Mitya went still. Sevastyan did as well. Vikenti and Zinoviy glanced back at her.
“Ania, Drake is leopard. He has to abide by the laws of the leopard world. We’re a bonded pair. Jewel accepted Dymka as her mate. He can’t interfere.”
“Not as a leopard, but he runs a protection agency, and by all accounts, he stands for women. I would have approached him as a woman, not a leopard. I would have told him I was terrified and ask for his protection. What could he have done?”
“He would have been killed,” Mitya explained quietly, his heart pounding all over again. “I would never have allowed him to take you from me. I would have challenged him to fight and he would have had no choice but to accept. I would have killed him.”
She was silent, chewing on her lower lip, her brows drawn together in a little frown. “But that’s the leopard world.”
“It isn’t separate, Ania. He has to abide by the laws.” Mitya made every effort to keep his voice soft. He reached up to take her hand, pulling it from his forehead, although he hated to lose her stroking fingers. “I’ll talk to you more about this later.” Because truthfully, he was too damned tired to go into it.
“Lights on. Doc’s car’s in the driveway,” Vikenti announced. “He was already on his way to Ania’s estate, so he was close.”
“Thank God,” Sevastyan said. He glared at Kiriil and Matvei, who both looked guilty. They stood right out in front, ready to be harshly reprimanded for allowing Ania freedom.9THE memorial for Ania’s father was held on the fourth day after his death. Mitya arranged everything. He stood tall and straight, looking so invincible, she knew no one would ever suspect that he was injured in any way. They held the short service at Mitya’s estate rather than hers because they didn’t want anyone wandering around.
The cleaners had come and had gone through the grounds as well as every room, mopping up every bit of evidence that anything violent had happened there. Her father had been cremated as all shifters were. No evidence of them could remain. Mitya and his staff had planned every detail, including adding more security. They did so in order to accommodate the various families attending the service.
Nearly every crime family was represented. Fyodor Amurov and his brother were there, along with Joshua Tregre, Elijah Lospostos, Emilio Bassini and Fredo Lombardi. The Caruso family as well as the Anwar family showed up from Houston. Jake Bannaconni and Drake Donovan arrived with their wives as well. So many people came to pay their respects to her father.
Ania stayed very close to Mitya, feeling so sad she could barely breathe. Mitya seemed well tuned to her every emotion because he kept his arm around her, holding her beneath his shoulder, sometimes answering for her when she couldn’t summon up any kind of pleasantry.
She liked having Evangeline and Ashe there. Although they mingled with the other women, they stayed very close to her and more than once diverted attention from her. Inevitably, Mitya had no choice but to let her go with the women while some of the men insisted on talking to him. He looked to Evangeline and Ashe as usual, and they came up on either side of her to shield her from the crowds.
“Let’s get you something to drink and maybe a pastry,” Evangeline said. “I’m sure we can find somewhere quiet to sit.”
The moment she was outside of Mitya’s protection, Alessandro Caruso came over to her with his father, Marzio. Ania would have avoided Alessandro if possible but knew it would be terribly rude to do so with his father. She let him take her hand and lean over it as if he might kiss her knuckles with old-world charm.
“Ania. You remember me? You used to come with your grandfather or father and sit on the floor playing while we talked. My beautiful Ann would sneak you treats your father said you couldn’t have.”
She managed a wan smile. “I do remember those times. They were wonderful.”
“Your father was my friend for many years. I should have visited him more often, but these last few years have been tough on my Ann, and I left most of the business to my boys and just stayed in with her. I regret that.”
“My father loved Ann. He wouldn’t have wanted you to do anything else.”
Marzio Caruso looked around the room and then caught her wrist very gently. His sons were suddenly there, all four of them, making a pathway for their father to the little room off the great room, the one few people had entered. She saw immediately that it was held by the Caruso security force.
“I would like to speak to you alone, Ania, and the matter is extremely private,” Marzio said.