It was late evening when Viktor knocked on Natasha’s bedroom door. From inside came a frantic rustling of sheets and whispered voices. He closed his eyes tightly and gave it his best effort not to think of his baby sister naked with Tommy. He failed.
“Come in,” Natasha said, her voice slightly breathless.
Resisting the urge to cringe, Viktor opened the door and walked in. Tommy was just pulling on his shirt, his pants already on, and Natasha was fully dressed. She combed her hair and tried to look innocent. Tommy kept his eyes downcast, obviously embarrassed.
Viktor decided to ignore all of it. “You will eat supper, and then you will go to cabin.”
“The cabin?” Natasha set down her brush, her bushy hair refusing to be tamed. “You’re sending us to the cabin like children?”
“You are children.”
Even as a heated argument sparked in her eyes, Tommy put a restraining hand on her shoulder. She scowled at him.
“You’re talking about the cabin in the forested hills outside Portland, right?” Tommy said. Viktor suspected he was trying to avoid a shouting match. Maybe he’d never given Tommy enough credit. Though for some reason, Viktor sensed a maturity in Tommy he certainly didn’t have when Viktor left for the conference.
“Da, that cabin. We will have supper first, and Tommy will tell me what happened to him.”
“Tell us what happened to him,” Natasha said with a pointed look at Tommy, who gave a nervous grin.
“Then you will go to cabin and stay there until I call,” Viktor continued as if Natasha hadn’t spoken. “The knights look for you and the scroll. You will be safe there.”
“I hate it when you do this!” Natasha shrugged off Tommy’s hand and faced Viktor squarely. “I am not some defenseless child. We’re the ones who stole the scroll and—”
“You nearly died!”
“That’s more than you’ve ever done!” Natasha said, meeting his temper with her own. “You’ve known about this war. I know you have! But all you’ve done is skulk in the shadows. You don’t fight or help or anything! You want to know why I didn’t call you after I received that letter from your friend? I knew you wouldn’t do anything about it!”
Viktor roared and flung out his hands, fed up with her temper. His hawk clashed against hers, having enough with her challenge to his authority. “You are child. Child! War is not glorious. War is ugly and bloody and no one wins! A knight holds a gun on you, and if not for Tommy, you would be dead! Do you think I come back from Russia to watch you die? Do you think I care for you only to have you fall into their hands? They torture shifters, Natasha. Do you know what torture is? Experiments and dissections on live victims. This is more than war, this is genocide! You and Tommy will not be victims, klyanus’ Bogom.”
He slipped into full Russian and said words that would have any native Russian covering their ears. While Tommy wouldn’t understand any of it, he knew Natasha could comprehend at least a fraction. Her face grew paler and paler.
Viktor punched the wall. Then he simply stood there, eyes closed, focusing on his breathing. A considerable time passed before he felt like he had control over his temper again. He turned around to see Tommy holding Natasha, both looking frightened.
Viktor rubbed his eyes. “Prastite, Natasha. I am sorry.” He lowered his hands and looked wearily at the children under his protection. His hawk was still determined to beat her down, but Viktor knew his anger wouldn’t solve anything.
“I need you safe. I must have you safe. I cannot lose you or Tommy.” He swallowed hard. “I am scared.”
It was difficult for him to admit, but considering he just terrified them, he owed them that much.
Natasha pulled away from Tommy before cautiously approaching him. He slowly raised his hand and cupped her face. He managed a smile.
“Ya tebya lyublyu,” he said.
Natasha rolled her eyes and hugged him. “I love you too.”
Viktor looked at Tommy over Natasha’s head. Tommy’s expression was guarded.
“You will go with Natasha, and you will protect each other. Da?”
Tommy nodded solemnly. “Da.”
Natasha pulled back. She let him see her annoyance, but he thought he had managed to scare her into submission. “Da. Jerk.”
“Nyet. You are jerk.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. Viktor grinned at the childish behavior and stroked a hand down her hair. “That is why you leave. Children.”
“I oughta…,” she said but turned away before she did anything. She muttered under her breath as she bundled her hair into a ponytail.
“Viktor,” Tommy said. Viktor looked at him. “I’m sorry I brought the agents here and if you felt, you know, attacked or something. They’re really good guys. I promise. They helped a lot during the fight and—”
Viktor held up his hand. “Over supper you will tell. I am not angry with you. I am glad you are well.”
“Me too.”
Natasha spun back from the mirror and grabbed Tommy’s hand. “I’m starving. Let’s go.”
They ate in the living room, and in between bites, Tommy described what happened to him. While he didn’t go into much detail about certain things, Viktor could see the impact the experience had on him. Viktor was proud of Tommy and now knew why he sensed a newfound maturity in him. Viktor had the urge to call the wolf shifter Derek and express his profound thanks for knocking some sense into the boy. Viktor wasn’t surprised at all it needed to be a fellow wolf shifter to teach Tommy the most important life lessons.
He was a hawk shifter. What did he know about wolves?
Their foolishness still grated, but what was done was done, and now they would deal with the consequences. Before coming home after closing the shop, Viktor had driven by the school and collected the homework Tommy and Natasha needed to complete. Both groaned audibly when he set the stacks down in front of them. He also talked to the principal and managed to extend their leave. It would cause them to have to take summer school, but Viktor wasn’t taking any chances with their lives. They wouldn’t return to their usual routine until he was certain they no longer had targets on their backs.
“Derek and Brian sound like good men,” Viktor said, leaning back in his chair.
“They are,” Tommy said quietly. He took out a folded piece of paper and stared at it. “Derek gave me their cell numbers. He said to keep in contact.”
Viktor smiled. Natasha leaned into Tommy, snuggling close.
“They got hurt because of me,” Tommy said. “That whole pack.”
“Tommy, no.” Natasha stroked his arm. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Tommy shook his head, obviously disagreeing. Viktor considered him before leaning forward.
“You helped Brian heal them, da?”
Tommy nodded, though his tone was bitter. “Some help I was, nearly puking at what that damn bomb did to them.”
Viktor firmed his voice. “You helped, da?”
“Yeah. I tried.”
“Now you know consequences of war.”
They both looked at him.
“Now you know why I keep us all out of it.” Viktor looked pointedly at Natasha. “Once you are in war, you stay. The war may end, but you remember it. It is always with you.” Viktor tapped his temple. “War is not game. My job is to protect you both. You don’t make it easy.”
Natasha lowered her gaze, but not before shame flashed in her eyes.
“I just wish I could have done more,” Tommy said. “More to help Derek’s pack.”
Viktor nodded. “That is because you are good man.”
Tommy flushed with embarrassment but also looked pleased. “Maybe we should run away more often. You’re being nice to me.”
Viktor shook his head with a chuckle. “Perhaps we have both changed.”
Tommy smiled tentatively, and Viktor answered it in kind.
“I’m sorry I called you a coward,” Natasha said.
Viktor met her eyes. She hadn’t called him one directly, but she’d implied it.
“Now none of us have choice. We are at war. But you will not be casualties. Pack quickly.”
Darkness fell by the time Viktor helped Natasha and Tommy into his second car, the one he often let them use. The one they took when they stole the scroll. Natasha still looked annoyed, but Viktor found himself reassured by Tommy’s presence. Tommy would keep her safe. If nothing else, now he would be more determined to keep her safe because he had firsthand knowledge of what the knights were capable of. The lengths to which they would go to claim their prize. Viktor’s heart went out to Derek’s pack, but they sounded strong. They would survive.
Now that his home was quiet, all he had were his thoughts. Viktor sat at his office desk and stared at the large cabinet that hid the safe. It was too bad the scrolls couldn’t be destroyed.
A vague thought flittered through his mind: this was what it would be like when Natasha and Tommy left for college. He would be alone in this house where their mother raised Natasha by herself. He would only have himself for company. He didn’t have any close friends. For the last few years, Natasha and Tommy had been his priority—guiding them, teaching them. But once they left to live their own lives, what would he to do?
Viktor slid down a little in his chair. He would be alone. Lonely and alone. Pan’s face danced through his mind, and he scowled at himself. Pan probably wanted more sex, not a commitment. And even if he did, the Agency wouldn’t allow it. So why pine after someone so out of reach? Waste of time. But it was impossible to forget their time together on the beach. The easiness between them. Pan had truly shaken up his life, allowing him a glimpse into what it would be like to make a nest, to have a mate. Without Natasha and Tommy, there would be nothing to stop him from pursuing such things. But he and his hawk lacked interest in anyone besides Pan. Pathetic.
It was as if Pan had planted a seed in his mind that had stayed dormant until he returned, shaking Viktor’s life once again. The seed was blooming, and Viktor hesitated to pull it out by the roots. He should, but his hawk kept stopping him.
Swallowing hard, Viktor shook his head and put that particular dilemma to the back of his mind. He had more pressing things to focus on. He grabbed the office phone and made the call he’d put off until now.
The other line rang only twice before it was picked up. A gruff voice answered in Russian.
“Hi, Ivan, this is Viktor Orlov,” he said in kind. He waited while Ivan proceeded to reprimand him for calling so early. Viktor had forgotten about the time zone difference. It was about six in the morning in Moscow.
Ivan eventually wound down. Viktor knew the old cuss just liked to bellyache. He always wondered what Glory saw in him. She must see something others didn’t because it was obvious to anyone with eyes she adored her grouchy mate. Then again, he knew master shifters had destined mates, so maybe she didn’t have a choice in the matter. That was a sad thought.
“Viktor?” Glory’s voice suddenly sounded on the other end.
Viktor closed his eyes, still speaking in Russian. “Hi, Glory. I’m sorry to call so early, but a situation has come up. There is a lot to tell.”
“A situation?”
“About the… four ancient scrolls.”
Dead silence reigned on the other end. Viktor opened his eyes. “Glory?”
“Tell me everything.” Her voice deepened with undisguised fear.
It took time, and it was nearly ten at night before Viktor wrapped up his story. During the conversation he’d stripped down to just his shirt and trousers, his tie, jacket, and shoes tossed elsewhere. But it didn’t alleviate the discomfort caused by talking to Glory and laying bare the recent, disturbing events. He doubted anything could. The entire situation was uncomfortable.
Glory was silent through most of the telling. That intimidated him more. Now that he was done, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
“What do we do, Glory?” he asked softly.
A long, windy sigh sounded in his ear. “This day had to come sometime.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to yet. Just keep that scroll in the safe. Do not give it to the Agency. Do not let the Knights have it. I’m coming to you.”
His eyes widened. “You’re coming to Portland?”
“Yes, and I’m not coming alone.”