Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Yakov stared at his brother. “Bullshit.” StoneWater had an excellent relationship with Silver’s old boss, but they were also wary of any debt to the cardinal Tk.
“It’s fine. Krychek only demanded your liver and one kidney in return for his help,” his brother said with a wave of his hand.
A sound from the bed had Yakov looking up. Theo’s little laugh made him forgive his twin for drawing out the suspense—even when she winced again when the motion jostled her healing cheekbone.
“Did you know Krychek can lock onto faces, not just places?” Pavel raised both eyebrows. “Our local deadly telekinetic tycoon—who, by the way, I still hold is causing the minor quakes when he’s bored—could’ve been standing in our den anytime he wanted all that time we were negotiating with him right at the start.”
“Huh.” Yakov rubbed his thumb over the back of Theo’s hand. “Makes me like him better that he didn’t. No one should enter another’s home without an invitation.”
Pavel gave a nod of agreement. “Short story is he locked onto Nova’s face since he apparently has files on all the senior members of the clan and knows all our faces—because of course he does.”
Yakov felt zero surprise; no one got to Krychek’s level of power without thinking of every contingency. What mattered here was that the Tk had used the information to assist, not harm.
“Once he picked up Nova,” Pavel continued, “he locked onto your face, Yasha. Said to Valya later that it might not have worked if I hadn’t been wearing my glasses at the time.” He nudged up the metal frames. “Identical twins can screw up a facial teleport lock.” A smug look. “See. I told you specs were a better idea than surgery.”
Swamped by a wave of affection for his twin, Yakov grinned. “And it has nothing to do with your fear of lasers near your eyes?”
“Mudak.” A cheerful insult. “Theo appreciates my sacrifice in wearing glasses, don’t you, Theo? Plus my mate says they’re sexy, so you can go scratch your furry butt with some poison ivy.”
“I think you’re wonderful, Pasha,” Theo said with a careful grin. “But I do also love my Yashin’ka’s butt, so no poison ivy curses, if you please.”
Pavel’s laugh held wild affection, while Yakov’s bear prowled pleased inside his mind. That his Theo and his brother liked each other? It made both parts of him happy.
A smile in her voice, Theo said, “Did Krychek then bring us back here?”
“Pretty much. He left your brother to fend for himself.” Pavel’s voice softened. “Said he had a teleport-capable Tk with him? So hopefully he made it home all right. We did send people to the facility to hold it safe until you woke up, and they knew to keep an eye out for him, but the site was empty.”
Theo nodded. “I’ve telepathed with him. He’s at our Moscow apartment.” She shifted her gaze to Yakov, the blue potent with emotion. “He needs to see me.”
Remembering Pavel’s desperate embrace, Yakov nodded. “I’ll talk to Nova, see if she’ll give you a pass for a short visit with your brother. We can set up a meet near the edge of den territory. You understood why he can’t come to the den?”
“Yes. This is the home of your most vulnerable and he’s an unknown threat—he’ll have no argument with the decision, either.” Her brother was just happy she was being so fiercely protected by the bears.
The reason why made her heart hurt, and she saw the knowledge of her pain in Yakov’s gaze, felt it in the kiss he pressed to her knuckles again. “Live in the now,” he murmured, reminding her of his great-grandfather’s advice.
Theo clung to it, to the now where her brother was alive and himself, and where she would see him again soon. Shifting her attention back to Pavel, who’d kept his silence during that quiet interaction, she said, “My aunt?”
“Unconscious. You have any idea why the bomb hit her so much worse?”
“It didn’t. Pax slapped her with a telepathic blow when she began to come around.”
Pavel whistled. “Yikes. She’s going to be in a world of hurt when she wakes.” No sympathy in his tone for the woman who’d tried to murder her—because while the bears were full of heart, they were also ruthlessly protective.
Pax would fit right in.
Theo released a shuddering breath at the thought of a time where her brother sat with a group of laughing bears, all of them in sync. “Where is she?” It didn’t make sense that they’d keep Keja in the den, not when she was a major threat.
“Soon as Nova stabilized her, we drove her to a guarded medical facility outside den territory. Medical transport, designed for this kind of thing, so it didn’t hurt her.”
Theo’s mind blazed hot red, an overlooked piece of information roaring to the surface. “She has access to a teleporter.”