Empress of Poisons ARC

by Bree Porter

  Days ago, in the kitchen, when he had pressed me up against the counter, my thoughts had gone straight into the gutter. Memories of how he had felt touching me, warming me, had slapped me in the face. I could almost picture him pushing me up onto the counter and making up for lost time with his lips up against my–

  Tatiana’s voice cut through my fantasy. Them or you, Elena?

  She knew I was here; knew I had broken our bargain. What would she do to them?

  You’ve put them all in danger, I hissed to myself. And for what? So, you could have a family again? So, Nikolai could be safe?

  No one is safe in this world, Elena.

  “Elena?” Konstantin’s voice entered my mind. “We need to talk.”

  I grabbed my wrist, half-disturbed to see it clean. I had redrawn over the same word for the past few days. Priorities. Prioritize Nikolai, keep him safe, keep him at the top of your list.

  Whatever happens to your family will be devastating...but if something happened to Nikolai? There would be no point for me to continue living.

  “Elena?”

  I looked up at him. He had stepped closer, arms outstretched like he meant to shock me awake.

  I took a large step back. “What did you say? I wasn’t listening.”

  “I figured.” Konstantin eyed the distance between us before looking up at me. “I said we need to talk. Preferably in private.”

  “Just the two of us?” That felt like an inherently bad idea.

  “Yes. Roksana and Artyom can watch Nikolai for an hour.”

  I held up a hand. “I decide who watches Nikolai.” His eyebrows rose. “But the Fattakhovs are fine. They’re probably the only ones who could keep him alive.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Are we scheduling our fights now?” I asked. “If so, I can’t do after 7. It’s the only time I get to myself.”

  “We’re not going to fight.”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  Konstantin opened his mouth to refute me but caught on immediately to what I was doing. He smiled and shook his head, like he was amused with my little game.

  He looked so human, so much like his old self in that second, that I almost reached out to touch his cheek. I wanted to feel how the muscles curved with his smile, how genuine and warm his joy was.

  Instead, I clutched my hands, chiding myself silently.

  You’re not a horny teenager, Elena, I told myself. You’re an adult with responsibilities. Act like it.

  Despite my little pep talk, I still wanted to touch Konstantin. Still wanted to grab his cheeks and press his smile against my lips, like I could taste the humor–

  “We’ll have dinner.” He said. “Nikolai will be okay without you for an hour or two.”

  “One hour and we’re not having dinner.”

  Konstantin bowed his head. “He can always join us and yes, we are.”

  The ground was moving too quickly beneath me. He had won this argument before it had even begun–and he knew that. “Fine.” I gritted out. “You can have one hour of my time.”

  His lips twitched into a smirk. “I don’t recall this animosity when I caught you last night.”

  Heat crawled up my neck and cheeks, but I refused to acknowledge it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Imagining things, are we?”

  Konstantin’s thumb reached out, lightly scraping over my lip. My breath left me in a hurried gasp. “I don’t need too,” he said softly. He pulled away abruptly. “I’ll pick you up at 5 for dinner. Earlier than the normal time to eat but you’ve given me no choice.”

  I blinked, trying to gather my thoughts. “I’m not leaving the estate.”

  He laughed resonated through the room. “Who said we need to?”

  18

  Elena Falcone

  “How does my hair look?” I asked Nikolai.

  He was laying on the bed, playing with some toy trucks Roman had given him. Niko was all dressed and ready for bed, but I hadn’t been able to get him down yet. “Like farts!”

  I put a hand on my hip. “What did you just say?”

  His tune changed quickly. “Bootiful,” he cooed.

  “That’s what I thought.” I checked my reflection in the mirror and fiddled with the strands of hair once more.

  It was trivial and stupid being so vain at a time like this. I had forced myself not to borrow anymore of Roksana’s clothes, sticking to a pair of jeans and green sweater, but still found myself prettying up my face and hair.

  Men, I bitched to myself. They make women go crazy. For what? So, we can raise their children by ourselves and live on the run for three years?

  Not men–man.

  I hadn’t ever thought about anyone else from the male species that way I had about Konstantin. All the parts of me I had seen as poisonous or ugly to look at had been loved and cared for by him. Even when he had figured out just how much blood I had on my hands, how many secrets I had, he had still loved me ferociously.

  I looked at Nikolai.

  Thank God, he had, I thought. Or else I wouldn’t have my son.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “You have to be good for Roksana,” I told Nikolai as I went to open it. “Okay? I need you to be a good boy.”

  Nikolai scrambled off the bed, bringing his toys with him. “I am a good boy, Mama.”

  “That could be debated.” I answered the door to Anton. Before he could open his mouth, Evva’s voice interrupted him.

  “Anton!” She came running down the hallway. “’Ello, Auntie Lena.”

  “Hi, Evva. Niko, come on.”

  Seconds later, Roksana appeared at the end of the hallway. She smiled warmly at me as she approached.

  I frowned. “Have you got all three of them?”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble.”

  Nikolai squeezed past my legs. “Evva!”

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” I asked Roksana. “They can get fast, especially when you have to chase three.”

  She laughed elegantly. “Artyom will come help me once he’s done with work. I’m hoping they’re all tired enough that if I put on a movie and give them some warm milk, they’ll fall asleep fast.” Roksana smiled secretly at me. “Then you and Kostya can have as much time as you like.”

  My cheeks reddened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do. You might have said you don’t love him, but actions speak louder than words, Elena.”

  I stuck up my chin. “I was telling the truth.” No, you weren’t. “I don’t...I feel how I feel. I don’t see why I should have to be punished for that.”

  “If Konstantin had been with other women while you weren’t here, you would be okay with that?” She asked.

  Anger gripped me hard and brutally. “Who?” I demanded.

  I would find them, and I would poison them slowly, those stupid–

  “He hasn’t look at another woman since he laid his eyes on you,” Roksana laughed. “But thank you for proving my point.” She put her hands to her hips and looked down at the children. “Now, who is ready for an awesome movie night with Auntie Roksy?”

  “Me, me, me!” They all cried.

  “Be good,” I warned Nikolai as they left. He threw me a charming grin in response.

  If the house went up in flames later tonight, I knew who to blame.

  At exactly 5pm, there was a second knock on my door.

  For some strange reason, my stomach was filled with butterflies and my palms were sweating.

  This man has seen you naked, I told myself. What else is there left to be nervous about?

  Konstantin stood in the hallway, dressed in a crisp suit. His tattoos peaked out over the thousand-dollar shirt, his past inked onto his skin. As usual, there wasn’t a single thread out of line, not single scuff on his shoes.

  I looked severely underdressed.

  Konstantin smiled down at me, the madness inside
of him nowhere to be seen. “You look beautiful.”

  “I just threw this on.” A lie: I had spent two hours with Danika trying to perfect the sexy-but-not-trying look. “You look fine, I guess.” Another lie.

  His smirk was private. “Aren’t we filled with compliments tonight?” He held out his arm.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets to stop myself from touching him. “Where are we eating? Your study, the dining room?”

  “Neither of those places.” He dropped his arm, not hurt in the slightest at my rebuttal. “Come now, Elena. Dinner awaits.”

  “I think you mean interrogation awaits.”

  “Do you see Danika with us?”

  I considered it. “Fair point.”

  “Besides,” he mused, “you’re going to willingly tell me all your little secrets, Elena. There will be no interrogation needed.”

  I hated that he was so confident...and probably right.

  Konstantin led me through the manor and outside. The chilly air nipped at my exposed skin, but I refused to admit to being cold. I would rather freeze to death, quite frankly.

  We walked through the twisting makeshift paths of the garden, venturing further and further away from the manor. I thought we would continue into the forest, but Kon took a sharp left turn and brought me behind a ravishing collection of overgrown bushes.

  An old pavilion sat in the middle of the garden. It had been painted white many years ago, but now brown wood could be seen through the braids of wisteria that grew around it. A table and chairs had been set up in the middle, candles brightening the area in the falling darkness.

  “It’s going to be freezing,” I said because I really didn’t know else to say.

  Konstantin laughed. “I have provided blankets, don’t worry.”

  “People are easier to interrogate when they’re uncomfortable.” But he was right, there was a basket of blankets beside the table.

  “As I said earlier, this is not an interrogation.” He offered a hand to me up the stairs, but I declined it.

  “I can walk up three stairs, Konstantin.” I snapped.

  “I know you can, but you shouldn’t have too,” he responded. “I am taking you to dinner, escorting you to a meal.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll let you pull my chair out, how about that?”

  Konstantin did pull my chair out but as soon as he sat in his own, I stood up, pulled it out, and then sat in it myself. He just shook his head.

  “What was the point of that, Elena?” He inquired.

  “Stubbornness.” I sniffed. “My mother used to say it was my worse and best trait. Made me predictable, she used to tell me.”

  “I think she might’ve been onto something.” Konstantin presented the meals in front of us, lifting the covers off the plates. “Dmitri said he was going to make an old family recipe.”

  Dmitri? How many people were helping make this dinner happen? “It’s a roast.”

  “He does something special to it,” he said. “You’ll see. Wine?”

  “No, thank you.” I had to stay sober. Substance abuse would not keep me from touching Konstantin. In fact, it would probably speed up the process.

  I had always remarked how good Konstantin’s table manners were. I had seen him kill a man, but I also saw him dab the corners of his mouth after a meal and always use the correct spoons. I had never bothered to learn the different between a soup and dessert spoon–and I had no plans too.

  “What is your first question?” I asked.

  He smiled around his wine. “We’re having dinner. Relax. Enjoy yourself.” He gestured to the fork I was holding. “If you grip that thing any tighter, it will snap in half. Artyom won’t be pleased about that.”

  I forced my knuckles to relax. I hadn’t even realized how hard I had been clenching until my hand was loose again. “I hope you don't have any plans to seduce me. This is not the way to do it.”

  I can't believe I just said that. I can't believe I just said that. Are you kidding, Elena?

  I don't know why I had chosen today to poke the bear–maybe that was my natural state–but the darkening of Konstantin’s eyes made me wish I hadn’t said anything.

  If he kept looking at me like that, like I was the dinner on his plate, I might throw away all the pep talks I had given myself and succumbed to him.

  Criminal mastermind wants to kill you, Elena! I reminded myself. You’ll miss Konstantin a whole lot more if he’s six feet under, I can promise you that.

  “We have a son together.” He said. “I have been successful at seducing you once before. Who is to say I can’t do it a second time?”

  I dropped the fork and shot to my feet. “This was a bad idea. You...you need to move on!” He better fucking not. “What we had is over. Yes, we have Nikolai together. But I left you, Kon, because I didn’t l–” Say it, say it! But no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t force myself to say it for a second time. “I left because I wanted to.” I finished lamely.

  Konstantin’s eyes danced over my face before they fell down to my arms. New words had appeared. Secretive, yearning, heartache. I may has well have worn my heart on my sleeve.

  “Elena, sit down.” He voice was kind, soft. More than I deserved. “There will be no moving on or leaving again. We are a family and families do not run from each other.”

  I collapsed back down onto the chair. “Roksana said you didn’t even look at another woman while I was gone. Is that true?”

  I knew I was torturing myself, that I wasn’t going to like the answer. He was a Pakhan, a king, and a beautiful man. Being sexually active was another personality trait for him.

  “There have been no others.”

  I flicked my eyes to him. His face open and honest. “Really? No one else? You were a monk for three years?”

  Konstantin held out his wine, like he was a host giving a toast. “Who could compare, Elena?”

  That made me pause.

  I looked down at my food, feeling my cheeks flush with heat.

  Who could compare, Elena?

  “What answer could I expect if I asked the same question?” He asked.

  That woke me up a little. I narrowed my eyes on him. “Oh, yeah, between being a single parent, working full time and taking college courses, I was a real rowdy girl.” I shook my head. “No, Konstantin. There has been no one else.”

  Konstantin looked pleased and took a sip of his wine. “College. Tell me about that.”

  “I couldn’t afford anything fancy,” I said before common sense could shut me up. “But I worked hard. I was able to shorten my degree from four years to three. Graduated with honours.”

  “Of course, you did. I would expect nothing less.” Konstantin sliced into his vegetables. “Did you like it?”

  “Did I like it?” I felt a smile grow up my face. “I loved it. I loved every moment of it. I was there the earliest and stayed the latest. I used to make friends with the lab techs so they would let me in on the weekends and holidays.” I began to relax and eat my own meal. Konstantin was right; it was delicious. The chicken and gravy were mouth-watering, the spices mixing together to create an exquisite meal.

  Between bites, I added, “The college hated me though.”

  “Oh?”

  “Niko had to go to the crèche while I was in class and he was the naughtiest kid there.” I tried not to laugh. He had been a real menace. “He’s not mean or vindictive. He just has a lot of energy and is reckless. It makes for a bad combination.”

  “He is both of those things.” Konstantin murmured in agreement. “He reminds me of Natasha when she was younger. Full of energy but sharp.”

  “Do they look alike?”

  “They could’ve been twins. I’ll find a photo for you.” When he went to refill his glass, he offered me some wine.

  “Just a little bit.” Some deep part of me was crying out in fury but I ignored it. The wine was sour but well-made, probably sourced from a v
ineyard worth more than this estate. “I’ve been told you haven’t been yourself recently.”

  When Danika had told me this, she had said it quietly and under her breath, like she was afraid the mice might hear and report back to Konstantin. I had taken one look at him and known something was wrong, something wasn’t right, but Danika confirming it had been the icing on the cake.

  Konstantin didn’t react. “It has been stressful, ensuring power over Staten Island and dealing with other organizations. Lots of power has shifted since you were in this world last, Elena. The Lombardis are gone and Washington DC is no longer no man’s land. The three families of Boston are at peace and the king of Miami is in jail.”

  “That all sounds very interesting.” I said but kept pressing. “But what about you?”

  “Me?” He laughed under his breath. “I was handling a family that was falling apart at the seams, a criminal mastermind who had intercepted herself into my house and dealing with a broken heart. Anything I did, I did for my Bratva.”

  “Someone told me you were violent.”

  “I’ve always been violent, Elena.”

  I shook my head. “Apparently, you do interrogations yourself now? Not even Artyom, Dmitri or Roman will join you. Hell, not even Olezka. Why? Why are they so horrified to see you in action?”

  A muscle in Kon’s jaw ticked. The only physical sign he was growing frustrated with his conversation. “You’re been very nosey for a person who doesn’t plan to stay long.”

  “I know you, Kon. I know you. And do you know the first thought I had when I saw you in that forest, after three years of agony and separation and pain?”

  “Before or after you lunged like a wildcat?”

  I stuck a finger at him. “I thought there is something wrong with him. Something inside him has broken, a clutch has slipped. That is not the man I–” I broke off. Emotions were beginning to clog my ears and throat, blurring all rational thought. “I just want to know what happened to you.”

  “You know, Elena,” he said, “you just don’t want to believe it.”

  I swallowed against my dry throat. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do.” He passed me a plate. “Bread?”