Chapter One Hundred Three

Chapter One Hundred Three

Sephie

"My guys are all scared of you now, Miha. They're going to struggle to be in the same room as you after they hear about this," Trino said.

I could feel Adrik's tension, even though he knew that Trino's guys were now scared of me as of the night before. As I thought about his words, a sudden thought popped into my head. I felt my anger rising to the surface quickly. "You can tell them I don't pry, but they're not going to listen. But make sure they understand what will happen to them if they think burning the witch is a thing that should be brought back. Feel free to embellish as much as you want on that one," I said. As I said the words, I felt Adrik's anger feeding into mine. I knew my eyes were going dark, if they weren't already, but I didn't care. I wanted Trino to see it. I wanted him to fear me. I wanted him to tell his guys to fear me. "Your guys or not, I will end them if they ever so much as think about coming after me because of this."

When Trino saw my eyes, he had energetically taken a step back. His feet never moved, but he shrunk back from me. I took a step toward him, just to drive my point home as I spoke. The guys didn't say a word, they just moved to surround me and Adrik. Trino was roughly my height, so they all towered over him. They took advantage of this and cranked up the intimidation factor as high as it would go. I could feel Adrik's anger feeding into mine, even though he was behind me. I knew the stare he was giving Trino. He would've been ready to rip Trino apart if I said the word at that moment. Any of them would have.

Ivan stepped in front of me, putting his body in between me and Trino. I felt his protective bubble go up around me, which also fed into my anger. I could hear Ivan tell Trino, "It's best if you're with us, rather than against us." I could vaguely hear Trino's response, but it was difficult to understand his words with Ivan's bubble of protection around me. I stepped back against Adrik, his hand on my waist. I put my hand on top of his, hoping to calm us both down slightly.

I noticed that when I moved, the guys moved as well. They didn't need to see me, but they knew exactly where I was. When I took a step back against Adrik, Ivan closed the distance between us, staying directly in front of me. I smiled, knowing he took his job very seriously. His anger was also feeding mine. I reached out and put my hand on his back, trying to calm him as well. He turned to look at me and I felt his bubble slowly disappear. He saw me smiling at him and his face immediately softened.

"Message received," I said quietly to all of them in Russian. They all relaxed, but didn't move.

"I give you my word, it will not be a problem, Miha," Trino said. I simply nodded. Whatever had given me the idea in the first place was in the background now. I want to know if Misha or Andrei got anything from that.

Trino stayed in the penthouse for a few minutes longer, but eventually took his leave. He promised to keep us updated on whether Martin took his advice and left Mexico or not.

Once he was gone, I looked to Adrik, smiling. He raised his eyebrow, then kissed me gently. "It was different again," he said. He looked to Ivan, asking, "Can you feel her anger yet?"

"I did that time. It was unreal. I've only been that angry a handful of times and it's always resulted in someone else dying," he said.

I laughed. "I could feel both of you. You were both feeding into my anger, which is why I think it was so strong. But I can tell the difference."

"How so?" Ivan asked.

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain what I felt. "It's like two different functions, I think." I paused, trying to find the words. It suddenly hit me. I looked at Ivan, "You're the shield." Then I looked at Adrik, "And you're the sword."

Adrik smiled at me. "I think I understand, but explain."

"Your anger is beside me, looking for direction, if you will. Like all I would've had to do is point at Trino and you would've ripped him apart. But your anger is a part of me, moving through me. An extension. Just like mine is a part of you. Ivan's is different. It's broader and it's focused outward. Away from me. His fire burns just as hot, but it's directed away from me, where yours is not. His anger feels like a barrier in front of me. Your anger is always with me. A part of me," I said.

"I caught a glimpse of your eyes, princess. They're still getting darker when it happens. I'm surprised Trino didn't piss himself," Ivan said.

"I saw them change this morning," Adrik said. "She was looking at me as they changed back to normal. I've never seen anything so amazing." He turned me, so he could look in my eyes. He was still completely mesmerized. I reached up and kissed him gently.

"Did you get anything when Trino told me his guys were scared of me now?" I asked Andrei and Misha.

"I got a quick hit of nausea, gazelle. I don't know about which one, or ones, but it wasn't good. I'm glad you said something because I was going to if you didn't. It's definitely not Trino, but one of his guys is going to have a problem with this," Misha said.

"Same as last night for me, spider monkey. You get more details than I do, but I knew the potential for there to be a problem exists," Andrei said.

"I think you scared Trino enough that he'll either keep this to himself or he'll keep his guys away from you from now on," Stephen said. "I've never seen him so shocked as when you threatened him. That's going to haunt him for a while."

"Good. That was the point," I said, grinning. "Who's hungry?"

They all laughed. "It's good to have you back, sestrichka," Viktor said, shaking his head.

Adrik, Ivan, Viktor, and Stephen paid another visit to Armando that evening. I'd needed a short nap after the morning's festivities, but I was managing to stay awake for much longer. And my appetite was coming back slowly. I could snack periodically throughout the day without too much trouble, which was giving me more energy finally.

Misha and Andrei were both happy to stay with me in the penthouse while the others went downstairs to torture Armando.

"How do I get more details, spider monkey?" Andrei asked while they were heating up yet more broth for me.

I thought for a minute. "I'm honestly not sure how to answer that, Bubba. I haven't always had all the details I get now come so easily. The more I practice, the more details I get. I think time is the answer. The more you use it, the clearer everything will be. Same as Misha. The more he uses his gift, the clearer it gets. I think there will come a time when he won't need anyone else as a battery too. I think he'll be able to do it on his own just as well as he can with us," I said.

"Really? You think so?" Misha asked. He was clearly surprised at the thought of not needing anyone to see his visions.

"I do. It doesn't make sense that you would always need me or Andrei to make it work. You didn't need me in the beginning. I just made it different. Once you master it, you should be able to do it on your own. Which I think you're getting closer to, if you could tell the difference between me and Bubba this morning," I said.

"Yeah, that reminds me, how did you know the difference?" Andrei asked. "And how did you know I was holding back? I didn't even know I was holding back."

"With Sephie, it feels like she's showing me how to do it, even though she has no idea how it works. There's still this calm direction from her when she helps me, but I can tell that she's jumped in with both feet. With you, Andrei, you really have no idea what's going on, you're just along for the ride. But you're hoping you don't die in the process," Misha said, laughing.

"That sounds accurate," Andrei said. He was laughing as well, not really knowing what else to say.

"This is all a little weird, if we're being honest. It's a lot to take in," I said.

"Was it hard for you, spider monkey? You didn't have anybody when you discovered you could do this, did you?" Andrei asked.

"It wasn't hard. I did think there was something wrong with me, not gonna lie. But I've shown it more to you guys than I ever did to anyone else. Even my mom. Little bits here and there with her before she died, but I mostly kept to myself. It was only just starting when she was still alive. It's gotten much stronger as I get older. Then I met you guys and I feel like I skipped ahead, like, ten levels. I've been more open with it this year than I ever have before. You can ask Adrik too. I was petrified he would think I was crazy at first," I said.

Misha laughed. "We saw it. When you would tell him things about the bosses, you were timid about it. But you were always right."

"Apparently, it was all meant to happen the way it did. You guys seeing it in me helped you see it in yourselves. There's something special about Viktor and Stephen too, but they're still scared by it," I said.

"Should we make bets on what it is with those two?" Andrei asked.

"Um, yeah. Of course, we should," I said, laughing.

"Before Andrei found out he was like you, I would've said Stephen's superpower was his sense of humor that nobody knew existed until you came along, gazelle," Misha said.

"Right? How funny is that dude? And how the hell does he keep a straight face literally every single time?" I asked. "And Viktor is still the father figure of the group. He just goes about his day, silently making sure we're all taken care of and have everything we need. He's kind of the best, really."

We were being silly in the kitchen while I had yet another snack when Adrik and the rest of the guys got back from downstairs. Adrik immediately walked to me, leaning down to kiss me. "I'm happy you're still awake, solnishko," he said, his handsome smile stretching across his face.

"How was Armando? Have you offered to let him jump off the roof again? Is he ready to take you up on the offer this time?" I asked. I grabbed Adrik's hand with my one free hand, inspecting his knuckles. He laughed softly and kissed my temple. "I'm so relieved you're finally feeling better," he said.

"He's definitely regretting not listening to you, Seph. I think he's cried himself to sleep more often than not lately," Stephen said. While his expression didn't give away much, there was a definite air of satisfaction present.

"Why do I feel like you're the reason for his tears?" I asked Stephen.

He cleared his throat. "I do the reading, Seph. Not the other way around," he said, trying to look at me sternly. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You're just worried I'm going to learn your secret for your insane mastery of your facial expressions," I said. His smile stretched across his face. "It's one of my best tricks," he said, grinning at me. "I could not agree more," I said.

"Did you learn anything useful or did you just take your frustrations out on him tonight?" Misha asked.

"He confirmed the link between Ricardo and the Mexicans. He also said it was Lorenzo's idea to go to them," Viktor said.

"He was planning on using them instead of any of the bosses' men. He knew there would be mass casualties, so he was going to sacrifice the Mexicans first. He promised to help them overthrow Trino, but even Armando doubted that would've actually happened. Lorenzo knew there likely wouldn't have been enough of them left," Adrik said.

"Not surprising. However, it means the Mexicans are not going to stop coming for Trino until Sal and Ricardo are stopped and maybe not even then. We might not be able to wait on Henry to figure his life the fuck out," I said, finishing up my latest snack. When I looked up, they were all looking at me, completely amused. "What?" I asked.

"Extra spicy Sephie might be my favorite version," Misha said, laughing.

It took four more days before Trino got any more information about Martin. He finally called Adrik in the afternoon, once he'd heard Martin's fate. Misha, Andrei, and I all felt fairly certain that he would make it out, but we also never checked on him again. We were all relieved to hear for sure that he'd made it out and was safely back in Colombia.

Trino stopped by the building that evening. Gus, Oscar, and one of his normal security guys were with him, but the rest of his men chose to stay in the lobby. "Was that your choice or theirs?" Ivan asked when Trino walked into the office, mostly unaccompanied.

"It was definitely theirs," Oscar said, trying not to laugh. "They're some of the baddest motherfuckers in Colombia, but they're scared of a girl."

"For good reason," Trino's security guy said quietly. It was the first time I'd ever heard him speak.

"And yet, here you are," I said. My tone wasn't threatening. Yet. But I was serious enough that he got tense when I addressed him. "Did the rest of them put you up to coming up here or are you just so curious that you can't help yourself?" He looked at me, somewhat surprised. He wasn't sure what to say. Trino stayed quiet as well. "I saved the life of your boss's right-hand man. I've saved your life before as well, you just don't know it. A little gratitude would serve you well if you'd like to keep the baddest motherfucker title," I said, walking to the couch to sit beside Andrei. He held his arm out, helping me sit, then wrapped it around my shoulders, so I could curl up next to him.

He leaned down and said, "Extra spicy Sephie is my favorite version too."

Gus looked at Trino, then looked at me. "I see now why he likes you so much," he said.

Adrik cleared his throat, clearly done with where the conversation was headed. "Where is Martin now?" he asked.

"He's back in Colombia, under heavily armed guards, just in case. He said he almost didn't make it out. Instead of just leaving like I told him to, he tried to have a conversation with them. They caught on that he knew something was off and tried to keep him from leaving. He barely managed to get out, but he's safe now." Trino looked at me, a look of sincerity on his face. "Miha, he would've been killed if not for you. I suspected he would go to Mexico, but I never actually thought he was dumb enough to do it. I thought he was smarter than that. You saved his life."

"It was a group effort," I said, catching Misha's eye. I felt Andrei squeeze my shoulders a little tighter. "I'd happily do it again. Just keep your weak-ass security guys that clearly can't handle the fact that I'm different away from me."

Misha laughed, asking in Russian, "Can extra spicy gazelle stay forever? She's definitely my favorite."

"The Mexicans still haven't figured out that Lorenzo was going to sacrifice them to overthrow Boss, basically. Do you have any spies within their ranks? Can you get word to any of them that that was the plan? We can cause a little division between them and Ricardo," Ivan said.

"Si, I can get word to them. That's how Martin made it out. Two of the guys that are loyal to me created a diversion, so Martin could escape. They're high enough in ranks that they'll be able to get word to the right people," Trino said.

"There needs to be a little friction between them and Ricardo. Since Ricardo is obsessed with being better than me, I'd like for him to understand that's not possible before he dies," Adrik said. He was sitting at his desk, across the office from where I was on the couch with Andrei. I could feel his anger, but it was at a controllable level. His patience was wearing thin and his frustration with me being hurt was beginning to become a problem.

"I learned how to be extra spicy from watching him," I said to Andrei in Russian, so only he could hear. I was hoping he'd be able to contain his laughter. He made a valiant effort, but still inevitably laughed loud enough that everyone heard him. Adrik raised his eyebrow at me, wanting to know what had happened. I kept my mouth shut and just smiled at him, hoping it wouldn't irritate him more.

"I'm considering going back to Colombia soon, Jefe. I don't like being away for too long, as I'm sure you understand. There is also the matter of Massimo that still needs to be addressed," Trino said.

"I won't keep you here, Trino. You're always welcome, but I would want to be in Colombia if I were you. We'll keep an eye on Sal. I expect them to return. Keep me informed on the Mexicans. I'll do the same for Sal and the other two bosses," Adrik said.

They continued to talk for a few minutes before Trino left with the three guys brave enough to be in the same room as me. Once they were gone and Viktor had returned, Adrik looked at me and Andrei. "Now, do you want to tell me what you two were laughing about?" He tried to say it sternly, but I could tell it was an act.

I giggled. "They've been saying that they like the extra spicy version of me, so when you said what you said about Ricardo, I told Bubba that I learned it from watching you."

I could feel the pull in my chest that meant he was thinking about how much he loved me. His smirk evident on his face, he just pointed to me, then to his desk. Andrei helped me off the couch, so I could go to him. He pushed his chair back so I could sit in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around me. He leaned down, his lips next to my ear, whispering, "It's getting more and more difficult to fight my desire for you, solnishko. Especially when you're bratty. It makes me want to fuck it out of you." As soon as he got the words out, I felt his intense desire for me. He knew I always struggled to control myself when I felt it, but now we were in front of everyone, so I had no choice but to contain myself.

I laughed quietly, trying to maintain control. "You're a little bit evil," I said quietly, so only he could hear. I pushed my hips back into him discreetly, causing his breath to hitch just slightly.

"So are you," he said, his arms holding me tightly.

"I feel like we should celebrate your last dose of antibiotics, gazelle," Misha said, his wide, handsome smile across his face. Me and the Wonder Twins were once again in the kitchen making me snacks while the rest of the guys were downstairs with Armando.

"I am glad it kept me from having to go back to the hospital, but I am even more glad that I won't have to take it any more after this one. I'm hoping my appetite actually goes back to normal now. And that I can do more than, well, nothing," I said.

"We're all looking forward to that, spider monkey. The gym is more fun when you're there," Andrei said.

"Well, you didn't tell me that. I could've been your cheerleader this whole time, but you guys have been going while I was sleeping. You only have yourselves to blame for that poor life choice," I said, grinning at them both.

"Do you know how much trouble we'd be in if we got you to go to the gym with us and it made you sleep for a day and a half again?" Misha asked.

I laughed. "That's fair. Is this how he was before he met me?" I asked. Adrik had been almost cranky lately. He refused to even attempt sex with me because he was worried I wouldn't be able to catch my breath. Really, he was worried he wouldn't be able to hold back. Honestly, I was also worried. Not being able to catch my breath after he kissed me a few times had scared me. I didn't want to tell him, as I didn't want him to think he couldn't touch me.

"You should talk to him about it, spider monkey," Andrei said. I was too busy laughing with Misha to notice that Andrei had stopped paying attention to our conversation. Instead, he was fishing around in my head.

"I now understand Stephen's aversion to being read," I said. Misha looked at me, confused.

"Talk to who about what?" he asked.

"Talk to Boss. He's cranky because she's still hurt, so there's been no, uh, extracurricular activities lately. But she got scared a few times when he kissed her and she couldn't catch her breath after. She won't tell him though," Andrei said.

Misha looked at me seriously. "You should talk to him about it. It will help him be a little more patient while you heal a little more. You're acting more like yourself lately, but we don't know what your lung feels like. Neither does he. Just because it's not hurting you doesn't mean it's completely healed. And you heard the doctor, it's easy to get pneumonia again until your lung completely heals. None of us wants you to have to go back to the hospital."

"I don't want him to feel like he can't touch me," I said. "Knowing him, he will."

"He won't," Andrei said. "Knowing that you're still struggling to catch your breath, and especially that it scared you, will help him keep that side of him under control, if you will. The last thing he wants to do is hurt you."

"He's still working through you being taken. Guys like to show that we're in love with physical intimacy. He just wants to show you that he loves you is all. If he knows that you're still struggling even with him kissing you, it'll be easier for him to wait," Misha said.

"How did you two get to be so handsome and so wise?" I said, smiling at both of them.

"Stop trying to change the subject, spider monkey. I'll tell him if you don't," Andrei said, grinning at me.

"I hate you." Just for fun, I made my eyes go dark. Now that I'd been playing with it more, I could tell when it happened more easily. It would still surprise me, like during my last check-up, but I was becoming aware of when it happened and, more importantly, I could control it when it happened. I had to admit that I was having more fun with it than I probably should. I knew the guys weren't intimidated by it, but Trino definitely was. I probably liked that a little too much.

"You love me and you know you do. Your demon eyes don't scare me," Andrei said, laughing.

"Who knew one of the side effects of antibiotics was extra spicy attitude?" Misha said.

Adrik and the other three guys walked back into the penthouse from their almost nightly visit with Armando. I could see the stress melt off of Adrik as soon as he saw I was still awake and smiling at him.

"And how is dearest Armando tonight?" I asked, standing up almost at a normal pace from the kitchen island. Adrik was by my side immediately, his arms around my waist.

"He might be learning firsthand how painful broken ribs are. I tried to explain it to him, but since I really have no point of reference, I decided to show him," Ivan said. Misha just laughed and gave him a high five.

"Squish. What does it say about me that I adore this side of you?" I said, laughing.

"It says that you're absolutely perfect, solnishko," Adrik said, leaning down to kiss me gently. His sexy smirk was evident on his face.

"Meant for this shit, gazelle," Misha said.

"Did he have any nuggets of information tonight?" Andrei asked.

"He might have, had we given him a chance to speak," Stephen said. "Apparently, Trino's guys not being okay with Sephie made us all slightly irritable."

I looked at Stephen, surprised. "Should I not have told Trino about Martin?" Adrik pulled me back against him, his arms around my waist. He gently pressed his cheek against my neck.

"No, I think you did the right thing, Seph. We were talking about it on the way up. We were all somewhat surprised by our anger about the situation. It's not just you that they have an issue with. They just don't know about Misha and Andrei's parts in it, but you did what you did when they took you and Ivan and you took all of it so they'd be protected. It's not fair," Stephen said. I could see he was frustrated with the situation.

"I didn't want them to know about Misha and Andrei. That's too much of a risk," I said.

"We know. And we agree. But it still doesn't make the situation any more right," Ivan said.

"The good news is that we don't have to see them very much once they go home," I said. "But I won't deny how adorable I think you all are for being pissed off about this right now."

"We haven't gotten you healed from the last time something happened before another threat showed up. It's enough to make anybody angry," Viktor said.

I stood, leaning against Adrik, looking at all the guys. Viktor, Ivan, and Stephen were clearly frustrated with Trino's guys. Misha and Andrei were a mix of frustrated with a splash of worry. I could feel Adrik's anger at the thought of Trino's guys even entertaining the thought of harming me. But more than that, more than the feelings of anger I was getting from all of them, I felt their love. They were fully prepared to destroy Trino's entire security team, ally or not, if it came to that. To make sure I was safe.

"Seph, why the tears?" Stephen asked, concerned. I was still smiling at them, but I was overcome with emotion, which usually meant tears would flow freely.

"They're happy tears, I promise. I know I've told you how safe you all make me feel, but I can feel it so clearly right now from every single one of you. You're all ready to annihilate Trino's entire security force if it comes to it. I know a couple of you want to do it just to make a point, even if they don't try anything," I said, laughing. I caught Stephen and Ivan both nodding their heads like they agreed with that line of thinking. "I can feel how angry you all are, but more than that, I can feel how much you love me."

"We can't imagine life without you in it, princess," Ivan said, winking at me.

"My God, it would be so boring," Misha said as dramatically as possible, to help lighten the mood. I couldn't help but laugh as I wiped the tears away. Adrik turned me to face him, helping me to dry the tears. He looked at me, very seriously, saying, "You've given us something we never thought possible. You've shown us all how much better we should be. And most importantly, you've brought your own magic into our lives. Our world was very dark before you, solnishko. You've reminded us that the darkest shadows come from the brightest light. And I, for one, will do everything in my power to make sure you're always able to shine as brightly as possible. I feel fairly confident in saying every single one of them will too."