�ve got this, I know you do!� Giving me a hug, she nods reassuringly.

Anxious to change the subject before my anxiety turns into nausea, I ask, �How was last night? Did you have fun?�

Mariya instantly scowls. �No. Konstantin was being a creeper again and dragged me off the dance floor.�

�Why?� I feel terribly guilty because, of course, I know why but I can�t tell her without admitting what I was up to out there behind the lighthouse.

�I was dancing with Ronan and that idiot Kon came charging across the room and acted like we were dry humping, or something,� she says angrily. �Etot glupyy zasranets, that stupid asshole is determined to ruin my social life! He can have sex with half the female population of this school and I�m not allowed to dance? I know everything about this arrangement is the Bratva at its misogynistic best, but this is ridiculous!�

�I�m sorry,� I said. As angry as she is, I know Konstantin�s rudeness is hurting Mariya. Their marriage was arranged between the Morozov and the Turgenev Bratvas when she was only fourteen, and she and Kon have bickered ever since. But this aggressive meanness from him is new. �If it�s any comfort, I don�t think he�s sleeping with anyone else.�

�How do you know?�

�Lucca mentioned it,� I admit, �I�d asked him why Konstantin was being such a dick to you.� Seeing Lucca nod at me across the dining room, I put down my napkin. �I have to go, moy drug, my friend. If anyone can straighten Kon out, it will be you.�

�Miss Aslanova,� Professor Zimmerman stands in the middle of the gym, arms folded and biceps bulging in his clean white t-shirt. �You were given a month to develop even the most basic combat skills. Let�s see what you�ve learned from Mr. Toscano.�

My blood pressure is so high that it�s a miracle I�m not having a stroke. �Yes, Professor,� I manage, after clearing my throat three times.

�Mr. Tanaka, join Miss Aslanova on the mat.�

A murmur flows through the group like leaves scattering in the wind. Hiroto Tanaka is the second son of one of the most dangerous leaders in the Yakuza. He�s already sporting dozens of tattoos indicating his rank. I know from watching him that he�s not the strongest fighter in class, but he�s definitely a step above Ania Jankowski, and even she is looking at me with concern.

That bastard Zimmerman. What did I ever do to him? Why does he want me out of here so badly? Squaring my shoulders, I stare at his expressionless face. I can still sense his smug satisfaction.�

Lucca casually walks behind the professor so that my gaze moves to him. His mouth curves into a gorgeous smile as he nods at me.

Bringing up my fists to protect my face, I plant my feet. Lucca taught me countermoves for most of the fighting styles I�d seen in class. I�ll never take down Tanaka with his martial arts skills, so I have to go dirty.

�You never stop fighting until they�re down,� Lucca had told me. �The fight is not over until they�re incapacitated.��

My only advantage here is that Hiroto hasn�t really seen me fight at all. I�ve only practiced a few moves in class, so he�s probably assuming I�m nearly as helpless as I was on that first day. He�s eyeing me calmly as he takes his place on the mat.�

Please let him underestimate me, I prayed.

Swinging his elbows back and forth, loosening up, he watches my stance. I hope I don�t look as terrified as I feel. Realizing I�m not going to make the first move, he gives the slightest of sighs and charges me. This time, I don�t flinch. I watch his eye movements as he looks down at my ribs and I know he�s going for a kick to incapacitate me right away. He probably thinks of it as merciful.

As his foot comes up for the blow, I surge forward, sliding to my knees and punch up at his crotch with everything I have. My fist lands solidly and I hear a chorus of �Oh, fuck!� from the male portion of the class. Hiroto�s face pales as his mouth drops open, but I can�t trust that this is enough. As he bends over, clutching between his legs, I bring up my elbow and slam it into the back of his neck, and he blacks out for a moment, dropping to his knees.�

I�m feeling horrible about this, but I cannot lose. Keeping my fingers as stiff as I can, I slam them into his unprotected throat. Oh my god, that hurts so much! I�m pretty sure I broke at least one finger, but his pale face abruptly goes brick red and he falls sideways onto the mat, out like a light, still clutching his privates.

There�s no applause, not even a polite round of golf claps. I get it. This was all dirty, even here in combat there�s some code of honor about not trying to permanently damage anyone. But� there�s also not anything specific about not fighting dirty. Backing away, I hold up my rapidly swelling fingers.�

Definitely broken.

�I told you to keep your fingers stiff on the throat punch,� Lucca whispers, holding my wrist and looking at the damage.

�You should check on Hiroto,� I said, feeling like pond scum right now. He�s still on the floor in the fetal position, but he�s groaning as he regains consciousness.

�Those kinds of moves are contemptible, Miss Aslanova,� Professor Zimmerman Is Not Pleased.

�I know, sir,� I said, �but you told me I had to be the last one standing. With a month�s preparation. Isn�t it one of your favorite sayings, to do whatever it takes to get out alive?�

His gaze travels from me to poor Hiroto, who�s writhing slowly, like a turtle flipped on his back.�

�You pass,� he says reluctantly, and now there�s applause. Not a huge amount, but definitely there and I notice that Ania Jankowski is the one that started it. She nods to me and gives me a brief wink.

This might be the best day of my life.

Tatiana�

�Behold our champion!� Mariya shoves open my door without knocking, holding up a bottle of champagne. �Our conquering hero!�

�Shhh�� I laugh, pulling her in and closing the door. �Taking away Hiroto�s ability to father children doesn�t seem like something we should be celebrating.�

�Don�t you dare!� She sternly points her finger at me. �Believe me, he would have given you the mother of all thrashings if he�d had a chance and you know it.�

�Probably,� I admit, �I asked one of his friends about his favorite things and he said that Hiroto loves these muffins the Emerald Bakery makes in Kilronan Village, so I got them to deliver a box of them here. Will you come with me to drop them off?�

�Yeah, he�s probably afraid to be alone with you right now,� she agrees.

The male students are in the other wing of the massive building, and I wonder which door is Lucca�s as we walk up to the fourth floor. When Mariya raises her middle finger to the second door on the right, I have my answer.

�Have you made up with Konstantin yet?� I ask as she turns, walking backward so she can keep flipping off the door. �Never mind, I think your actions speak for themselves.�

At Hiroto�s door, I suck in a deep breath before knocking.

�I hope he doesn�t keep a gun in his room,� Mariya mumbles as the door swings open.

His roommate gives us a long look, grinning. �Which one of you is the crazy bitch who knocked my boy�s nuts up into his throat?�

Wincing, I said, �Is he here? I have a peace offering.�

�Yeah, he�s on the couch,� he opens the door wider and I see Hiroto sitting there glumly, an ice pack on his crotch and one on the back of his neck. I wince when I see the huge purple bruise spreading across his throat.�

Glancing up, he groaned. �What the fuck do you want?�

�I, uh, I wanted to apologize,� I said, thrusting out the muffins awkwardly. �I heard you like these, so�� When he doesn�t reach out for them, I put them on the coffee table in front of him. His roommate grabs one as Hiroto glares at me. �Really, I�m sorry. I had to pass that test, and I-�

�I get it,� he interrupted. �I do. But fuck you.�

�That�s fair,� I nod rapidly. His eyes are glassy and I lean closer. �Did Dr. Giardo give you his night-night pills?�

�Yeah,� he said, �and fuck you.�

�Um, I have some left over from when Jankowski gave me that beatdown.� Pulling the bottle out of my pocket, I set it down next to the muffins. �In case you need more.�

�Okay,� Hiroto is rubbing his eyes. �Fuck you.�

�Understood,� I said, backing towards the door, �I�ll just see you later, then.�

�Thank you for the muffins,� he groans, �and fuck you.�

�That went well,� Mariya said brightly.

�I appreciate your optimistic nature,� I said sourly, heading back down the hall. As we pass the second door on the right, it opens, Lucca steps out and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

�Do you mind if I borrow Tatiana?� he calls over to Mariya, who is grinning at this new development.

�No problem,� she chuckles, but her smile drops instantly as Konstantin holds the door for Lucca, who is still carrying me like a sack of flour.

�Great. Konstantin is going to walk you back to your suite,� he says, shutting the door, which is not thick enough to muffle their instant bickering.

�Smooth, very smooth,� I laugh, �can you put me down? All the blood is rushing to my head.� When he does, I find a table in front of the fireplace, nicely set with room service silver, crystal goblets and two covered plates. �What�s all this?� I ask.

He gifts me with another one of his beautiful smiles.� �We have to celebrate, what you did today was fucking amazing.�

Why does praise from this man make me feel like there�s nothing I can�t do? �You�ve already done so much for me,� I said, �I should be making a celebration dinner for you.�

�Oh, you�ll be doing something for me,� Lucca leers meaningfully. Laughing, I let him seat me at the table and pour me a glass of wine. �To the dirtiest fighter in Ares Academy history,� he raises his glass in a toast.

�Don�t say that!� I groan, �I feel bad enough for what I did to Hiroto.�

�He�s fine,� he shrugged, �trust me, it�s not the worst injury he�s had here at the Academy. But you! Less than one month and you�ve turned into the toughest woman on campus.�

�Doubtful,� I said, taking another sip of the wine, a delicious red that is bright and wonderful on the palate. �I just had the element of surprise, that was the only reason it worked.�

�Don�t diminish this,� he said, �how�s your hand?�

�Better,� I said, �I waited until Hiroto left the clinic to go in. Dr. Giardo said two of the fingers were sprained, but that�s it. I just need to keep it wrapped and iced for a couple of days.�

�Good,� he gifted me with another smile and lifted the covers on the plates. �Solyanka to start.��

�It�s my favorite comfort food!� I said happily, as he ladled the sausage soup with vegetables and extra pickles into my bowl.

�So, I hear,� he said, �and then Pirozhki and Shashlik for the main course.�

�You are amazing�� I sighed. �Wait. You�re being too nice to me. Am I dying? Do I have incurable cancer? Is there something you�re not telling me?�

Lucca laughs, he actually laughs and it is beautiful. It�s the first time I�ve heard it and the sound is so joyous that it breaks my heart that he doesn�t laugh more. That his brothers crushed this part of him.

�No piccolo bacio,� he said, �I know your suspicious Russian heritage tells you that good news is followed by bad. But not here. You should be proud of yourself.��

�You know I couldn't have done it without you,� I said.

�I know,� he modestly agreed.

�Thank you.� Impulsively, I took his hand resting next to mine and kissed it softly, watching the surprise on his face soften to something else. �So, what�s next?��

Look at me being all brazen.�

�Next?� Lucca grins at me devilishly and it is not at all reassuring. �I�m going to feed you. And then fuck you. So, you�d better start in on those Pirozhki because you�re going to need your strength.�

One broad hand pushes between my breasts, shoving me back onto his mattress. The combination of his prickly chin and slick tongue are too much, tipping me into an orgasm even stronger than the one he�d given me in the gym that afternoon.

He was so perfect� thick thighs and a taut ass, his muscles moving sleekly under smooth skin as he bares himself to me. When Lucca lifts his hips to pull off his shorts and throw them on the floor, I blush at how loud my gasp is. Of course, the arrogant bastard hears it, a wide grin spreading across his face as Lucca chuckles. "It's for you, piccolo bacio. All for you. I'm going to make you feel so..." he places a hard kiss on one nipple, then moves to suck the other, "...so good. You're going to come screaming for me. I can tell."�

Sitting up, I touch the tip of his shaft. �Is that a piercing?� I can�t imagine the pain of piercing such a sensitive spot. There�s another smug chuckle, I�d punch him but I�m too fascinated and intimidated by the silver ring glinting up at me.

�Yes, and when I rub it against your G-spot I promise you�re going to appreciate it.� He kisses me again, and I hear the crinkle of a wrapper and his fingers swiftly rolling a condom down his shaft.�

I hold my breath as the wide head of his cock first breaches my entrance and I grip his shoulders, nails digging mindlessly into his back as his agile hips swirl, easing an inch or two in, out, then in again, just a bit further each time until I can the heat and weight of him take over everything. My body, my mind, my soul. There�s no room for anything but the feel of him inside me. I never understood how overwhelming this could feel, to be connected to someone so deeply.

"Just- just- god, Lucca! Slowly... okay?" I�m moaning, not sure if it�s pain or neediness or both, and I try to force myself to concentrate. What did Camilla call this? "Cock-drunk." Oh, I am so cock-drunk. I�m inebriated by this lovely, thick thing pushing inside me and spreading my slick walls wide to accommodate him.

�Who are you picking for your team?� Konstantin reaches over and takes half my sandwich.�

�I�m not telling you, asshole!� I said, watching him bite into my lunch.

�Yeah,� he muses, mouth full. �It�s going to be hard to have to keep secrets from each other now that we�re both in the same major.�

�No problem, since I�ll never tell you a thing,� I said pleasantly, �who are you selecting for yours?�

�I was thinking maybe Tatiana,� he grins, �she�s a hell of a shot, right?�

�You know, there�s a high possibility that I�m going to punch you in the throat.� I smiled back, showing all my teeth.

�So wrong,� he said with faux shock, �so very, very wrong to hurt your best friend. We better get to it right after lunch, are you noticing that Mateo and Aleks are already making the rounds?�

He�s right. Mateo, that little bastard, is already heading across the room to Tatiana and Mariya�s table. Shoving my chair back, I get there seconds after he does.

�You can�t say no when you�re selected for a Leader�s team, bambina,� he leers at Tatiana, who looks mildly nauseated.

�She can when she�s already been selected,� I step in, interrupting her. �She agreed to be on my team right before lunch.�

�Is that right,� he sneers, looking her up and down but his gaze never getting higher than her breasts.�

�Yes,� Tatiana says firmly.�

�There�ll be other challenges,� he tells her tits, �I�ll still get you on my team.�

�Can�t wait,� she said dryly.�

Before Mateo can turn to Mariya, Kon is there. �Hey, come over to my table,� he tells her, �we�re going to start strategizing.�

It�s clear that she�s only slightly more enthused by being stuck with Kon than Mateo, but she forces a smile. �Thanks, oh mighty leader! I�ll be right there.�

Seating myself next to Tatiana, I smile malevolently at Mateo until he turns and leaves with a huff and a mumble of Italian curses.

�Thank you for that,� she whispers, �what�s going on?�

She�s smiling, looking so pleased to see me. �I want to kiss you,� I blurt.

�Okay?�

�If I do that,� I lean closer to whisper in her ear, �two things will happen. First, everyone on the entire campus is going to know we�re together. Second, one kiss will not be enough and I will drag you back to my place and I�m going to bury my face in your pussy.�

A high, inarticulate noise escapes her, like air leaking from a balloon.�

�Is that a yes?� I ask solicitously.

As an answer, she leans forward, offering up her mouth and with a groan, I kiss her.�

�What do you think they�ll do for the first part of the challenge?� I�m whispering to Ania, who�s standing tall in the chilly wind whipping over the flat plains of the island.�

�Probably something very uncomfortable,� she says placidly, �if not acutely painful.�

�Oh,� I put my hand on my stomach. I will not throw up. At least right now.

�Welcome, students!� Dean Christie shouted, looking alarmingly cheerful. The rest of the college has gathered to watch, probably hoping someone will die in a terrible way.

�This is a three-part challenge,� she continued, �the first team to get to their flag wins. The Leader can direct their team but cannot participate.�

Glancing over at Lucca, I can tell he doesn�t like that.

�One of the key qualities to being a great leader is being able to direct your people successfully and trust that they�ll handle the job.� Professor Fukumoto says. �Even if you know you�re sending them into danger.�

No, Lucca really doesn�t like this. His mouth is a thin, flat line as he listens to the instructors.

�Your first task,� calls the Dean, �use these logs to create a bridge over the ravine and have a team member cross it successfully.� She fires a pistol in the air. �Go!�

The ravine she�s talking about is a deep split in the rocky surface of the field. The bridge that�s usually there is gone, and the pile of cut logs she�s pointing to must weigh two hundred pounds each. The rest of the teams are picking their biggest players, but Lucca�s picked two muscled Seniors I don�t recognize and Jun, who�s very lean. He gives them a quick series of directions and they race off to the logs.�

�Brilliant,� murmurs Ania.

�Please explain,� I ask, leaning closer.�

Our three are moving slower than the others because Jun can�t carry one of the logs on his own. He�s still helping where he can and I see him directing the other two on where to place the logs.

�Do you know what Jenga is?� Ania says.

�The game with the wooden pieces and you stack them until they fall?� I said.

�Yes. Jun is the campus champion for the life-size Jenga pieces on the grounds by the main building.�

�I�ve never seen them,� I admit, marveling at the creation of our team�s bridge. Two other log spans were finished before ours, including Mateo�s team. But when his team member tries to cross it, one of the logs slips almost instantly, sending him plummeting onto a safety net stretched out ten feet below. The next team is doing better, their man is halfway across, but his weight is unbalancing their log bridge and he falls, too.

�Go!� Lucca roars, �You�ve got this!��

Jun�s creation looks haphazard, but he�s traversing it effortlessly. When he reaches the other side, the Dean blows her whistle.

�First round goes to Toscano!�

Professor Fukumoto doesn�t give any time for gloating or celebration. �The second task is at the grotto,� he shouts, �get moving.�

I exchange glances with Lucca as we run past the combat gym. I�ve swam in the grotto before, but it�s not my favorite thing. I�ve always thought a college swimming pool would be well-lit and nicely heated. The Ares Academy uses a cenote. It�s a deep cavern created by collapsed rock that fills with rainwater. Picking our way down the carved stone stairs, I�m already hoping Lucca doesn�t pick me for this challenge. It�s not as brutally cold as the Atlantic surrounding the island, but no one can stay in for long, aside from the two Norwegian students who insist on swimming every day.

Neither one of them, unfortunately, are on our team.

�This task is two-pronged,� Dean Christie grins, and it�s not the �fun aunt� smile, it�s the leer of a sociopath. �You must retrieve your team�s bag from the water. It might be on a ledge, or at the very bottom. At the same time, you must attempt to take another team�s bag as well. Your members may not leave the water until both objectives have been achieved. Of course, the other team�s players will also attack to retrieve their bag from you. You will need a team member for retrieval, one for defense, and one for offense. Leaders, you have five minutes to pick your people and have them enter the water.�

Lucca looks over the remaining six of us. His gaze pauses on me for a moment and moves on. He picks Ania and two of the men. When the pistol goes off, they all dive in. One of our team members is a sturdy-looking blond guy, circling the water and looking for the yellow bag with a �T� on it. They all look heavy and lumpy, I suspect they�re filled with rocks. Or lead. This administration is that sadistic.

The blond swimmer spots our bag and heads for it at the same time as three swimmers from other teams. Apparently, no one likes us for winning the first challenge. Ania glides through like an orca, effortlessly knocking aside two of the challengers as our third member goes for the bag with an �R� on it.�

�Crap, that�s Aleksandr�s,� I said nervously.�

Lucca glares at me. �Whose team are you on?�

�Yours,� I said, squeezing his arm, �always.�

Several of the students are writhing underwater like eels, battling each other for the bags.

�Hey!� I shouted, �What the hell!� I point to where Ania just got hit in the back with one of the bags, and it�s heavy enough to knock her into the side of the rock wall.

�Ania!� Lucca shouts, �Are you okay?�

She looks up long enough to nod and dives down again. There�s a trail of red through the water from a cut on her back.

When our team finally makes their way back to the entrance, they have our bag and the one belonging to Miguel Herrera, a short, powerful-looking Leader who�s set to take over his father�s cartel. Unfortunately, we are also the fourth team to finish. Mateo, the little slime, places first after his swimmers knocked competing players unconscious with their bags of rocks.

�Good work,� Lucca says warmly, �we�re still in a strong position for the third challenge.�

�Leaders,� shouts the Dean, �gather your last three players and meet us at The Barrens.� She smiles with all the happiness of a rabid coyote catching a ground squirrel.

�Merda, shit,� mutters Lucca. �The Barrens.�

There�s a row of rifles waiting for us at the next stop, and I�m feeling some cautious optimism. I can shoot well. I can help Lucca win this. Eyeing the boulders scattered across The Barrens, I wonder what the plan is. They�re all massive; some nearly twenty feet high, left over from some prehistoric glacier.

Konstantin and his team are standing next to us, and I give Mariya a smile. She�s covered in blankets because she took part in the last challenge. �I had no idea how vicious you were,� I whisper, �I have never admired you more.�

She�d stolen another team�s bag and fended off an attacker by biting him hard enough to make him let go of it.

�Thank you, honey,� she says demurely.

�Here�s your third and final task,� shouts Fukumoto, �your team will be armed with rifles. They may shoot members from any other team. If they accidentally shoot one of their own, the team is automatically disqualified. The first player through the course wins for their team.�

�That�s not so bad,� I whisper to Lucca, �like paintball, right?�

�The rifles are loaded with percussive paint capsules,� the professor continues. �If you are hit, they will knock you off your feet, expect it. Since a shot to the head could be deadly, you will all wear helmets.� He smiles, and I wonder if everyone who teaches here is fresh out of a hospital for the criminally insane. �The helmets have a heavily shaded visor that will reduce your vision by 75% or so. You will need all your other senses to make it through this obstacle course.�

Lucca pulls me and the remaining two players aside. �Get a good look at each other,� he says, unzipping my jacket and peeling it off me.

�Hey, what-�

He cuts me off impatiently. �Take off your jackets. It�ll make it easier to distinguish you from the other teams.� We�re all wearing black tank tops, and while the ever-present wind is tearing through the boulders, my adrenaline buzz is keeping me from feeling it.

We�re handed our rifles and I check to make sure mine is loaded, then adjust the sight. �Our capsules are green,� he instructed, then grinned savagely. �Cover every one of those bastards. Paint this course Toscano green!�

I can do this, I think, tightening my grip on my rifle. This is so much better than the underwater fight to the death.

Lucca fastens the straps of my helmet under my chin. The professor wasn�t kidding. The visor is so heavily smoked that I can hardly make out the shape of the boulders, and the other players are just blobs of black. Seeing the bare arms of my teammates will at least help me tell them apart from our opponents.

�Mateo�s guys are looking over here,� Lucca warns, �I�m sure he told them to target you. But you�re quick, and he�s picked a couple of his biggest idiots to run the course. Be careful of Schmidt, though. He�s smart and a real bastard.�

I know that guy. He�s one of Mateo�s most irritating hangers-on.

Nodding, I try to sound firm and not like I�m about to wet myself, �I have this.��

�You get through this course unscathed and I will eat you out for an hour tonight,� Lucca whispers, �I won�t stop until you come six times.� He gives me a filthy grin before giving me a pat on the top of my helmet.

Oh, I am so winning this thing, I think, fingers tightening on my rifle.

Tatiana�

Lucca should be happy that we won the challenge, but he looks furious, glaring at Mateo, Schmidt, and even poor Jun who just tried to slap me on the back to congratulate me.

�What�s the matter with you?� I ask as he�s hustling me down the path. �We won!�

�That fucking prick shot you in the back,� he snarls, �you were over the finish line and halfway across the fucking campus before he fired on you.�

�Okay, wait- Lucca- I�m serious, stop dragging me!� I have to yank on his arm before he�s willing to look at me. �You can�t be surprised that Mateo�s people are back-stabbing, I mean, back-shooting dickheads. That�s part of the deal here. I�m going to have a huge bruise and based on my recent injury inventory, that�s not too bad.� He�s staring down at me, brow furrowed. Putting my hands on his shoulders, I shake him gently. �We won! This is such a great thing!�

�You got hurt,� he insists, shaking his head.

�How are you going to send your people into danger if you freak out every time they�re injured?� I said. �Part of being a leader is picking the best man - or woman - for the job and knowing they might get hurt.�

�I�m not-� he presses his lips together.

�You are a leader, velikolepnyy. You may not be first-born, but they see you for what you are here, a leader,� I insist. �So change your thinking.�

A slow smile spreads across his full mouth. �You�re calling me gorgeous?�

�You know Russian?�

He chuckles, kissing me, �I�ve been roommates with Konstantin for over two years. Of course, I had to learn it.�

�Good, velikolepnyy, because you are,� I said, beaming up at him. Feeling a little daring, I add, �Didn�t you promise me something if I won today?�

Lucca bursts into laughter, which does not make me feel sexy and daring at all. �I plan to spend most of tonight with my mouth and my cock buried in that tight pussy,� he purrs, �but first, why don�t we get the blood off your face and make sure you didn�t break your nose in that fall, eh?�

It was a week before I saw Mateo again.�

�What is that fucker still doing on campus!� hissed Camilla. �I�m going to stab him in the throat with my pen!�

Just the sight of him makes my stomach churn violently, and I look down at my white-knuckle grip on my book bag. �I thought he left the school with the other three.�

Athena caught up with us. �He should have, the little prick. But apparently, his father insisted he stay and finish the year since he�d already taken his punishment. His dad�s a real b�stardos, too.�

Camilla steps closer to me as he approaches us, but she doesn�t need to worry. Mateo turns when he spots us and goes the other way. He looks pale, nasty like he hasn�t showered. As I glance down at his right hand, I drop my bag.

There isn�t one. A hand. Just a bandaged stump.

�I�m going to be sick,� I whisper.

�Don�t you dare,� Athena says, linking her arm with mine for the first time ever. �He got exactly what he deserved.�

Lucca�

�The Ares Academy has to be the only fucking college on the planet that expects you to pack a tux,� Aleksandr says sourly, straightening his cuffs.

�Yeah, but you look hot as hell,� Konstantin leers, patting him on the shoulder, laughing when he irritably swats his hand off.

We agreed to meet the women at the main hall, where the cavernous granite and wood space has been transformed with multiple glittering Christmas trees. Fabric swags and lights are draped from the oak beams overhead and tables are covered in tartan red and green, with endless platters of food.

Say what you will about our power-saw-loving Dean, the woman knows how to throw a party.

�Here they come,� Aleks nudges me.

Fuck, she�s incredible.

Tatiana�s looking around, and I catch the moment she sees me and gives me that smile, the smile that tells me she�s so happy to see me. No pretense, no playing hard to get.�

Since men at the Academy outnumber women by nearly two to one, just having a date for the party is a major coup. Having a woman as beautiful as Tatiana? I�m just spiteful enough to enjoy the longing stares the other guys are giving her as I walk up to meet her.�

�Ty samoye prekrasnoye, chto ya kogda-libo videl,� I whisper, cupping her face to kiss her.

�I�m the most beautiful thing you�ve ever seen?� Tatiana says, �And in Russian? You�re too good at this, Velikolepnyy.�

�I�m still gorgeous, eh?� I grin down at her, giving her another kiss.�

�In this tux? Oh, yes,� she says with a misty look of appreciation.�

I laughed. I seem to do that a lot around her.

Aleks is with Camilla tonight, and we�re both pulling our girls out onto the dance floor when I spot Mateo. �That pezzo di merda, that piece of shit is here?� I murmur, disgusted. �Who�s willing to date a rapist?�

He craned his neck, looking over the crowd. �It�s the girl from the Marchand syndicate in New Orleans.�

�Tansey Marchand,� I say with disgust. She�s preening in a very low-cut black dress and her left boob is already ready to pop out of the fabric.

�What are you two looking at?� Tatiana asks, standing on tiptoe.

�Nothing,� I said, pulling her closer. She laughs as I twirl her out in a spin and back again.

�Impressive,� she says, smoothing my lapel, �dance lessons as a kid?�

�All of us had to go through them,� I groaned, �my mother insisted. Dario was better about finding a way out of them because he�s such a sneaky bastard, but-�

She�s watching me closely, and I turn my head. �It�s okay to miss them, Velikolepnyy. Especially at Christmas.�

I give her a cold smile, spinning her out and back again, a little harder this time. �No. Because they are not missing me, I can promise you.�

It�s a hell of a party. The booze is flowing freely and even the professors look like they�re enjoying themselves. I keep an eye on Mateo, making sure he�s on the other side of the big hall from wherever we are.

Tatiana�s face is flushed and she�s giggling a little as I take her outside for some air. �Baby, you�re not drunk, are you?�

�No!� she promises, eyes wide.

�Good, because there�s so many things I want to do to you.� My hand slides down the soft skin of her back. �I�m really appreciating this dress, by the way. It looks like I just need to unzip it and it will�� I kiss the side of her neck and nip at her shoulder. �Just fall right off of you.�

She sags against me with a little moan and I grin, sliding my tongue between her lips. Curving my hand around the back of her neck, I leisurely trace her lips and teeth before drawing her tongue into my mouth, sucking on it lightly. She tastes like the cherries and chocolate from the dessert table.�

Groaning, I pull back, trying to find my willpower before I rip off that dress and fuck her right here on the terrace.

�Come here, I have something to show you,� I said, pulling off my tux jacket and putting it over her shoulders.�

�When you mentioned you had something to show me, I kind of thought you�d be taking me back to your rooms and taking off-�

�Hush, woman! I�m trying to be romantic here,� I scold her, leading her through the center courtyard and to the side, to the first of the big greenhouses. Laughing, she follows me inside.

�Oh, this is so pretty,� she sighs, looking around us.�

The college supplies a large amount of the food served in the dining hall from the greenhouses, but the most beautiful one holds all the flowers and the exotic botanicals the faculty uses for everything from poison to teaching first aid remedies in the field. I bribed the gardener to string Christmas lights in the greenhouse and then the same amount of money to give me the key and leave.

�C�mon, let me show you around,� I said, taking her hand. The air�s warm and moist, fogging the glass of the greenhouse and giving us some privacy. She delicately touches the petals of some white and purple orchids, leaning in to sniff some roses so dark that they seem to be black.�

�How do you know your way around so well?� Tatiana asked, touching the silky leaves of a greyish-green plant.

�Maybe don�t stroke the leaves on that one,� I caution, �the tiny hairs that make the leaves so fuzzy on the Velvety Nightshade also contain the toxin that can kill you.� I kiss her as she yanks her hand away. �You�d need more exposure than that, though.� I help her step over a gravel-filled drain in the stone floor. �My first year here at the Academy, I was always getting disciplined.�

�For what?�

�Starting fights. Finishing them. I ended up here a lot with Professor Poison. Ah, sorry, Professor Palom�. Being in the Assassins major, there was so much to learn here, it�s fascinating,� I said, holding the huge leaves aside from an Elephant Ear plant to let her through.

�Why Signore Toscano, I�m seeing a whole new side of you,� she teases, rounding a table of brilliant red poppies. �Wh- what is this?�

I stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. �It�s for you. Merry Christmas.�

�Bozhe moy, oh my god, Lucca!� Tatiana darts toward the bed. �How did you do this?�

There�s a huge bed, surrounded by pots of flowers and a decorative iron arch covered in wisteria. The bed is piled high with pillows and cashmere blankets.

�This is so soft,� she crooned, petting a blanket. �Is it made of puppies? Unicorn skins?�

Pulling the cork on a bottle of champagne on a tray next to the bed, I fill a flute and offer it to her.

�Can I make the toast?� she asks.�

�Of course.�

Her eyes twinkle, �I would like to thank fate for the day I got the living hell kicked out of me.�

�What?� Damn, she always makes me laugh. �Why would you make a toast to the Jankowski Beatdown?�

�Because,� she insisted, �it was the best thing. Because of that very, very painful afternoon, I met you. And being with you is the best of all things.�

Throat tight, I lightly tap my glass to hers. �Cheers, my sweet girl.�

The fact that my girl is having a little trouble walking comfortably shouldn�t have made me as pleased as it does, but I hoist her up on my back, carrying her to her room as she giggles.

�Mio dio, my god, you�re heavy!� I groan theatrically, letting her down in front of her door.

�So much for Lucca, the master of romance,� she jeers, kissing me.

�There�s a Christmas Market in Kilronan Village,� I said, smoothing her hair away from her face. �It�s one of the few times we�re allowed off the grounds. I want to take you.�

�I�d love that,� she smiles up at me as if I�m the center of her world. �Let me shower and get changed into something warmer than my walk of shame formal wear.�

Athena opens the door as we�re laughing, looking at us both sourly. �Are you two done? This is making me nauseous and I�m really looking forward to the Christmas breakfast at the dining hall.�

Her holier-than-thou act is spoiled when Christos Gataki appears behind her, offering us a grunt as he leaves her bedroom, still pulling his pants up.

I avoid giving her shit because she�s been - moderately - kinder to Tatiana since the attack. �Meet me at noon?� I whisper to Tatiana, giving her a kiss.�

�Sounds perfect,� she says happily.

�What the fuck just happened?� Aleksandr said.�

He�s walking like an automaton next to me. We both numbly drank the toast with his father and Roman and they left almost immediately after.

�That�s the first time I�ve seen my brother in almost a year and I got a full ten minutes of his undivided attention,� I said bitterly. �What� did you have any idea that they were planning this? Did your father talk to you about it?�

We�re just wandering, not sure what to do. I can�t go back to class, and poor Aleks doesn�t look like he�s doing any better than I am.

�No,� he said bleakly, �but I never expected him to. Leonid Rostova simply bellows orders and expects them to be followed before he�s even finished the sentence.�

�I�m guessing you�re not close,� I said. It�s a silly concept. Most bratva organizations are not comprised of warm family feelings.

�He�s a fucking pig,� Aleks said, his pale skin reddening. �I know this wasn�t what you were expecting.�

The enormity of what just happened hits me like a punch to the heart. �Oh, my god. What am I going to tell Lucca?� I sit down on a nearby bench, covering my mouth with my hands, if I can just block the words from coming out, this won�t be real. I won�t lose him.

�Mne zhal'... I�m sorry,� he said hoarsely, sitting next to me and putting a tentative arm around my shoulders.

�And- and you. You have someone you love, too.� My face is wet. I didn�t know I was crying. �I�m sorry, Aleksandr.�

�I can�� he runs his hands through his pale hair, gripping the ends and pulling. �I can talk to my father, I could try-�

�You can�t,� I shake my head, �you can�t. You know that. Roman wouldn�t have- he wouldn�t do this if it wasn�t important. It�s um�� I laugh bitterly. �It�s the only thing I have to offer our family.�

�What do you mean?�

�Things are bad. They�re so bad right now. I never talk about it. Not to anyone, but what the hell, you�re going to be my husband, right?� My throat closes.

�I know your parents were murdered,� he said quietly. �That�s part of why you�re here, right?�

�The Aslanov Bratva is under attack, there�s been so many terrible things. Attempts on my brothers� lives. Someone tried to kidnap me at our family�s estate in Vancouver. Shipments intercepted and stolen, warehouses burned down, our soldiers killed� it never stops. Roman must believe this alliance will help us.�

�I knew some of this, mostly gossip,� he admits, �but I didn�t know how bad it was.�

�I�m sure my brothers are working overtime to keep it quiet, as much as they can anyway.� I�m trying to wipe my wet face and I�m mostly smearing the tears around. �I�ll�� my head drops and I take a deep breath. �I�ll be a good wife, Aleks. I promise you. I�ll be loyal.�

�Trakhni menya, fuck me,� he groans, �of all the women my father could have picked. I�ve had a front row seat to your romance with Lucca. What are you going to tell him?�

�Tell me what?�

We both jump up from the bench like we�d been caught making out. Lucca is standing in front of us, looking torn between angry and worried. �What�s going on? Athena told me you got called into Dean Christie�s office. I�ve been looking for you.�

Aleks looks at me sadly. �Are you going to be okay?�

�Yeah,� I nodded too hard, like that would make it all make sense. �Thanks.�

Lucca watches him walk away with a frown.�

�Hey, let�s go�� What was I going to say?

�You�re crying?� He cups my cheeks tenderly between his lovely, warm hands. �What happened, sweet girl?�

�Can we go�� I rub my forehead. �Can we go to the greenhouse?�

His thumb is stroking my cheekbone. �Are you sure you don�t want to go back to my place?�

I can�t do that. See his bed, smell his rum, wintergreen, and cedar scent. �The greenhouse. Okay?�

�Of course, come on.� He puts his arm around me protectively and I lean into it, soaking up the feeling of safety he gives me.

The flowers are as fragrant as they were on Christmas Eve, those unusual roses still blooming with their lush ebony petals. Lucca sits down, pulling me onto his lap. �Talk to me, piccolo bacio. Who made you cry?�

Burying my face in the space between his neck and shoulder, I selfishly breathe in deep, trying to memorize how he smells, the warmth of his skin. �My brother Roman came to see me,� I said with a bitter little chuckle. �For a total of ten minutes.�

�Is everything okay?� he says, so concerned and kind. �Have there been more attacks?�

�He needs allies,� I said, sitting up. �Alek's father Leonid Rostova was there, too. They�ve�� I start sobbing again, to my shame. I have no right to cry in front of him. It�s so selfish. I want to beg him to run away with me. Just disappear. Fuck this world and their arranged marriages. When I look up, I see Lucca�s tanned olive skin is turning pale.

�Why were they here?� he asks hoarsely.

�They�� I�m crying too hard to get the words out.

�Why were they here, Tati? Why were you crying with Aleks?� His voice is rising.

My hands drop limply to my lap. �They�ve arranged a marriage for Aleks and me to cement an alliance between our families. My brother needs this. We�re getting married this summer.�

�What the fuck?� Lucca�s on his feet, looking at me incredulously. �You�re going to tell him no! I�ll- I�ll call Giovanni and request he meet with Roman and make an alliance between our families. We�re the most powerful Mafia in Italy and the US! We�re a much better match! This is-�

�I can�t,� I interrupt him. �You know we can�t. The alliance is made. To go back on an agreement with another Bratva is unforgivable, especially with one of the Moscow Six Families. It could destroy the Aslanov Bratva.�

�I don�t care!� he shouts, �You can�t want this!�

�You know I don�t!� I follow him as he backs away, �Of course I don�t! I love you; I love you so much and this�� I�m sobbing again, my throat too thick to speak.

�Well, then you can�t, Tati! You tell your brother we�re together. Tell him I took your virginity and that I want to marry you!� His eyes are wide and the pain there is unbearable. �I�ll tell him then; I�ll call your brother and-�

�Lucca, stop! You can�t.� I try to take his hand but he grabs me instead, holding me tightly against him.

�You�re not marrying Aleks,� he moans, �you�re not marrying anyone but me.�

It would be so good to just sag into his warmth, his strong arms and just pretend that we could fix this somehow. �If this was your family,� I said, running my hand through his thick hair, �if the Toscanos were in terrible danger and you could do something about it-�

�No! Not if it meant losing you!� Lucca kisses me with the desperation of a dying man, pulling me tighter like he could absorb me into him.

�You would, moya milaya, my sweetheart. This is all I have to give for my family�s safety.� I laugh bitterly.

�It�s what I was made for.�

He abruptly pulls loose from me. �That�s it then? You�re serious.� His features darken, like a cloud over the sun. �You�re giving us up so easily.�

�It�s not easy,� I whispered. �You are everything.�

�Liar.� He walks away, so quickly that he�s out the door before I can call after him, beg him to come back. I stand there among all the beautiful, poisonous flowers and cry like my soul�s been torn from my body.

�Get the fuck out of bed!�

There�s a bright light blinding me as someone yanks me off my mattress, landing with a thump on the floor. I reflexively kick out, hitting something solid and hearing a curse.

�Serves you right asshole,� another voice says.

A bag is yanked over my head and I violently head-butt the assailant behind me. Another curse. �Now who�s laughing, asshole?��

They zip-tie my hands and ankles with impressive speed, there must be three people holding me down to get it done. I let out a scream that makes my vocal cords rattle, and this time they all laugh. �Scream all you want, no one�s coming.�

I struggle and writhe against them until they drop me onto the floor, jarring my ribs. �We can roll you down the fucking stairs or you can hold still. Your choice.�

If you�re outnumbered during an attack, save your strength, Lucca had instructed me once, try to determine the enemy�s numbers and pay attention to your surroundings.

After nodding reluctantly, I�m thrown over someone�s shoulder. I count the number of steps, knowing we�re out of my room now, then the suite. There are sixteen steps from the second floor to the first, and then the cold air hits me as we leave the building. I�m in my sleep shorts and a tank top. I don�t hear any guards shouting, so we must not be heading for the gates at the main entrance.

The man carrying me breaks into a brisk jog, which slams me painfully up and down on his shoulder and I grit my teeth until I hear another door open and it�s warmer again. Then there are more stairs, going down this time and it gets chillier as we descend.

I�m thrown into a chair and the zip ties are cut and my hands are re-tied to the arms of a metal chair within seconds. There�s no give, so I�m guessing it�s bolted to the floor. The last thing I hear is the door slamming shut and I�m alone, shivering, and bound to this chair.

Of course. The Interrogation Exam, the RT I. There�s no way an outside force stormed the Academy, kidnapped me, and stayed on school grounds.

�A little dramatic, isn�t it?� I sighed, not expecting an answer.

Bozhe moy, I feel like a litterbox that hasn�t been cleaned in a year.

�Tati?�

It�s Lucca, my eyes open and he�s blurry. Trying to smile as much as my cracked lips allow me, I whisper, �Hey, velikolepnyy.�

He presses his lips to my forehead and pulls away abruptly, yanking open the door. �She�s awake!�

�Move over!� It�s the cranky voice of Dr. Giardo. �Miss Aslanova, you gave us quite a scare.� His thumb pulls open my eyelid, shining his light against my defenseless cornea. �Why didn�t you tap out?�

�What?�

Is that my voice? I sound like I�m 800 years old.�

�Why didn�t you call an end to the exercise when you reached your limit?� Giardo elaborates crossly.

�Oh,� I croaked. �I didn�t know I could.�

He pulls back. �Did you pay attention to any of the instructions? At all?�

I�m looking past him to Lucca, who is hovering as close as he can. He looks so beautiful, his amber eyes glowing for me like they used to.

�Well, you passed the exam with flying colors,� the doctor grumbles, checking the rest of my vitals. �You�ll stay here in the clinic until you�ve recovered from pneumonia and the additional lung infection. Your classmates can bring your study materials here.� He stabs a finger at Lucca. �You have fifteen minutes, then she needs her rest. Don�t agitate her.�

Extending my hand, I see there�s an IV taped to it. There�s a breathing tube looped under my nose and a plethora of machines around me. Lucca looks down at my hand for a moment and sighs, taking it and sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. �Why did you do that? Do you know how close you came to dying?�

�You saved me, right?� I croak, �I remember� your jacket? And you were so warm.�

�You lasted the longest of any of the Spy group,� he said angrily. �They�re supposed to monitor your vitals. I had to get past the guards into the Catacombs to look for you. Fuck, Tati! You were blue and you weren�t moving. Those stupidi bastardi didn�t even notice how bad off you were. The notes praised you for being so tough. �She hasn�t spoken once!���

�I�m sorry,� I whispered.�

He gently lifted my head, helping me take a sip of water. It felt so good going down my sore throat. �Take a little more,� he said. �I�ve been feeding you ice chips for the last week.�

�A week?� I rasped, �I�ve been here for a week?��

�Yes,� he nodded.

�I�m sorry.� His hand smooths my lank, greasy hair back from my forehead, and I close my eyes. �I must look and smell disgusting,� I groan.

�You�ve smelled better,� he�s trying to smother a grin.

�Nice bedside manner,� I sass weakly.

�Everyone�s worried as hell,� he said, �the Dean and Professors Suarez and Campell even came by to check on you. Campbell said to tell you that you get a guaranteed passing grade for the rest of the year in her class. In fact, she would really prefer that you not participate in any more practical application exams.�

My little chuckle turns into a very unattractive coughing fit. Lucca helps me sit up to catch my breath. Over his shoulder, I see an uncomfortable-looking little metal cot with a blanket. �Have you been sleeping in here? Your back must be killing you.�

He snorted, �I� persuaded Dr. Giardo into letting me stay here, but he made it as miserable as possible.�

�He really sucks as a doctor,� I agreed, resting my head against his shoulder.

�I thought you were dead in that room,� he said, the pain in his voice evident. �Why would you do that, baby?�

�I�d like to see my fianc�e!��

It�s Aleks, and he�s practically shouting outside the door. He opens it painfully slowly and I realize he�s giving Lucca a chance to back away.

�There�s my soon to be daughter-in-law!� Oh, not him. It�s Leonid Rostova, not quite shoving his son aside to get a look at me. Lucca fades into a dark corner of the room like a sentinel.

Leonid looks me over thoroughly, and apparently even being disgusting and unwashed is not enough to discourage his leering. �Bednaya malenkaya tykv, poor little pumpkin,� he croons. His gaze fixes on my left hand. �And where is your engagement ring?�

�Ah, Aleks has been keeping it for me while I�m here in the clinic,� I lie. �We didn�t want anything to happen to it.� I force a smile, pleading with my eyes for Aleks to step closer. �Hello, moy zhenikh, my fianc�.�

I see Lucca stiffen out of the corner of my eye, and he slips from the room.�

�Hello, moy predpolagayemyy, my intended,� Aleks says, edging past his father, blocking him slightly. �You look much better today.�

�It would be hard to look worse,� I give a weak little laugh before I get a good look at him. �Bozhe moy! What happened to you?� He�s sporting a monster of a black eye; a split lip and I can tell he�s favoring his left side a little.

�Just a sparring session gone wrong,� he says dismissively. Aleks is huge like Lucca, though more of a gentle giant. It�s hard to picture who could have messed up his face like that unless they had lots of help.

�That you should lose to anyone is an embarrassment!� Leonid scoffs, �You will meet them back in the ring and beat them half to death. I will expect pictures of their damage.�

I take Alek's hand and squeeze it. His father is a complete bastard. �With great respect, Leonid Rostova, your son has done so much damage in the ring that I fear the administration will throw him out if he sends yet another student to the medical clinic.�

This definitely seems to cheer up the old pervert. �Well, if you say so. We do want Aleks to graduate at the top of his class.�

�He�s a true leader, even in the Leader�s division,� I smile weakly.

�Very well,� Leonid approves. �I shall tell your brother that I have seen you for myself and you are recovering nicely, Tatiana Aslanova.� His eyes wander down the front of my thin gown again and I wish there were hospital-issued turtlenecks.

�Thank you, Leonid Rostova, you are very kind,� I manage to sound pleasant, even though just looking at this man is making me nauseous. �My brothers are well?�

Why didn�t they come to see me?

�Ah, well. They are very busy, as you can imagine.� He pats my hand heavily with his sweaty one and I force myself not to cringe.�

�Come father, I know your time is short.� Aleksandr thankfully intervenes and Leonid reluctantly pulls his hand away.

Lucca slips back in as soon as they�ve left the clinic. �You are not continuing with this insane agreement!� he snarls.

�I just woke up about ten minutes ago,� I said, rubbing my eyes. �Will you please just sit with me? Please?� I�m embarrassingly close to tears and he seems to understand.

�Here, you need some water,� he helps me sit up again, waiting until I�ve finished half the glass. �Good girl,� he whispers, kissing my forehead.

�Maybe you should have gone into medicine,� I sighed, letting myself slump against him.

He chuckles as if I�ve just said the cutest thing. �I�m better at taking bodies apart than putting them back together again, piccolo bacio.� Moving me with painstaking care, Lucca sets me on his lap with my cheek against his chest.

I�m about to fall gratefully back to sleep when it hits me. �Did you beat up Aleksandr?�

His entire body turns to granite. �Yes,� he admits. �Quell'inutile figlio di puttana, that useless son of a bitch was supposed to look after you and keep you safe. He never questioned why you were down in the Catacombs so long? The fucking idiot! He didn�t even try to hit me back. He just stood there.�

�That�s not fair,� I mumbled. Oh, his chest was so warm. I didn�t think I would ever feel warm again. �How long was I down there?�

�I looked at the notes,� he swallows, �they ripped off your toenail the first night and kept you hooded and soaking wet for two and a half days. Then another twelve hours in the spotlight. They never checked your vitals after the first night. No food or water for seventy-two fucking hours.�

�They must really have hated me,� I sighed.�

�I called Lev for you,� he continued, �he nearly got shot at the gates, trying to get in. I�m pretty sure Dean Christie realized this was a clusterfuck, because she allowed him to stay with you for the first two days when we weren�t sure��

�I�m sorry,� I whispered, stroking his ribs with my finger.

�Stop saying you�re sorry,� he said, taking my hands and kissing it. �This isn�t your fault. That interrogator fucked up.�

�Where�s Lev now?� I groaned a little, shifting position. �Is he okay?�

�He�s fine,� Lucca said in an odd tone.

�What does that mean?�

He curled his arms around me, bringing me closer, and whispered in my ear. �He�s in Florida. He tracked down that bastard.�

�Do you mean��

�He took his time,� he said viciously. �He�ll be back tomorrow.�

It was too much. Too much death and pain. �Will you stay with me?� I asked, all dignity gone, �Just till I fall asleep?�

I feel his warm lips on my forehead. �Of course. And I will be here when you wake up.�

Tatiana�

After another twenty-four hours in the clinic, I was scratching at the walls like a demented cat, ready to get out. Mariya came to visit and helped me shower and wash my hair. Lucca has to help me to the bathroom, and that is mortifying enough.

�I heard your fianc� and his dad showed up,� she said, brushing my hair carefully. It�s thick and gleefully rats up with the slightest provocation, and we�re working with a week�s worth of bedhead.

�He�s horrible,� I shudder.

�Aleksandr?�

�No! Of course not. His father. The two times I�ve met him, I don�t think his eyes ever left my chest.�

�So disrespectful,� she agreed. �I know Maksim has been forced to work with him a couple of times and hates his guts. He�s a nightmare.�

�Thanks, you�re making me feel so much better about my future,� I said. I buried my face in my hands, which yanks the brush out of her hand.

�No sudden movements! God, I�ve trimmed hedges more manageable than your hair.�

�Please,� I scoff, �like you even know when your gardener�s shed is.�

The brushing slows. �We have to talk about it,� she says gently, �are you really planning to go through with this?�

�With what?� I evade.

Leaving the brush stuck in one of my snarls, Mariya comes around to sit in front of me. �You can�t avoid this and you know it. When Lucca came racing across campus, holding you, I had never seen anyone so terrified. Those first couple of days, when we�� she turned her head and I realized she was trying not to cry.

�When we thought you were going to die, he refused to leave you, and you held onto his hand. You wouldn�t let go, even unconscious and barely able to breathe. You love each other so much. In one of those sappy �until the end of time� songs sort of ways. There�s no way you can go through with this arrangement.�

�Really?� I want to scream, be angry, throw things, but I�m too weak to do anything but shake. �Do you think I want to, Mari? You�re like me, you�re in an arranged marriage, too. What do you think would happen if you marched up to Maksim and said, �Hey, I�m madly in love with someone else and gave him my virginity and anyway, I want to break these unbreakable vows between Bratvas and marry him instead.� How do you think your Pakhan would take it?�

�Well, you got together with Lucca before the arrangement, so the virginity thing doesn�t count,� she said. �Do you remember my brother Yuri�s arranged marriage to that girl from the Balabonov Bratva? Tania stood in the middle of the cathedral and shouted �I object!��

�Oh, I remember that, I was there.� I said happily, �best not-wedding ever.�

�Yuri and the Balabanov Bratva managed to make an agreement that worked for both sides-�

�With a huge loss of face,� I interrupt.

�That turned into nothing,� she retorted, �Yuri and Tania are proof that true love can triumph over even the bullshit Bratva alliances.�

�Your family wasn�t under fire, Mari. When my parents were murdered, it was just the beginning. Roman and Ilia are no closer to finding out who�s behind trying to destroy our family, or who tried to kidnap me, and-�

�What?� She grabbed my arm. �When? When did this happen?�

�The night they blew up my parent�s plane,� I whispered, looking at the open door to my room. I don�t need anyone overhearing us. �They tried to kill Ilia and Roman at the same time, it was a wide-scale coordinated attack.�

�So, it must be more than some rival Bratva, or whoever,� she said, eyes narrowed. I can always tell when Mariya�s analyzing something because her eyes dart back and forth, like she�s watching a tennis match. �Multiple targets, several different enemies, but they�re all colluding against the Aslanov Bratva. Look, this is my turn to tell you something that can never be repeated, okay?�

�Of course,� I nodded.

�The same thing happened to my family. Maksim needed alliances and that�s how I ended up promised to Konstantin. The important thing here is that there were three different syndicates, too. Lucca will know about this. His brother Dante-�

�Yes!� I interrupted, �Lucca told me about it. He said his parents were murdered at a New Year�s Eve party. His older brothers were there, too. Dante was trying to kill them all.�

�Right,� she nodded, �it was also a rival Bratva, the Sokolovs, and even worse was the Irish mob, the O�Connells, pust' oni gniyut v adu, may they rot in hell. Maksim�s wife, Ella? Her own brother was an O�Connell and he was in on it. So, these syndicates all stood to gain something, and they weren�t afraid to murder their own family to get it.�

�What a mess,� I sighed, �thank god your family figured it out before those scum managed to kill you all.�

�There�s two things that feel off here,� she said, her eyes darting back and forth like a pinball machine. �You getting kidnapped is one. According to everything you told me, they killed - or tried to kill - everyone but you. Someone must have been planning to marry you and take control in that way.�

�The second thing that seems so weird to me... I haven�t heard anything about your brothers seeking alliances with any of the other Russian families. You�re one of the Moscow Six, for god�s sake! And they aligned with the sleaziest Bratva in Russia? Have they reached out to anyone else? Any of the Mafia families? The Irish? Hell, the Cosa Nostra? The Scots? Your father did business all over the world!�

�They definitely caught Roman on his back foot,� I said, �I�m pretty sure he wasn�t planning to become the Pakhan for a long time. My father was very �you�ll become Pakhan when you pry it from my cold dead fingers,� and- bozhe moy, I can�t believe I just said something so dreadful.� I put my hands against my eyes, trying to force the tears back.

She grabs my wrists, pulling my hands away from my face. �Look. The Toscano Mafia is insanely powerful. They would be a great alliance for your family, and let�s not forget the important connection between the Morozov Bratva and the Toscanos. Through Kon and me, the Turgenev Bratva. There are all kinds of complex interconnectedness here that Roman may not be aware of. If we speak to our families, we can offer something much bigger to your family�s Bratva. Plus, Roman and Ilia will certainly have a lot more help finding out who�s behind this.�

�As always, fam, you�re a genius. You really are disgustingly brilliant,� I said.

�Thank you,� she preens.

�Your brother Yuri�s situation aside, you know how absolute the vows of an arranged marriage between Bratvas are. If we break them, our family has no honor. No other family will have anything to do with us. You know I�m right.�

�Well, I don�t know what the deal was between Yuri and the Balabanovs. I never got that much information, though you�d be impressed with how much my sisters-in-law tell me. There was some combination of� like� blackmail and mutually assured destruction. As for you, it�s almost March, which means we have three months or so before Aleksandr graduates and you�re forced to get married.�

�Meaning?� I said, so pathetically grateful to see even the slightest glimmer of hope.�

Mariya smiles, her eyes tilting up like a fox�s. �We have ninety days to find a way for Roman to cut a deal with the Rostova Bratva that does not include you.�

�Go over the six fastest-acting plant-based poisons with me again,� Tatiana said, rubbing her forehead.

�We�ve run through prep for this test three times,� Mariya whines, clearly bored out of her mind. �Let�s do some plotting instead.�

Konstantin looks up from his gaming console. �Plotting?�

Mariya and Tatiana talked us through their conversation from yesterday.�

�I�ve thought about it since my genius friend,� Tatiana nods at Mariya, who's attempting to appear modest, �laid this all out for me, and it�s raised more questions. Why did my brother seek an alliance with the weakest of the Moscow Six? My father had connections everywhere, surely Roman could have reached out to more reputable ones.�

�With attacks coming in from all directions, Roman can�t know who to trust, especially if your father kept so much of his business from him,� I said.

�Yeah, but Roman and Ilia knew one of the biggest threats was to Tati, right?� Kon asked. �I mean, the reason she�s here is to keep from being kidnapped. Did he just pick the Rostova Bratva because Leonid has a son of marriageable age?�

�Yeah�� Tatiana rubbed her forehead again, she was exhausted, I could tell. �My father spent a lot of time with Leonid. I know they did business. Maybe Roman and Ilia decided he was the first, safe choice.�

�Baby, it�s late and if you�re going to get better, you�ve got to sleep,� I said, rising from the couch and stretching. Before she could argue, I scooped her up and carried her to my room.

�Night night, Nurse Toscano!� Konstantin called.

�Flip him off for me, would you? My hands are full.� I said to Tatiana, laughing when she used both hands.

Carrying her into the bathroom, I sat her on the counter and started the water in the tub. �How about a hot bath?�

�Oh, that would be so nice,� she sighed. �That horrible little shower in the clinic was not enough.�

Leaning closer, I took a long, pointed sniff. �Well, I wasn�t going to say anything��

�You are a very bad boyfriend,� she said severely.

�Is that what I am?� I grinned, lifting her into the water.�

�Only if you get in with me,� she said, wiggling her fingers at me. I have my clothes off and I�m sliding in behind her in seconds. �Thank you,� she sighed, turning to her side so she could curl against me like a cat, resting her cheek on my chest.

�It�s just a bath,� I chuckled.

�No, it�s not,� she said, �you saved my life. Again. You looked out for me even after I was promised to someone else.�

My arms tightened around her, thinking of her tied to that chair, unconscious. �Piccolo bacio,� I sighed, �I will always come for you. There is no one else for me. There will never be anyone else but you.�

�I remember sitting there with that hood on, so cold� I couldn�t stop shaking, it was bone deep, and I just�� She laced her fingers with mine, �I thought about you, how you would fall in love with someone else, have a family with them. And I would be nothing more than a breeder and an ornamental wife for the rest of my life and I�� her voice choked on a sob.�

�I think I was already sick, but this little voice kept whispering to me, that if I just let it happen, if I just drifted away� it would be all right if I was gone. Roman would think of something else. I couldn�t picture my life without you. Not one with any meaning, anyway.�

I can�t move, listening to her voice growing sadder, and quieter and I can�t take it anymore. �Listen to me,� I said urgently, �don�t you ever think that way again, ever! We will find a way out of this.�

The same cold terror I felt in the Catacombs when I found her gripped me again. She would rather die, torn between disappointing her brother or losing me. �There is always a way, my sweet girl, I promise you. We�ll find it. But you can never let yourself lose hope like that again. Swear it.�

Tatiana looks up at me, her wet eyes are forest green, glowing with little flecks of gold. �I vow to you that I won�t let myself think that way again. Thank you for not giving up on me.�

Lifting her by her hips, I turned her to straddle me so that I could hold her to me, squeezing her as tightly as I dared.

�You�re so nice and warm,� she sighed. �I love you.�

Why is my chest so tight? Like a fist, twisting my heart. �I love you, too. Always.�

Her hand slides between us, gently holding my cock, which is already growing hard. �No, baby you have to take your hand off me,� I groan.

�I don�t want to,� she whispered, kissing my neck, my jaw. �Will you put it inside me?�

�You�re not well, you just got out of the clinic-�

�This will make me feel better, I promise,� she insists, moving her hips, pressing against me.

Damn her, she�s irresistible even though I�m cursing myself for giving in to her. �You let me do the work, then.�

The warm water around us slicks along her pale skin, making it glow in the dim light of the room as I slide my hands along her ass, squeezing as I lift her, bringing her breasts to my mouth as I suck on her pretty, rosy nipples.�

Tatiana wraps her arms around my neck, �I�ve missed this so much,� she sighs, pressing harder against me. Moving my fingers to check her, I feel her slick, thicker than the water and making it so easy to slide the head of my cock into her. My piercing pushes against her silky walls and she moans. I want to remember every second of this, I want to go slow, moving an inch at a time, even when her hips move invitingly, trying to draw me in. �Don�t try to rush,� I said, kissing her wet skin, �it will be so much better if you can hang on.�

Dio, she�s even tighter, more snug than I remember, squeezing my dick, holding it inside her. It takes forever to get all the way inside her, my balls pressing up against her, and every second is better than the last. The thought that I almost lost this feeling, that I almost lost her makes me groan, wrapping my arms around her.�

�Moya dorogaya, moya lyubov', my sweetheart, my love,� she moans, �please move, I need you to.�

Angling my hips up, I can tell when my piercing rubs against her G spot as she gasps and moans louder, pushing down against me. �I�m not going to move, you�re going to come just like this,� I promise her, kissing her and slipping my tongue inside her mouth to play with hers. �Squeeze against me.� She does, and my head drops to her shoulder with a groan, trying not to come. �Again,� I order moving my hand off her ass and between us, circling her clit with my thumb.�

�Your piercing is� Bozhe moy, it feels so good,� she moans.

I hold her hips steady, keeping the head of my cock inside her right where it is. �Good girl, you�re doing so well for me,� I tell her, �just like that. Make yourself come.�

Everything narrows down to this moment, being inside her again, the warmth of the water, the incredible heat of her pussy, and her moans and gasps in my ear. She�s happy here. She belongs here, with me.

�There you are,� I whisper, gently biting her neck, �I can feel you ripple against me. You�re ready to come, aren�t you baby? Squeeze one last time and you�ll come harder than you ever have.� My thumb rotates over her clit very slowly, and then I press down firmly as she comes, crying out, shaking, holding me tightly like she might fly away, and I feel my come squeezed out of me and my heart skips a beat, it�s so intense.�

We stay like this, holding each other and shaking a bit, and then I let out the cooling water to fill the tub with hot water again, carefully washing her. I keep my cock still inside her until I reluctantly, carefully lift her off me and wash between her legs. She�s so relaxed, and I laugh as I help her out of the tub and carry her to bed, helping her put on one of my t-shirts and some underwear.

�Here, you need to take your meds, and then you can sleep,� I hold the glass of water for her, watching her drink before sliding in behind her, pulling up the blankets.

�You take such good care of me,� she mumbles drowsily, �I love you.�

�I love you,� I kiss the top of her head, �and I�ll always take care of you.�

Listening to her soft breathing, I think about how strange it is. I�ve never taken care of anyone but myself. I want to take care of Tatiana for the rest of my life.

�Where were you!?� Lucca comes striding out of his room in his boxer briefs, looking outraged and I try not to laugh.

�I�m sorry, I went out to talk to Aleks.� He�s already pulling off my coat, patting my arms and back like he�s expecting bullet holes, or something.

�You�re freezing,� he says accusingly, pulling me over to the couch.

�No, I�m fine, I promise,� I said, watching him build up the fire. He�s so beautiful, the colorful tattoo of a sea serpent that coils over his back moves as his muscles do, biceps bulging as he adds wood to the fireplace.�

�What did he say?� he asks, coming back to sit with me.

Eyeing his gorgeous expanse of bare skin, I ask, �Do you want to put some clothes on first?�

The conceited bastard. He grins knowingly. �Am I distracting you, baby?�

�No!� I scoffed. �A little. Stop gloating!� I call after him as he goes to get dressed.

�What did Aleks say?��

Lucca made me some good, strong coffee and I sipped at it gratefully. �He agrees with us,� I said, enjoying the warmth of the mug in my hands, �he thinks his father is part of whoever�s trying to destroy my family.� Shuddering, I said, �I wonder if his father was the one who tried to kidnap me that night. Would Leonid have forced me to marry him?�

�Maybe that was the original plan,� Lucca says, jaw tight.

�Aleks says he has people he trusts in his family�s Bratva. He�s going to try to get someone to talk and see what they know. He suggested I call my brothers.��

I won�t mention what I discovered on Aleksandr�s phone. That�s no one�s business but his. While some syndicates have shed their irrational hatred of gay members, the Russian Bratvas have not. His father is very likely to kill him - in some horrible way - as a lesson to his people if Aleks is found out. I�ll give him his phone back today with his sweatshirt and a vow to take his secret to the grave.

�This is good,� Lucca says, running his fingers through his hair. �At least he�s on our side. He doesn�t want this union either, then?�

�No, he does not,� I said, maybe a little too emphatically. He looks at me oddly, but doesn�t question me.

�Why don�t I bring breakfast up to you, piccolo bacio?� he offers, kissing my hand.

�You�re spoiling me!� I protest, laughing. �I have to go back to class today.�

�All the more reason to save your strength and have breakfast here,� he counters, and I relax against him gratefully.

Lucca�

�Kon, wake up! Tatiana�s gone.��

He bolts upright in bed, instantly awake. �What do you mean? She�s been with you.� He�s already yanking on his clothes and I feel a surge of gratitude. �How long has she been missing?�

�I woke up three minutes ago, she wasn�t here,� I said. �I�m going to check her room, wake up Aleks and Mariya, and start looking outside.��

Racing out the door, I take the stairs down two at a time, calling her number. When it picks up, my heart leaps, but it�s Konstantin�s voice. �Her phone is still here in your room.�

�Fuck!� I shove my phone in my pocket and race up the stairs to the women�s side of the building. Athena answers as I�m pounding on the door.�

�What the hell?� she snaps, �Do you know what time it is?�

I push past her, �Is Tatiana here?�

�No�� she watches me search Tatiana�s bedroom. �She hasn�t been here since you brought her back from the clinic.�

�She was in bed with me, I just woke up and she�s gone,� I said.

�I�ll help you look,� she said, pulling on her trainers. �What direction?�

�I�m going to head for the front gate,� I said, running my hands through my hair and heading for the door. �Will you check the medical clinic?�

�On it,� Athena says, racing down the stairs behind me.

There are lights blazing in the main building as I run past it, and one of the guards steps out to block me as I near the gate. �Dean Christie would like to speak with you.�

�Not now,� I said, �I�m looking-�

�She knows that Miss Aslanova is missing,� he interrupts me. �Come with me.�

Grinding my teeth, I follow him.�

Dean Christie is unapologetically wearing cow-print pajamas with a matching robe, sitting behind her massive desk. �Mr. Toscano, do come in. We�re just rounding up Mr. Turgenev and Mr. Rostov now. I have sent Miss Dukakis back to her room.�

There�s a cold pit forming in my gut and I�m beginning to realize the Dean knows so much more than she should.

�Come, Mr. Toscano, don�t look so surprised. I run a school for the offspring of crime families, producing geniuses, sociopaths, and the occasional madman. You don�t think I would take notice of what is happening at my school?�

�Where�s Tatiana?� I said.

�She�s on her way back to the campus, pursued, I believe, by her bodyguard,� she said, straightening her notepad on the desktop.�

There�s a knock on the door, and it opens, two guards escort Kon, Aleks, and Mariya inside.�

�Ah, and we add Miss Morozova to the list, of course. Come in,� the Dean says genially, �Mr. Toscano is on the hot seat, so you may all be comfortable on the couches.�

One of the guards whispers in her ear, and she nods. �Fetch Dr. Giardo and some clean clothes and bring her here.�

�Are you talking about Tatiana?� I stood up, nearly knocking the chair over, �Is she hurt? What happened?�

�Be seated, Mr. Toscano,� the Dean says, each word encased in ice. �Miss Aslanova is fine. Dr. Giardo is only here as a precaution.�

The door to the antechamber opens, and I can faintly hear Tati speaking to Dr. Giardo and the loud, strident tones of Camilla. Looking over at Mariya, I raise my eyebrows.

�She wasn�t helping us look,� she whispers.

Camilla�s voice is cut off abruptly, like someone gagged her. The Dean smiles pleasantly. �Miss Aslanova is in some dishabille, Miss Morozova, you may be excused to help her change. And no, Mr. Toscano, she is uninjured and you will not rise from that chair.��

Mariya heads out the door, and we all wait in painful silence for another five minutes. When a guard escorts Tatiana in, I ignore the Dean�s order and hurry over to help her sit down in an armchair by the fire. She�s wearing large, shapeless sweatpants and a t-shirt, and her face is wet.

�Baby, what happened?� I whisper, cupping her cheek.�

She leans into my hand. �I�m all right.��

I kneel next to her and Lev enters the room, standing behind her.

�Well then, we�re all here,� the Dean says pleasantly. �As I was saying to Mr. Toscano, I�m disappointed in you all, assuming that I would not be keeping track of unusual activity on campus. Miss Aslanova was abducted by Miss Boucher and two other students who belong to her father�s organization. She was drugged with chloroform, but vomited rather violently and regained consciousness before they arrived at the airstrip on the island. She was able to alert Mr. Khorkina, who dispatched most of the group before my guards intercepted the rest and brought them here.�

She looked at Lev. �Impressive, really. There will always be a position here for you if you ever wish to change your employ.� He smiled graciously.

�Well then,� she says, folding her hands on the desk, �now that we have caught up on recent events, let�s address why we are here. You three murdered Mateo Costa tonight and threw him over the cliffs.�

�I did it,� I interrupt her. �They knew nothing about it, I take complete responsibility.�

�Hush, Mr. Toscano, I did not ask for your input,� she said. �Here at the Ares Academy, I have a very strict two-strike system. Not for silly little things like fights, of course, but attempted rape and attempted blackmail and murder? That falls under my guidelines for termination of a student. Not expulsion. Termination.�

The room is completely silent when she finishes speaking, so the gunshot in the antechamber is painfully loud. Mariya jumps and lets out a little shriek.

�Miss Boucher also falls under this category with attempted kidnapping and intent to cause severe bodily harm,� the Dean continues casually. �Now then, I believe Mr. Khorkina has the floor?�

He looks a little surprised, but nods to her. �Thank you. Tatiana, I was already awake when your emergency alert went off, that�s how I found you so quickly. Well done for keeping your head, even drugged. Your brothers have been kidnapped.�

�What?� she gasped.

�I�m sorry.� Lev said, �An hour ago, I received this from the Bratva�s Derzhatel Obshchaka-�

�Viktor?� she interrupts, trying to focus.

�Yes. He sent me this video.� He holds up the phone for her, and Kon, Mariya, and Aleks risk the Dean�s wrath to crowd in behind her.

It�s a video of Tati�s brothers, stripped to the waist and tied with their hands attached to hooks set in a concrete ceiling. They�re both looking beat up and bloody, but conscious.�

�The kidnappers are demanding possession of you, and one hundred million dollars within twenty-four hours or they will kill Ilia slowly and very painfully. If the demands are not met within the following twelve hours, they will torture and kill Roman,� he said, mouth tight and furious.

�Where do I need to go?� Tatiana whispers.

�You�re not going anywhere, that is not happening!� I snarl.

�No need,� Aleks says. �I know where this is.�

�What do you mean?� Tatiana gasps, �How would you know? It�s a concrete box.�

He laughs mirthlessly. �Lev, enlarge the image, bottom left-hand corner.�

We�re all crowding in, bumping heads, and trying to see the image as the Dean hums, sorting the pens in her desk drawer.

There�s a brown stain on the wall. �See that splatter of blood?� Aleks said coldly. �I watched when it was made. I was sixteen. My father dragged me down to the sub-basement to watch him torture someone. The man didn�t have any information to give, he just enjoyed inflicting that kind of agony. When he cut his throat and dropped him to the floor, the blood spray hit the wall. I remember thinking the shape of it looked like a rabbit, and what a stupid thing that was. Leonid never allows these rooms to be cleaned. He enjoys watching the blood stains grow over the years.�

�Ges� Cristo, I�m sorry, Aleks,� I murmured.

He looks at Tatiana and Lev. �This is at my father�s ski chalet in Switzerland, I�m sure of it.�

�Then let�s go,� Tatiana said. �Lev, who do we trust implicitly of the Bratva�s soldiers?�

�I�ll call my father,� Kon said, �I know he�ll want to be a part of this.�

�And Maksim as well,� Mariya added.

I only wish I could say the same for my brothers.

�Students of the Ares Academy may not leave the grounds for any reason during the academic year,� Dean Christie interrupted.

�You must be joking,� Tatiana snapped. �Then I withdraw from the academy.�

�That will not be possible,� the Dean said, �only a parent or legal guardian may remove a student from enrollment, no matter the student�s age.�

Tatiana shoots to her feet. �My legal guardian is about to be tortured and murdered! I am leaving!�

�However,� Dean Christie cuts in, �I may, at my discretion, suspend or expel students for violation of the school code. I do believe that the three of you murdering a student and attempting to dispose of the evidence - even in self-defense - does fall under that category.�

�I also participated in the murder and attempted coverup,� Kon lies, standing up.

�I did as well,� Mariya rises next to him.

�No, you didn�t!� Tatiana snaps. Turning to the Dean, she pleads, �They didn�t! They don�t deserve any disciplinary action.�

Mariya takes her hand. �You can�t stop us, sestra. We�re coming with you.�

Dean Christie stands, surveying us. Even in those ridiculous cow pajamas, she has a certain gravitas going for her. �Very well. You are all suspended from the Ares Academy. Should you wish to continue here after your fourteen-day suspension, you should expect disciplinary action.�

She must see the blood drain from my face. �None of it will involve my power tools.� Waving her hands impatiently, she says. �Go! You have sixty minutes to leave the school grounds.�

There�s no way I�m letting Tatiana out of my sight, so I ask Konstantin to pack for me and I take Mariya and her back to their rooms. When Athena opens the door, Meiying and Jun Chen are there.

�Did you really think we were going to let you be suspended without us?� Meiying demanded.

�This isn�t your fight,� Tatiana said, hugging her fiercely. �We can�t ask you to endanger your positions here to-�

�In our family, loyalty is above all things,� Jin interrupts her. �You are family. We are here.�

Tatiana hurries to her room to gather her things. �How did you know?� I asked.

Meiying tilts her head to Athena. �She came barreling down the hall, pounding on my door. We got most of the information from one of the guards who�s� friendly.�

�Is that what we call fucking the help now?� Jun smirks. He groans as his sister punches him in the back.

�It�s called intelligence gathering, asshole!� Meiying snarls.

�Thank you,� I said, gripping his forearm. �Pack and meet us by the front gate within fifteen minutes.�

�We�ll be there,� he says, and they�re out the door.

Racing back out of her room with a bulging backpack, Tatiana hugs Athena. �Thank you. So much. I don�t know how to-�

�What�s the matter?� Athena snaps. �You sound emotional. Are you getting emotional? I don�t do that.�

�Oh, sorry,� Tatiana backs off. �But thank you.�

�Eh,� Athena shrugs, �I�m not coming with you.� She adds grudgingly, �But good luck.� I wink at her as we leave and she rolls her eyes.

Lev�s been busy; two SUVs are waiting for us, engines idling as we all pile in. The iron gates close behind us and I look back, watching the Academy fade into the fog.

�Where are we going?� Tati asks Lev.�

�I have a jet waiting, we�re flying to Geneva, Konstantin�s father Alexi will meet us there. The Rostova chalet is in Zermatt. I don�t dare to notify any of our people, I can�t take the chance of alerting one of Rostova�s spies on the inside. He must have one or two people high up in the Aslanov Bratva, there�s no way they could have kidnapped both the Pakhan and the Sovietnik without accurate intelligence.�

�What about the Morozovs?� I ask.

�Maksim says they will intercept anyone from the Boucher Le Milieu and control activity there. He�s also assembling some soldiers to join us.�

�What happened to you, baby?� I put my arm around her, the relief of having her back is overwhelming.

�They tried to knock me out with chloroform,� she said, �the people who kidnapped me when I was ten made the same mistake. It makes me violently nauseous. I vomited everywhere - including on Camilla - and I was with it enough to press my emergency button for Lev.� She pats her silver medallion and smiles at him.

Ordinarily, I would be jealous to see her smile at anyone else like that. But Lev�s smile for her is filled with the love of a father. I�m glad she still has him.

Tatiana�

I�ve been so obsessively focused on the schematics of the Rostova chalet that until Lucca dropped a kiss on my shoulder, I didn�t even know he�d entered the room. Alexi has us all stashed in his home in Geneva while we prepare the rescue of my brothers.

�You scared the hell out of me!� I wheeze, trying to catch my breath. �What is it with you always sneaking up on me like a creeper? Does it turn you on, or something?�

He laughs, and as always, I treasure it. Moments of laughter with Lucca are still few and far between.�

�It�s not my fault you�re not paying attention,� he pauses, �actually, it probably is my fault, since I�ve been training you.�

�How did it go with Alexi?�

�Good,� I can tell he�s proud and trying to downplay it. �He went over the plan we put together and he thinks it�s a good one.�

�You mean, the plan you put together and that we all agreed that it was genius,� I corrected him.

His amber eyes are warm as he kisses me. �Everyone�s strengths played into this plan.�

�Spoken like a true leader,� I said. �My only complaint is the order of attack. Why can�t we use drones for the first round? Why does your team have to be in the lead?� I said, stroking his stubbled cheeks. �This isn�t even your family. Why do you have to take on the greatest risk?�

�Because you are my family,� Lucca said. �I must get into your brother�s favor immediately, and you have to agree, this is the best way to do it.�

�Please don�t joke,� I moaned, �there are other heads of family here, they should-�

�No, baby. It should be me,� he interrupts, �this is my plan. They all agreed to it. Do you trust my judgment?�

�Of course,� I agree without hesitation. �You are my family too, moy lyubimyy, my beloved. You are first in my heart now. Even if we save my brothers� if I lose you, I can�t�� I drop my head against his chest.�

�We were always meant to be together, even when I fought against it, even when you did,� he whispers, kissing the top of my head. �Do you really think I�m letting you go now?�

Rising on tiptoe, I kiss his mouth, his wonderful full lips, his jaw, his cheekbone. �How long do we have?� I ask, pulling at his shirt.

�Uh, thirty minutes,� he groans, helping me with his shirt as our mouths fuse together. I try to pour in all the love I feel for him into that kiss, my belief in him, and the fragile hope that maybe this time, my dour, Russian fears are unfounded.

He rips off my shirt unceremoniously, his arm getting tangled in my bra strap and making me giggle until he wraps it around my wrists, binding them together. �Put your arms over my head,� he says hoarsely, and I do, kissing and biting my way down the strong column of his throat. My jeans and undies are dangling off one ankle as he hauls me up with his hands on the back of my thighs, pressing me against the wall for balance as he fumbles with his belt, yanking open his jeans enough to pull out his shaft.

�You�re not ready, baby,� he groans, stroking two fingers against my center, and I angle my hips up invitingly.�

�I will be,� I pant, �please don�t stop.��

He�s huge, and I�m grateful that even as turned on as Lucca is, he remembers how big his cock is, that it could do some damage if he isn�t careful. But I�m reckless and desperate and I can�t wait.�

Pressing two fingers into my mouth, he says, �Lick them. Get them wet.� Swirling my tongue over the roughened tips of his fingers, I clench my legs around his waist, desperate to have him inside me.�

When he pulls them out, I suck in a deep breath as he thrusts them inside me for a moment before I feel the broad head of his shaft press into me slowly.�

�Ragazza bellissima e perfetta, beautiful, perfect girl,� he groaned. �I�m trying to be careful- fuck! You�re so hot inside.� Looking down, I see that he�s only halfway in, his thick cock splitting me in half and I bear down, ignoring the sting because it will always burn a little and I need this. I need him as far inside as he can reach because everything disappears when we�re together like this.�

By his first thrust, I�m already wet and eagerly helping him using the strength in my thighs and gravity to move up and down. He�s gripping my ass with one hand to hold me steady and the other cups my breast, his thumb moving over my nipple, pressing down, circling it, and then pinching, sending a bolt of electricity straight down to my clitoris. The air leaves my lungs and I whimper gratefully. I need this, this confusing collision of cruelty and kindness, the pain and pleasure blurring together.

�I can feel you struggle to take in every inch,� he whispers diabolically, �and it is the hottest fucking thing. God, it�s good. You�re being so good for me, piccolo bacio. You taking my cock like this.�

Groaning, I bite his full lower lip, tugging on it with my teeth, wanting to make a mark on him like he is on me, like the bruises on my thighs and ass. His hand slides up to my neck, holding it firmly but not squeezing yet. �Are you mine?�

�O, bozhe moy, da, yes,� I wheeze, �always.�

�Do you trust me?� His fingers tighten slightly and I feel deliciously light-headed, not capable of comprehending anything but the feel of him inside me. �Do you?�

Sexy Lucca is almost too much. Chokehold Lucca is definitely next-level.

�Da, yes, of course I do,� I moan, �I love you. I always will. I believe in you, moy lyubimyy.�

�Then come for me,� he groans, and as I feel a powerful surge of heat from him spread through me, I bury my scream in his neck and join him.

His harsh panting in my ear brings me back to the moment, and I laugh weakly. �I feel so much better.� His shoulders are shaking and I squeeze my thighs around his hips. �Are you laughing at me?�

It takes him a minute to answer me, his voice muffled as he kisses my neck. �No.�

�Liar,� I sigh, �but I don�t care.� We�re so wet that I can feel our finish slicking along my thighs.�

�Are you all right?� he asks, adjusting his grip on my ass.

�Yes.�

�Good.�

�Lucca?�

�Hmm?�

�Are you getting hard again already?�

�No. Maybe a little.�

�What is wrong with you?� I gasp, wanting to laugh but not able to work up the energy.

He lifts his head, giving me the most wicked grin. �Nothing that another round with you can�t cure.� He spins us around, landing on top of me on the bed and I give a little shriek, tightening my legs around him.

Like I�m going to say no.

When we�d landed, Lucca had helped me organize my gear and the ammunition when we transferred from the plane to the trucks. �What did you and Alexi talk about?��

�He wanted to know if I�d ever killed anyone before,� I focused on packing my rifle scopes in the duffel bag.

�What did you tell him?� Lucca asked, putting his hand on my chin, urging me to look at him.

�I told him the truth. That I watched you kill someone and helped dispose of the body,� I forced myself to sound unemotional.

He sucked in a deep breath.�

�He asked me if I could really pull the trigger, knowing that the person in my sights would die,� I continued, zipping up the bag and putting it in the backseat.

�And your answer?� Lucca gently cups my cheek, and I lean into his warm hand, closing my eyes for a moment.

�I told him, absolutely,� I said coldly. �There�s no sitting on the sidelines. I am all in.�

Five minutes, now.

�He�s stable.�

Those are the first words I�ve understood. Everyone keeps trying to talk to me, hands trying to pull me away and I scream and hit at them until they leave me alone.

�Tatiana?� It�s the woman�s voice again. �He�s stable, he�ll be okay. Do you understand me?�

Pulling my gaze away from Lucca, I blink and try to focus. The woman looks so kind. She has a stethoscope around her neck and she doesn�t seem too upset by having Lucca�s blood on her.

�I�m Dr. Ella Morozova,� she said kindly, �I�m Maksim�s wife, he�s downstairs with Alexi. Lucca took a bullet to the shoulder; it clipped the subclavian artery. I�ve stopped the bleeding and stabilized his blood pressure. He didn�t go into shock, which is good. He has another wound in his left thigh, but that bullet went through.� She cocked her head. �Are you with me so far?�

I nodded. Probably too much because I�m a little dizzy but I want her to know I get it. Lucca�s going to be okay. �Why is he still unconscious?�

�From the blood loss,� she said, �but that�s not a bad thing, since I had to do a little emergency surgery, extracting the bullet, and cauterizing the artery. It�s probably better that he wasn�t awake for that.� Ella smiled at me, patting my arm. I like her.

�Okay, that�s good,� I said, still gripping his hand. �We can work with that. I have the same blood type. We�re both B-negative. You can do a transfusion.�

Her brow rose. �I was planning to wait until we could get him to a clinic, but it would be much easier on him if we gave him a couple of pints here before transporting him. I�ll get the equipment.�

�How did you know his blood type?� It was Mariya, crouching next to me with a warm smile.

�We talked about it once,� I said, still staring at his face.

�Who knew Lucca was capable of having a conversation instead of fucking all the-� Kon was cut off by Lev.

�Your brothers are here,� Lev murmured, �They�ve been trying to speak with you, but���

�Thank you,� I whisper, �screaming and hitting them would be a terrible reunion moment.�

�Oh, you did hit me,� said Ilia, resting his arms on the back of the couch. �I forgive you.��

�Bozhe moy, oh, my god! I�m sorry,� I said, hugging him with one arm. It�s awkward, but I�m not letting go of Lucca�s hand.

�Tati�� Roman is next, kissing me on the cheek. �You were the sniper?� His tone is disbelieving.

�She was,� came a weak voice. �She took down eight guards, three through a solid stone wall before they found her position. They set up a rocket launcher and she still wouldn�t leave until she took down the last guard so we could get through the gates. She barely escaped being blown to hell.�

Lucca�s eyes are open, and he�s smiling for me. �Oh, I was so scared,� I whispered, kissing him frantically, �you were so pale.�

�I heard you,� he said. �Keep holding my hand.�

I�m crying, Mariya�s crying, Kon looks a little misty and Meiying looks disgusted with all of us.

�Moya sestra, my sister, you are a warrior!� Ilia says, hugging me again.

�We have much to talk about,� Roman says, looking between me and Lucca. �But it can wait.�

I�ve always had a pretty good internal clock, so I�m guessing it�s been about a day and a half when Kon and Mariya start bickering again.

�You could stop being such an aggressive asshole, for starters,� she snaps.

�We both know that�s not going to happen,� he chuckles, �you should probably get used to it.�

Jun and Meiying start singing in Mandarin, something that I�m sure is utterly filthy.

Kissing Tatiana and bumping noses, I tell her, �I�m going to take another circuit around the pit. Maybe I�ll find something.�

�Be careful not to fall through the grate,� she reminds me.

We were all relieved to find a small opening covered by an iron grate in the opposite corner of the pit that we use as our toilet. It�s gross as fuck, especially for the women, but it cuts down on the smell.

Being deprived of one sense does make the others work harder. My fingers feel especially sensitive. I�ve circled this room enough that I think I know every bump, every depression but I can�t help feeling like I�m missing something. Counting each seam of the concrete slabs, I move past the first corner.

On the next wall, opposite from where the rest of the group are sitting I slide my hands higher, looking for a ledge or� I�m not sure. When my hand brushes over a circle of cold metal, I stop. I don�t remember feeling this before. Have I just never reached this high? Pulling on the ring, it pops out of the depression in the wall and I feel a slight give.�

�Hey Kon, come over here. Follow the wall to your left. I�m right across from you.�

It doesn�t take him long to join me. �What have you found?� he asks quietly. I guide his wrist up to where I�m gripping the metal ring.

I can feel the edges of a door or something,� I said, �I can�t pull it out by myself.�

�What if it�s some hatch that lets the seawater pour in and drown us?� he asks.

�Optimistic,� I said.

�Pragmatic,� he shoots back. �You know our Dean.�

�There�s something more here,� I insist, �I know it.�

�Let�s do it,� he sighs. �One, two, three!�

We both pull, grunting with the effort, and the concrete slab slowly swings outward. A light clicks on at the opening and there�s a collective yelp as we all shield our eyes.

�Well, damn it! This has been here the whole time?� Meiying snaps.

It�s a bunker, still concrete walls, but there are bunk-beds, shelves for food and books, a small stove, and even a separate bathroom.�

�Pillows�� sighs Tatiana like she�s petting a kitten. �Oh! And changes of clothes!�

�Fuck that, there�s a toilet!� Jun says, �And toilet paper!�

�Most importantly, lights,� I said, finding a switch that turns on several more lightbulbs, illuminating the bunker.

�If this was a Leader�s challenge,� Tatiana said, kissing me, �you would win hands-down.�

�Who�s to say it isn�t?� Jun said.

Mariya pulls down a piece of paper tacked to the wall.�

Dear students, she reads.

If you are reading this, clearly, you have found the bunker. There is a digital device with a countdown for the remainder of your stay on the shelf by the stove. Hopefully, you have found this sooner than later.�

On the final day when we open the hatch at noon, I expect you to all be back in the pit, looking and smelling quite unpleasant, as if all your time had been spent there. You will never speak of this to another soul. If anyone else on campus ever finds out about this, there will be another collective punishment. It might involve my power tools. Govern yourselves accordingly.

Dean Christie

�Is it sick that I like her?� Tatiana asks.

�Well, we are at a college for criminals, sociopaths, and the occasional madman,� I said.

�I�ll be christening that bathroom now,� Jun said gleefully, slamming the door.

What happens next for Lucca and Tatiana? Will they ever get a moment alone without someone trying to murder or abduct them? Read on for a look into their lives, eight months later in the extended epilogue.