A guttural noise comes from Kaz. “Katherine.”
Selene’s eyes go wide as she looks at Lily, something unsaid passing between them.
“If you’re right,” I say slowly, “Kaz is the heir to the Bravata.”
She gives a sad smile. We all know what a mess the Bravata’s been since that incident, we’ve been hunting them for fucksakes.
Kaz shoots to his feet so fast Selene almost falls. I reach out and pull her into my arms before she can stumble.
“Yebat’. The dirty otbrosy Petrov,” Kaz growls, pacing, his Russian accent thick and harsh.
We stay silent, letting him work through it. Until suddenly, he stops.
“I knew I recognized that name.”
Then, without warning, his gaze locks on Selene—and he charges.
Dario and I both shoot up, ready to intercept, knowing the look in Kaz’s eyes—he’s lost in it. In the traumatic memories.
But Selene doesn’t flinch. No fear in her posture as he grabs her.
“Kaz!” Dario barks, reaching for him.
Then… nothing we expect happens.
Kaz drops into the chair Selene had been sitting in, pulls her into his lap, and presses his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. His entire body relaxes.
I freeze. We all do.
Usually when Kaz spirals like this, I have to pin him down or knock him out.
But now?
It’s as if he found his anchor.
Chapter 16
Kaz
Holding my moon grounds me.
Her presence brings breath back into my lungs, settling the chaos in my chest.
She strokes the hair back of my neck, my face buried in the crook of her own, and for a moment, the world falls away.
“So, if Kaz is the heir, we can easily clean out the Bravata—start fresh.”
Keir’s voice is too eager, already planning our return east. He knows I’ll have to go back with him. And he’s right. If this really is my birthright, then it’s not a question—I’ll claim it.
“Well, I wouldn’t say easily,” Selene’s voice is soft, grounding. “But it’s definitely doable. It’ll just take time.”
She’s not wrong. You don’t just walk into a room and declare yourself Pakhan. And I’ve only ever known how to be second in command—not the man at the top.
“We get things wrapped up here, then head back and handle the rest.”
Keir states, but this time I feel Selene tense in my arms. Barely—just for a millisecond. If I wasn’t clinging to her, I’d have missed it.
“That’s true,” her voice is thick, forced. “Then you’ll be the most powerful men on the east coast.”
