I turn back to him, my decision already made. “Tomorrow, we send a message back to the Solovyovs. One they won’t forget.”
Arkady nods. There will be blood for this. A lot of it. None of it mine or Rowan’s.
I return to my wife’s side, schooling my features into something resembling calm. She turns to me, that smile still lighting her face, and something twists painfully in my chest.
I take her hand and bring it to my lips. “Perfect,” I lie. “Just some business that can wait until tomorrow.”
“No business today,” she says firmly. “Today is just about us.”
“Just about us,” I agree, pulling her closer. “My wife.”
As the evening wears on, I keep her within arm’s reach at all times. I dance with her when tradition demands it, and if I hold her more tightly than necessary, well, no one but m
