I look at the atrium, picking at my cuticles. For the first time since we got here, there’s no one else there.
If I’m going to have a moment with Daniil, I need to do it alone. Try as I might, I’m sure I’m going to end up crying. And the weight of other people’s expectations is too much to deal with. I need privacy if I’m going to fall apart.
Part of me doesn’t want to say goodbye at all. But I need to. I owe it to Daniil, even if I don’t know how to start. And even though he can’t express it, I don’t want to disappoint him. It’s the least I can do.
Gathering myself, I head toward the atrium.
I’m so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that I nearly run face-first into someone. I look up, the apology on the tip of my tongue dying when I meet Maksim’s ruthlessglare. I take an involuntary step backward, trying to put as much distance between us as possible without offending him.
“Hello, Blair.”
I stay as still as I can, refusing to let him see the shiver that wants to creep down my spine whenever he turns his focus to me. He tilts his head, eyes narrowing like he can see it anyway.
“Maksim.” My smile is as pleasant as it is forced. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure Daniil would have appreciated it.” He shakes his head, and I feel the knot in my shoulders winding so tight I worry it’ll snap. I take a deep breath and force them to relax.
“What are you doing here?” he asks tersely.
I can’t keep the surprise off my face, but I school it as quickly as I can. “What do you mean? Why shouldn’t I be here?”
“The traditional wedding vows are ‘until death do us part,’ yes?” I nod, even as my stomach drops like a brick. Surely he’s not going to do this here. He won’t make a scene or hurt me yet, right? He’ll wait until I’m away from Niko. He won’t make him watch.
I want to look around, but it’d be suicidal to take my eyes off the biggest predator in the room.
Where the hell is Andrei? Didn’t he say he’d fend everyone off? Or was that yet another pretty lie?
“Well, my dear, death has come and gone. Daniil no longer holds any obligation to you, and, by extension, neither do I.”
A rush of heat fills my face as I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from giving into the instinct to scream obscenities at him.
I am sick and tired of having to live under the umbrella of worry over what Maksim cares about. He’s nothing but anovergrown bully, and the fact that he’s pushing back against my presence at my own husband’s wake is depraved, even for him.
“Perhaps not, but I would appreciate it immensely if you would allow me a few minutes to say goodbye.” I take a step to the side, but he mirrors the movement, his body blocking the doorway.
Slowly, he shakes his head. My eyes burn as I look down, twisting my wedding ring around my finger. The movement doesn’t escape his notice. He smiles, face full of a cloying false pity.
I am all too aware that he could decide I no longer serve his interests and have me killed at any time he wants, but, god, I’m not sure I can keep going when his cruelty is going to ruin any tender part of my life that remains.
“You should go home. You’ve done enough, don’t you think?”
A firm hand lands on my shoulder, pinning me in place. I brace myself to be pulled away.
“Let her through, Maksim. What harm could she possibly cause?” I look up, and Andrei’s standing next to me, standing toe-to-toe with his pakhan.
Maksim scoffs, a derisive sound that has me looking back at my feet.
“You’re forgetting your place, boy.” There’s a lethal edge to his voice, but Andrei doesn’t even blink.
He maneuvers us so he’s standing in front of me. “If you don’t want Nikolai to resent you, Pakhan, it might be wise to treat his mother fairly.” Maksim’s eyes cut across the room, and I follow his gaze. Niko sits next to Mila, watching us underhis lashes even as he traces the lines on the back of her hand, nodding along to whatever she’s saying.
“He’s still young, but he’s clever enough to see what you’re doing and remember it. A small gesture now may well go far.”
Andrei looks down at me, his expression as impenetrable as always. “I’ll stay with her, if it would make you more comfortable.” The near silence of the already somber room starts to soak in past the nerves as I take a bracing breath.
It’s too much to hope that this little standoff has gone unnoticed. I’m sure they’re all foaming at the mouth over this, practically champing at the bit to gossip.
“Fine,” Maksim eventually bites out. “But if you think we won’t be having a conversation about this little” —he makes a vague gesture— “performance, then you’re even more stupid than I thought.” Maksim doesn’t wait for an answer. He simply steps aside, leaving me clinging to the back of Andrei’s jacket like it’ll keep me from being caught up in his storm.
Andrei’s voice is gentle, losing all the ice and indifference it had a moment ago when he says, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”