Page 26 of The Enemy of My Enemy: Pt. 2

“I’ve already explained all the reasons why I thought you were behind everything,” I reminded him.

“I know,” he said, his face softening a bit.“But that doesn’t help me, Aurora.It doesn’t lessen the sting of failing you, it never will.”

“Viktor-”

“Don’t,” he said, stopping me.“Don’t give me some banal platitudes to try to make me feel better, because nothing will ever make me feel better.We can go on to have the greatest love story ever told, and I’ll still never forget that I failed you and that it almost cost you your life.”

Since we were basically cut from the same cloth, I could understand where he was coming from, and regret really was a nasty albatross that could eventually drag you down if you weren’t careful.Pride and love were a violent combination, and even if Viktor didn’t love me, pride could make a man do very stupid things.

“But it didn’t,” I pointed out.

Instead of acknowledging that, he said, “I swear on my last name that I will find out who did this, Aurora.I’ll find out who did it, and I will make them pay in a way that will impress Satan himself.”

While the woman in me could appreciate his sentiment, it was obvious that Viktor was speaking from a place of emotion still.His pride had been wounded, his masculinity had been challenged, and like most men that’d been raised like he’d been, he was taking it all very personally.Now, while I understood it, it was also a very naïve thing to say.

“Don’t make promises that you might not be able to keep, Viktor,” I said, causing him to sit up straighter.

“What’s that mean?”

“What happens if it comes out that your father or brother are behind the attack?”I posed.

“They’re not,” he automatically replied.

“You don’t know that,” I pointed out.“Neither of us know that with certainty.”

“I do,” he argued, a tick in his jaw.

“No, you don’t,” I argued back.“Youhopethat they’re not behind it, but you don’t know for sure.It’s impossible for you to know that.”

“Why would they agree to our marriage and then try to kill you?”he asked, using the same argument that he had used for himself.

“Yourfatheragreed to the marriage,” I corrected.“But what of your brother?You can’t tell me that Kasimir didn’t have any strong objections to being related to a Marchetti.”

His jaw ticked again, proof that I was right.“Because none of your people had objected?”he shot back.

“But do you see any Korolevs living in Marchetti territory?”I countered.“My people don’t have a constant reminder of the marriage staring them in the face wherever they go.”

“My father and brother are not behind this,” he stated again, and very adamantly.“They’d never conspire like that behind my back.”

“That may very well be true,” I conceded, agreeing that I didn’t know as much about his relationship with his family as he did.“But without proof that they aren’t involved, I feel like that’s a premature vow that you’re promising.After all, we both know who you’d choose if faced with a choice between me and your family.”

Then, in a move that I couldn’t have ever imagined, Viktor stood from the chair, then walked over to my side of the bed, and as I looked up at him, my breath froze in my lungs as Viktor Korolev got on his knees beside the bed, pledging a loyalty that I didn’t deserve and was completely unheard of.

Now, because I’d spent most of my life studying the enemy, I knew almost everything about the Russian, German, Romanian, and Chinese cultures.I knew their histories, their traditions, and their criminal hierarchy.For me, it hadn’t been enough to just learn the languages; in order to be useful, I’d had to learn how to navigate the mind of the enemy.

So, I knew what all of Viktor’s tattoos meant.Every dot of ink on his skin had been put there with the purpose of making a statement.Knowing that, I also knew that the stars on his knees and chest were not only a declaration of importance, but that they prohibited this man from being on his knees in the exact way that he was now.This could be the ultimate sign of betrayal to his crest, his family, his loyalties, and it was something that I really didn’t want to take responsibility for.

“What are you doing?”I asked when I could finally find my voice.

“Clearing things up for you,” he said as he knelt before me, changing the game completely.

“Viktor, you can’t do this,” I quickly rushed out, my fist tightening around the sheet in my hand.“You need to stand up.”

“No, I don’t,” he replied seriously and calmly.

I started shaking my head in disbelief.“Don’t you do this.”

“It’s done,” he said, his hands reaching out to grab my leg.“I love you, Aurora.I’m pretty sure that I fell in love with you when I heard you speaking Russian, hearing the words come from your lips like the most beautiful language ever created.”