My stomach flutters with butterflies as I hold his gaze, knowing that deep down, I want him to. No matter what bad history has passed before us, I’ve fallen for my tormentor. It’s achingly pathetic, but in the past few weeks at the academy I’ve gotten to know him in ways I never believed I would. The misguided reason he hated me from the start and the darkness that fueled that rage burning inside of him.
“I am begging you, mi reina, to give me a shot at fixing this.” His eyes are desperate and searching and I never thought I’d see the day that Elias Morales, King of the syndicate academy, would beg me for anything.
I wet my bottom lip and shake my head. “To what end?” I ask.
His eyes are full of an unreadable emotion as he searches mine. Someone clears their throat behind us, startling us both apart.
“Who is this?” Mikhail asks, making me almost jump out of my skin.
I turn to face my brother and find Siena on his arm, smiling kindly at us. “He’s a friend from the academy,” I say. “Brother, this is Elias Morales.”
Mikhail tilts his head slightly. “Isn’t he the boy you hate?” I told him I hated the new kid from the Estrada Cartel years ago, after he asked about him.
After all, the cartel were his business partners, so I guess it was only natural for him to enquire. However, he does not know the torture and torment Elias put me through over the years. I didn’t dare tell him, knowing he would have torn Elias’ head off.
“We haven’t always gotten along,” I admit.
Siena shrugs. “Some of the best relationships start with hatred,” she murmurs, glancing at her husband. It’s hard to believe my brother is married.
I shake my head. “We’re not in a relationship.”
Elias clears his throat. “Yet.”
Mikhail glares at him. “You better keep your hands to yourself, Morales.” He cracks his knuckles. “I know your uncle well and Natalya will be married by arrangement soon enough.”
Elias pales at my brother’s warning, but his jaw also clenches. As if he doesn’t like being told to stay away from me. It makes a difference from no one being able to tell him what to do at the academy and I kind of enjoy seeing him being put in his place at last.
I guess Mikhail can be rather intimidating as he has to be half a foot taller than Elias at six feet night inches. Elias is about six feet two inches. “I mean no disrespect. It’s just that I care for your sister.”
Care.
It’s hard to even hear him say that. Is he serious about us?
Mikhail’s eyes narrow. “That may be true, but I don’t want any funny business.” He glances at me then, as if I need a warning to stay away from Elias. “From either of you.”
I nod in response, and so does Elias.
“Now, have fun and be sensible,” he says, with his eyes lingering on Elias for a few moments.
Elias squirms under his gaze and I kind of enjoy seeing the king of the academy so out of his comfort zone. I could get used to this. A dangerous notion, considering there’s no future for me and Elias.
Mikhail guides his new wife around us and carries on greeting the other guests.
“Your brother is a beast,” he murmurs, watching after him as he moves through the crowd.
I laugh. “Yeah, he’s pretty intimidating if you don’t know him.”
His ice-blue eyes fix on mine and the look in them steals the breath from my lungs. “I’m not going to lie. I wouldn’t want to have a fist fight with him.”
I laugh, but feel uneasy as butterflies beat about in my stomach.
“Shall we dance?” he asks, those ice-blue eyes almost twinkling in the light of the chandeliers above.
Agreeing to dance with Elias Morales seems dangerous, as I know that I’m losing my heart to him, even though I never wanted to. And yet even now I can’t tell him no. “Sure.” I set my hand in his and it feels like my skin sets on fire. All the while, I can’t get the conversation I had with my brother last night out of my mind.
I’ve entered into an agreement with the Krushev Bratva for you and Nikolai to marry.
I felt guilty sitting there as he told me he believed the person behind the blackmail was only opposed to the alliance between the Gurin Bratva and Philly Bratva. Really, it was the guy standing in front of me, and once he learns Mikhail has another prospect in mind for me, one far closer to home. What will he do? Blackmail him again. It feels like it’s a vicious cycle that will never end.