Page 16 of Aries
He couldn’t say the same.
“Here we are,” I said as I pushed into the parlor. The room Luca and I spent most nights in. It was painted a deep emerald green. The furniture and floors were polished until they were gleaming. The dark wood of the floors and furniture paired with the dark paint made the whole room seem dim.
An overly fancy black and bronze light fixture hung down over the bar. It was studded in leather, and behind it stood just about every expensive bottle of liquor you could dream of.
“Drink, dear brother?” I questioned as I moved behind it and snagged a glass for myself and Luca.
He rolled his eyes at me.
“I don’t drink,” he said.
“Makes sense,” I offered, glad he at least wasn’t storming out. “Will it bother you if we do?”
“Would it matter if it did?” he countered, though, he made no real protests.
“It would,” I said, meaning it.
He looked skeptical, but didn’t question it as he dropped into a leather armchair in the corner, his back to a wall so he could watch us. He didn’t say either way, so I poured a drink for myself and my pack mate.
“And Victor?” Luca questioned me.
“What about him?” I feigned ignorance.
He scoffed and shook his head.
“You know damn well. What’s he going to think of this new arrangement?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. The Crows will be mine someday,” I argued back, voice sharper than I intended.
“Unless Alessio has his way,” Luca said darkly. He wasn’t affected by my mood, simply taking it in stride as he always did.
“Why is Alessio such a problem?”
I didn’t expect Nikolai to be listening, but now his eyes were locked on me. Maybe he wasn’t as checked out as I thought. His gaze was sharp and I had a feeling he’d be far more of an asset here than I even anticipated.
“He’s a...” I trailed off, trying to find the right words to tell him that he was a useless pain in my ass. “He’s the kind of man that wants to take over the Crows, to run them with an iron fist like my father, only he doesn’t have the control my father does. He’s greedy, manipulative, and he does not have the loyalty. My father, at least, has some charm to round out his rougher side. Not to mention, he’s not impulsive and spoiled.”
“He’s putting it mildly. He’s a fucking weasel, and he always has been.”
“Can’t wait to meet him,” Nikolai said sarcastically.
I chuckled, a bit surprised that he was even joking.
“Dear brother, are you cracking jokes because you’re warming up to me already?” I cooed, letting out a gleeful laugh that even made his lips twitch.
“Is it just you and your father and your younger brother? Did he raise you to be some fancy assassins?”
If anyone else had asked me that question, I would assume they were being assholes. With him, there was an open curiosity. My brother didn’t seem the type to toy with people. He was blunt and didn’t bother to shy away from difficult questions. I respected that about him.
“I genuinely don’t remember much about my mother. She was quiet and kept to herself more than she probably should have. I’m sure my father didn’t give her an easy life. She had meand my brother a few years apart. We were raised by a team of nannies and maids. I don’t even remember her voice or scent. There are some fancy portraits around the house of her.”
“He must have a knack for women who don’t have any maternal instinct,” my brother said, almost too quiet to hear what he was saying.
“She was gone by the time Alessio was old enough to talk,” I admitted with a shrug. That old wound was long healed over.
“So, when did you start training for all this?” he gestured around, but I knew he meant this life.
“My nannies were the type to teach discipline and order. Their entire purpose was to teach us to follow my father’s orders implicitly. We were meant to be mindless drones.”
