“I’m sorry–”
“I got his brother killed, you know. Did they tell you that? My best friend since childhood, Dmitri, and my lack of leadership got him stabbed to death by a fucking farmer in some fucking backwater village. I took Dima from him, so I guess it’s only fair he took my woman.”
Steve’s features settled into something harder, angrier. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Don’t tell me what it was like,” Nikita snapped. “I’m glad they had each other. They deserved every happiness, both of them.”
Steve took a breath. “I know it stings, though.”
“You don’t knowanything. They should have never mentioned my name. I should have been the monster story that woke the children up with nightmares in the middle of the night. How dare they tell you who I was.WhatI was.”
The morning spun around him and he made himself take another breath, clutching at the bark of the dogwood tree for balance.
Steve gave him a flat look that Nikita had seen countless times in the mirror. “You need to get over yourself.”
“I–”
“Every family has its dark secret. Ours is you. And Sasha.” He looked sorry again. “Trina said they took him. Those Institute people.”
Nikita slashed a hand through the air, trying to silence him. He just…couldn’tanymore.
But Steve was a Baskin, after all, and he was good at pushing. “Grams would be glad that you two stayed together all this time. It’s good that you have someone.”
“Shut up!” Nikita roared –reallyroared, the snarling big cat sound punching out of his lungs, echoing off the front of the house. He kept growling, low and constant, the taste of blood filling his mouth as his fangs nicked his tongue. “I don’thavehim,” he said viciously, “Ilosthim, and it should have been me. Why didn’t they takemeinstead? Why is itnever me?”
Steve stared at him, gaze assessing, terrifyingly penetrating. “But itwasyou,” he said, softly. “Once. Sasha had your back then. And you have his now. Right?”
Nikita swallowed his growl and wiped a hand down his face.
“Trina says you guys need to have a séance,” Steve continued. “So let’s walk up to the other house and see if Mom’s got enough candles. Yeah?”
Slowly, Nikita lowered his hand, marveling. He’d just yelled at this man. Was his century-old grandfather, back from the dead, or from legend, orwherever. And Steve was inviting him in, accepting him, like…
Like he was family.
Nikita swallowed. “Your father…”
Steve smiled. “Kolya.”
Oh. Oh, didn’t that hurt.
“I think he’d really like to meet you, if you’re up for it.”
He didn’t think he was; would probably never be. But he nodded.
“Come on,” Steve said, gently, and he went.
