7. Valentin

SEVEN

Valentin

T he first time I see Dani after her parents have died isn't supposed to be surrounded by blood with Vlad walking behind her like an executioner. There's a cut on her lip and dried blood on her nose. I wait until she's out of sight and keep my voice low just in case she's hiding in the dingy little hallway we created.

"What the fuck?! Why did you bring her here?! Why is she even with you ?!"

He adjust his cuffs and sighs before acting like a prick.

"Not the time for one of your tantrums, get in the cage."

He's been hit in the head too many times and officially lost his mind if he thinks I'm fighting Dani. My Dani, my artist. Crossing my arms over my chest, I stand taller. We're nearly the same height, there's a few inches difference and I don't give a fuck about him being my brother.

"I'm not fighting her, that's some fucked up bullshit Len would make us do."

The comparison to our father has him hardening and taking a step towards me.He could easily beat the shit out of me, I've seen my brother fight, but his fucked up ethics means I'm safe without a weapon and with his promise that he would never raise his hand to us. It doesn't save me from his tone though.

"You're not fighting her, she's angry and got the shit kicked out of her because you two dumbasses were too busy jacking off over the thought of her to teach her anything. So fucking fix it."

I can't focus on anything else he said and ask the only thing I need to know. "Who the fuck touched her?"

Dani isn't a fighter, she's an artist and hates violence. Even at the exhibit she avoided the artwork depicting war hating the brutality. He slowly relaxes as much as he's capable of and lowers his voice as he smirks at whatever he's done.

"That bitch you were fucking. It's dealt with." I know better than to ask what he's done but he still voices it and laughs, the freak. "I might have told everyone you pissed in her mouth, so time for a change little brother."

He's a prick but I laugh too.If there was one person who deserves the type of violence my brother possesses, it's Zoe.

Dani comes back out with Tali following after her. He was close to tears when she wouldn't respond to him. Any doubts I had over their friendship disappeared seeing him upset, he's not the cry over things type, and he genuinely views her as family. If I get what I want she will be; Dani will be his sister-in-law.But Vlad is an asshole, and he narrows his eyes at me silently telling me not to fuck it up. I won't, Dani is exempt from any hurt I would ever cause. I'll do it for her, never to her.

She looks even better in my spare set of clothes, and she fidgets avoiding everyone's eyes. Vlad doesn't soften his voice as he proves she's family too.

"Are you angry?" She looks up but doesn't go above his chest as he fills with psychotic energy. "Good, anger is useful. Everything else turns into it anyway. Have fun and don't kill each other." He turns and leaves, locking the door behind him.

Tali is the first to open his mouth and hooks his arm around Dani's neck pulling her closer. "We don't have to fight if you don't want to, want to watch a sad movie? "

I want to rip his lips off his face when he kisses the top of her head. If I pull her out of his arms he'll act like a little bitch, and I need him agreeable, so I'm not forced to rip my brother to shreds.

Her tears falling rip me apart, they're painful making her chest shake and I move forward wrapping my arms around her as Tali takes her other side.Pulling her closer so he gets the message to fuck off away from my girl, I hold the back of her head stopping his wandering lips from touching her. He doesn't move and I mouth over my girls head, "Get your things." He finally fucks off and I pick Dani up, cradling her body until she's wrapped around me. Her tears are soaking into my skin, and I kiss her shoulder, so she knows I'm here, that I will always be here.

I don't know what I'm supposed to say. If my parents died we'd just go on living life, we'd probably celebrate and throw a party. The croak leaving her is like a knife scraping against my ribs.

"What's wrong with me that they couldn't even love me?"

Sitting on the edge of the ring, I hold her nape and pull her away from hiding so she can't miss the truth.

My beautiful Dani, even with the tops of her cheeks red and her usual golden skin losing color she's stunning. I'm gentle as I wipe her tears away with my thumbs and I don't look anywhere but those big brown eyes as I say, "There is nothing wrong with you. You are the best person. Anyone who thinks they don't love you is a fucking idiot because knowing you is loving you."

Her face crumples as she throws herself forward hugging me and sobbing. I've been more than in love with this girl since the first moment I laid eyes on her. She is the center of my universe, my weakness and the only person who possess the antidote to my need for cruelty. She's mine, biologically, chemically, spiritually, she belongs to me, and I hold her tighter as I gently rock her from side to side.

Tali comes out, turning off the lights as he walks through the hallways, and he freezes at Dani's state. He's always been weird as fuck with her. His obsession about someone missing from our family because he wanted a sister made him latch onto her and she filled that void he created when it's always been the three of us. I've heard his theories for as long as I can remember – that we have a long lost sibling because we need the balance with the harshness and there's a reason for Vlad's annual disappearance. It's bullshit, we'd remember if there was another Vartanov and Vlad‘s a control freak, he wouldn't have shouted at him when he asked or left any of us behind.

I stand, refusing to let my girl go and she does the same as she tightens her thighs around me. Throwing my keys at my brother, he doesn't open his mouth to argue, instead he narrows his eyes in accusation. He can fuck off. Their friendship might be innocent but mine is pure. I've done shit Dani would be pissed at, but I'd give my left lung to keep her in my arms. She knows who I am under all the shitty parts of my personality, and she is the only person who is worth those small innocent pieces that I've hidden for her.

My girl is laid with her head in my lap after I refused to lay her in my brother's bed. The low light from the TV casts flickers through the lounge as I stroke her cheeks and wipe any signs of the tears away from her sleeping face. Dani exhausted herself before we'd even got home, and she is never sleeping in Tali's bed again. Or any other little dickheads. Once was enough.

She doesn't have parents anymore so she can live here, in my bed, with the same parents we have. Dima already takes her to school with Tali and she fits here with us more than anywhere else.

Tali checks she's asleep before slapping the back of his hand against my shoulder and whisper hissing, "Has something happened between you two?" The shithead didn't need to hit me with the accusation already evident in his voice, but he issues his threat without giving me time to answer. "Don't even think about it, if I lose her because of you, I'll break your fucking legs."

His insinuation sticks to my skin, and I punch him in the shoulder without rocking our lower bodies so Dani doesn't jolt. "I'm not going to hurt her."

As soon as she says she's mine there's no one else, everything before her won't exist. There won't be a life without her in it, I refuse it.

Tali scoffs and shakes his head. "You hurt everyone. You fuck them, humiliate them, and then ruin them. Don't even think about it with Dani, she's off limits. "

She's not a toy or the last bit of cereal that he can call dibs on. He sounds haunted, staring at the wall as he mutters, "Your dick is cursed man." Turning back to me, he begs, "Just don't touch her, love her from far away because I'll always choose her, but I know she wouldn't let me."

His opinion isn't wrong. Dani would rather be alone than hurt the people around her.

He gently lifts her legs from his lap and slides out from under them, but he stops at the back of the sofa beside my head and emotion bleeds through his voice as he whispers, "She's family, don't be like them and take another sister away from me."

The guilt trip is unnecessary, and I reiterate my promise to them both. "I won't hurt her. Trust me."

He walks away shaking his head. A good brother would listen to the warning, they'd feel like shit knowing he'd choose Dani over me, but I don't, it just proves that she's family. There's nowhere else she belongs than with us. Even Vlad and Dima expect her presence and kept pausing when she wasn't there in the morning. The only difference is the bed she belongs in.

Once we're alone, I carefully lift her so her entire body is held against me with her head on my shoulder. I don't know if she'll wake up when I move so I stay in the same position, unbreathing, and rest my lips on her forehead. Her cheek is pushed in to my chest making her lips form a pout. She's so adorable and cute, I just want to bite her lips. I softly whisper her name as I stroke her back testing how deeply she's sleeping.

"Dani mine?"

She nuzzles closer to me, making her cheek move and I take that as confirmation she wants to stay with me. There wasn't going to be a choice anyway, but it's better like this, less arguments.

I stand and walk to my floor. The only bed she'll sleep in from now on is mine, there won't be any more nights that she's in the room below or has to sneak in through the window. I'll give her the codes and a key.She's dressed perfectly in my clothes and that's a new change she'll have to accept from now on too. There won't be any more pajamas. She'll live in me, so everyone knows she is mine.

Laying her under the covers, I cover her legs with the sheet knowing she gets hot in the night. There's a small, inked line on her kneecap from when she's been sketching and ran off the page. She always holds the pad on her thighs rather than a flat surface. That little line is going to be bigger one day, I'll get the Vartanov insignia inked into her skin so it can never be removed. There's a strand of hair that's fallen over her face and I lower to the edge of the bed as I brush it away. Her nose twitches as I gently trace her features and I do it again, biting back my laugh before I stand to get ready.

My shower is quick, needing to soak up every second I have her and I throw on a pair of shorts, so she doesn't wake up thinking I'm a pervert. Sleeping with the air conditioning on isn't an option with the whirring always driving me crazy and Vlad will have a heart attack if I open the window, so I usually sleep naked. For my Dani I'll change my habits and do anything she needs to be comfortable.

Everything feels right as I get in bed beside her and I think she feels it too. She turns towards me and wraps her arm over my middle, hugging me, despite not being awake. Even unconscious she knows she's in the right place. Hooking her leg over mine she tightens her arm around my waist and nuzzles into my chest. Fucking adorable. I lift her hand and press my lips to her finger that will one day hold my rings. My heart slows down as I stretch to the side taking out the latest addition I found from my bedside drawer. The runner is too loud, and I wince as I watch her face to see if she'll wake up.

Thankfully there's not even a flutter of her lashes as I lift the velvet box out with two fingers. The muted light isn't enough to disturb her as I open it and take out the large single stone ring. I won't give it to her while she's asleep, I'm not fucking crazy. I just want to see it on her finger. I give her my back for the first and only time in our lives as I hold the platinum ring in my palm, so it warms up. If she wakes up she'll think she's spooning me, I can live with that over the reality of her seeing one of the rings before she should.

Once the metal has warmed, I slip it on her ring finger. It's a perfect fit after I stole the one she used to wear out of her room, and I lay her hand on mine as I use the inset light from the ring box to see it clearly. It's too plain, three carats aren't enough, but the others are in the safe and I can't test them. The one shaped like a rose might be better, each stone has been placed with care and it's more intricate with the vines going across the band. It physically pains me to remove it from her hand and the only motivation I have is the fact I can't see her face at the same time.

Placing everything back in the drawer, I slowly turn on my back and Dani shuffles closer to lay her head on my shoulder. Her lashes flutter as I comb my fingers through her hair and the softest sleep filled voice fills the room. "You smell nice."

I press my lips to her hair to hide how pathetic my smile is and stroke down her back as I wait for more of her beautiful voice. She doesn't say anything else, so I ask, "What do I smell like?"

I'd talk about anything to hear more of her.She doesn't disappoint and looks up at me with big brown eyes I could fall into as she says, "Limes." She's even cuter when she's sleepy and nudges my chin with her head as she looks around my room. "I always thought your room would be neat like your car."

Clothes are piled up from where the laundry service left them, and one shoe is in the middle of the floor. I've never had anyone other than my family in my room and I regret my habits now. I cup her cheek, so she doesn't focus on my untidiness and gives me her undivided attention. My mouth opens with my admission as I sink into her presence.

"You're so beautiful." It's a whisper and doesn't do her justice.

Her eyes are still red and puffy from how long she was crying. Stroking the red tender skin at the top of her cheek with my thumb, I kiss her forehead content in just having her here as her cheek warms against my skin. Her eyes close as soon as my lips touch her, and she takes in a stuttered breath. Fuck, can she feel how wild my heart is beating? She has to. She has to feel this thing between us, this intangible connection that threads us together and makes me weak.

Her hand slowly moves across my abs, the tips of her fingers barely grazing my skin, but a shiver works up my spine. This is the singular most pivotal moment of my life; I have my girl and she's not running away from me. She lifts her head as I stroke her cheek with the back of my knuckles. I'm sure I'm dying. It's not healthy for my heart to slow down as much as it has at the sight of her shy smile. But the tenderness under her eyes stops me from taking her exactly as I want to, and I ask, "How you feeling, khudozhnik moya? "

She looks away, trying to hide from me, her whisper slow and heartbreaking as she continues avoiding me. "I can't hate them because they're dead, so I just end up hating myself."

I pull her over me to straddle my thighs as I sit up and hold her face in both hands. I'm not letting my girl spend a second of her time hating herself, fuck that, so I make sure she can't look anywhere else as I say, "Just because someone dies doesn't mean they didn't do shitty things while they were alive. You can still hate them."

She won't meet my eyes and she traces the kot on my chest. Her beautiful laugh comes out just like when I first got it a year ago. It's a Bratva mark, one Dani doesn't know. She thinks it's just a random design in her innocence and I won't tell her I've been initiated. Not before I've got her, once she's in as deep as me I'll give her every secret and thought I've ever had, she won't be able to run away then. I'm going to be under her skin like she is to me, so deep that the only way the other can be removed is by cutting a part of ourselves out with it.

She looks up at me with a soft smile. "Thank you, I always feel better with you."

Doesn't she know there's nowhere on Earth I'd rather be than with her? Doesn't she know she is everything?

Her fingers move up my chest and she leans forward aiming for my cheek. Turning my head at the last second, I feel her lips on mine for the first time. I'm smiling like a lunatic and wrap my arms around her back. It's the most innocent experience of my life, but the best thing I've ever felt.

She tries to move back but I hold her tighter. Her cheeks are getting warmer, and I shake my head against her lips. I don't stick my tongue in her mouth. I just want more of this, of feeling her against me and hugging me. Stroking down her arms, I thread our fingers together and her smile is on my skin, pushing into my DNA so I can never forget it. Her delicate hands are the perfect mix of soft and calloused as she strokes around my nape and pushes her body closer to mine. My hands drop to her hips attempting to stop her feeling exactly what she does to me.

I've kept everyone away from her and I know she's never even been on a date, never mind had anyone touch her. Her lips are perfect, too perfect, and my anger comes out. I dig my teeth into her bottom lip and grit, "Tell me you practiced on your hand."

I'm begging her but she won't allow me to have the lie and the silence shows the truth. My voice hardens and I pull my head back.

"Dani. Who?"

I'm going to kill them. Everyone knew she was off limits, that I'd rip their nasty little dick off their body and shove it up their asses if they even fucking looked at her.

The crazy thing doesn't say a word and straightens her shoulders facing off against me. Damn, I love her with every fiber of my being. The stubborn streak is new and pride swells in my chest, though it doesn't reach my voice as I repeat, "Who?"

Her brows slam together, and she presses her palms flat against my chest as she whispers, "Are you an owl? It's none of your business what I do, you're the one who's spent years chasing after any girl who even walked past you."

"Because you were too busy chasing after my brother."

My jaw aches at the reminder and she scrunches her nose up as she spits out, "I was not chasing him. He's my friend, you freak."

This may be the worst moment of her life, but it's the best of mine knowing she's going to be mine in her next breath.

"So, you're only mine?"

Stroking up her thighs, I grab her hips and pull her closer. Her lips part and it knocks the truth right out of her.

"Yes."

The confirmation brushes my cheek and I slam our lips together before she can take it back or add any caveat.

I'm painfully aware of how close she is to my dick and try to move her hips away as I push my own back, but my little artist chases me, and her eyes snap open filled with nerves. It's easier than breathing to put her at ease before she can form any assumption.

"Not now," I smile, "the first time will be on our wedding night, Dani mine."

She doesn't even blink as she freezes in place, and I kiss her cheek, feeling her blush.She comes back to life with a stutter, and my cheeks hurt from how hard I'm smiling .

"Who said I'll marry you?" There's nothing other than happiness in her deep eyes and she scrunches her nose up, becoming even more adorable. "Daniela Vartanov, doesn't sound right."

Tickling her side, I turn her over and hold her hands above her head with our fingers interlaced before correcting the name.

"Daniela Vartanova, we're Russian so girls names are pronounced differently."

Pressing a chaste kiss to her lips, I turn on my back and pull her back to lay on my chest. This is all I need, there's no argument or refusal from her pretty lips. She knows it's inevitable that we would end up together and I pepper every part of her face within reach with my lips. The soft little sigh brushing my chest breathes life into the innocent fragments of my soul and I close my eyes falling into the first night with my girl.