Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (24 page)

     “What the hell are you doing in here Kris?” Landon
hauled his brother up to a sitting position. The other guy shifted into the
position by himself still holding his bloody nose.

     Even in my fury I could appreciate Nadia’s actions.
She’d popped one guy in the nose and restrained the other all by herself.
Granted, they were both drunk, but it was still…“Remarkable.” I mutter under my
breath. It wasn’t difficult to see now how she’d fended of Asshole Dale.

     Damn! I wished I could have done that for her.

     Shit! Her hand! “Nadia tell me that you didn’t break
your fingers again? You just got the splint off from last time.” I grabbed both
of her hands inspecting each finger by rubbing my fingers down them.

     “Nyet. I used zee heel of my hand zis time.” She
answered looking at me with wide bemused eyes. It seemed to always throw her when
I showed my concern or tried to help her.

     It was something that she was going to have to get
accustomed to.  

     “Nadia broke this guy’s nose…
and
someone else’s
recently?”

     I looked up at Blake’s astounded question to see him
and Evan staring at us in mystification…and blatant interest. “Yeah, she had
the situation basically handled by the time I came in. In regards to the second
part…it’s a long story.” I grumbled morosely.

     I was glad Nadia could defend herself, but what guy
doesn’t want to come to his girls rescue. Huh, I was thinking of her as my girl
already. As for the long story…well, I didn’t like dwelling on that.

     Nadia squeezed my hand and I looked down to see her
giving me a severe expression of admonishment like she knew what I was
thinking. “Don’t.” She warned. 

     “Damn girl. Can you get anymore damn impressive?” Blake
exclaimed eyeing her in unconcealed admiration.

     I really had a problem with him saying that while in
his underwear, and prominently displayed…not that I was checking him out. “Can
we get back to the matter at hand?” I growled in irritation.

     Landon hadn’t taken his hostile gaze from his brother
the entire time. “Yeah, Kris, you still haven’t answered my question. What are
you doing in here?”

     Kris glared at Landon in drunken sullenness. “Rob and I
were in town partying and came here to crash for the night.”

     Landon continued to look at his brother in disgusted
anger. I was right there with him. It wasn’t difficult to see that there were
some definite strong feelings between the two brothers, especially on Landon’s
side. And while Kris appeared the eldest by possibly two or three years, Landon
seemed to be the more dominant sibling.

     “If you checked in with mom or dad you would know that I
reserved the house this weekend, and it’s a full house.” Landon reported
angrily. “But the question I was asking you was why are you in
this
room? And why was Nadia restraining you?” He bit out crossly.

     “I checked a few of the other rooms but they were full.
When I got to this one…” Kris threw a surly expression at Nadia which had me
taking an infuriated step forward. Nadia’s hand was still in mine and she hung
on tight holding me back. I took a deep breath realizing that I didn’t need to
be getting into a fight with Landon’s drunken brother in his own house.

     “When you got to this one, what asshole? Why is it that
she felt threatened enough to where she had to fight you, both of you?” I
growled out.

    Kris looked at me in apprehension. “I was just checking
out who was in the bed when she jumped up all of a sudden and hit Rob in the
nose, and then she grabbed my arm and twisted it pushing me down on the bed.
What is she, some kind of martial arts chick?”

     “You’re lucky she didn’t have her knife or she would
have probably gutted you.” Landon said derisively. That had everyone in the
room staring back at Nadia with varying expressions; the two guys in alarm, and
Evan and Blake in incredulous wonderment. It wasn’t doing much for my mood.

     “Did you touch her, asshole? Nadia, did they touch
you?” I asked outright. That’s what I wanted to know. The guys had to have
gotten close to her for her to feel the need to attack.

     “
Nyet,
but zay were bent ofer watching me and
saying some horrible zings.” Her strong accent told me she was emotionally
charged by the situation.

     I turned my furious gaze back on the two guys, my
muscles bunching in possible confrontation. They’d been staring at her while
she’d slept! “What were they saying?” I gritted out.

     I saw Kris glance at Landon in dread. Why was he
looking at Landon like that? He should be afraid of me. “We were just saying
some random drunken shit. We weren’t going to do anything. Really!” He gave
Nadia a beseeching look. Probably hoping she would bail him out somehow.

     She threw him a disgusted look. “I need to check on
Issy. Hopefully she hasn’t been traumatized by this whole thing.” She shuffled
toward the door with the blanket dragging behind her.

     “Nadia, I’m really sorry about this. My brother’s a bit
of an ass.” Landon said in heated repentance.  

     She looked back at him and there was a peculiar look of
sympathy in her eyes. “Its okay, Landon. I don’t blame you. I know all about
mu’dak
relatives.” She passed through the door regally.

     I watched her go feeling the need to not let her out of
my sight, and find out how Issy was doing, but I had to know what Landon was
going to do about his brother. I wanted to give each of them some broken bones
so they’d remember to never do this again. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was
going to be granted this consolation.  

     “Kris, you are a fucking moron. You’re lucky Seth here
has some control over himself or you’d be red smear on the carpet. That was his
girl you ogled while sleeping.” Landon pulled his brother up roughly and pushed
him toward the door. Rob, the friend, jumped up to follow. “You guys can take a
cab to a hotel.”

     Kris gaped and whined. “What the fuck, Landon. It’s
fucking three o’clock in the morning. This is my house too, and there has to be
some rooms still available.”

     Landon gave him a push through the door. “There’s one,
but it’s across the hall from Nadia and I don’t think she would be that
comfortable with you there.” Landon retorted falsely. I knew for a fact that there
were several other rooms unoccupied.  

     “What-the-fuck-ever.” Kris replied in frustration
walking down the hall. “We’ll just drive to a hotel.”

     Landon grabbed hold of his brother’s arm. “Kris, you’re
drunk. I’m not letting you drive. You’re taking a cab.” He stated firmly before
giving him a small shove forward in angry exasperation.

     “I’ll call the cab.” I stated unequivocally. I didn’t
give a shit if Landon’s brother had a right to sleep here. I wanted them both away
from Nadia and Issy.

     “I’ll pay the fair.” Blake offered grimly. I grunted
out a nod of gratitude.

     “Can I toss them in?” Evan asked with baleful delight.

     “Fuck you, this is my house.” Kris mumbled stumbling
down the stairs.

      Landon stopped and turned toward me. “Go tell Nadia
that she and Issy can go back to bed without having to worry about my
brother
being in the house any longer.” There was heavy disgust in Landon’s tone as he
said the word ‘brother’. I understood now why he never mentioned him…he was an
ass of epic proportions.

     I nodded. “Thanks for making that happen.” I stated in
gratitude.

     “Really, it’s no problem.” Landon replied irately.

     Halting at the conjunction between the two hallways I
frowned wondering where Nadia went to find Issy. Then I heard murmuring from
the room Luka had been sleeping in. Making my way over I stopped in the doorway
to see Nadia leaning back against the beds headboard cuddling and rocking Issy
while whispering words of comfort to her in both Russian and English. Luka had
pulled up a chair next to the bed and was rubbing Issy’s leg adding his own
comfort to the situation.

    There was no doubt that these three people loved and
supported each other.

     Nadia smoothed her hand down Issy’s hair. “
Eto
normal’no
,
lapachk)
. Those
lyudi
were just looking for a place to
son
.
I overreacted when I saw them. One of them was Landon’s brother. You remember
Landon, right? The tall blonde
chelovek
with the white tipped hair and
dragon tattoo. He thinks he’s all that and a bag of potato chips, with a
chocolate shake on the side.”

     I saw Issy’s stomach vibrate a little telling me that
she thought Nadia’s words were funny…and they were actually. Funny and true.

     “
Odin iz nikh vam plokhiye imena.
” Issy
whispered in Russian.

     I needed to learn Russian. It was frustrating not
knowing what was being said. I could translate it somewhat when it was mixed
with English, but not an entire sentence.

     Nadia noticed me standing in the door as she rubbed
Issy back soothingly. I mouthed ‘
they’re gone
’ along with a thumb jerk. She
gave me a crooked smile that had my chest constricting and warmth suffusing my
body, and not in a sexual way, but in an ‘I want to see that smile aimed at me
all the time’ way.

     “He called me those names because he was drunk,
devochka
,
drunk and startled by what was happening. And maybe a little scared. You know
how I sometimes blurt out bad words when I’m startled or when I hurt myself. It
was the same thing.”

     Nadia must have taken pity on me and my confused
expression because she basically translated that for me which I appreciated,
and her explanation to Issy about why Landon’s brother had been call her a ‘fucking
bitch’ I thought was ideally explicated.

     I walked over and sat on the other side of the bed.
Issy turned her head at the movement. Her eyes were red and puffy from the
tears she’d been shedding, and fatigued from the late night.

     I gave her a tender smile though the resurgence of
anger at those two assholes for scaring her. “You know what, Issy. If your
sister had punched me and wrestled me to the ground like she did those guys I
might have used some strong language as well. No guy likes to get beat up by a
girl. Your sister is one fierce warrior woman. She scared those guys silly.”

     I was attempting to lighten the circumstances hoping to
get a smile…and I was rewarded with a tentative one. “She did, didn’t she?”
Issy said straightening up in Nadia’s lap to look at her. “I woke up to a noise
and saw two people moving around in the dark, and then you yelled for me to get
under the bed. It scared me when you yelled like that, so I did.” Issy’s
expression drooped at the memory. “But I peeked out and saw you push the guy
down on the bed and hold him there as you called for Seth.”

     I’d forgotten that little tidbit. Nadia
had
called out my name. Of course she would call for help, but she could have just
screamed or called for Luka. Instead she’d specifically called my name.

     Issy looked my way with another tentative smile. “You
said a bad word too.”

     I frowned trying to remember what I’d said, and at the
same time I observed Nadia’s expression relax as if realizing that Issy was
going to be alright.

     “Are you sure?” I gave her a doubtful look although it
was quite possible I had said something
bad
at the time.

     Issy nodded smiling. “You said the H…E…double L word.”

     I grinned at her disclosure. “That’s not necessarily a
bad word. It’s more of a bad place for bad people.”

     Issy frowned and looked at Nadia for verification.
Nadia gave us both a stern look. “It’s a bad place
and
a bad word if you
use it a certain way. Remember what I said about words; it’s not the words that
are bad, it’s how people use them.”

     My brow lifted in deference. “That’s quite
philosophical of you.”

     “I’m bursting with philosophy.” Nadia said with a
cheeky and grateful grin. She turned to Issy. “Aren’t I, Issy?”

     Issy frowned. “What’s that?”

     “It means I’m wicked smart and right
all
the
time.” Nadia informed her with an imposing stare.

     Issy smiled.

     Luka snorted from his chair. “Yeah…how many times have
we found your purse, a cereal box, or an empty bowl in the refrigerator?”

     I frowned while Issy giggled. Nadia looked at Luka in
indignation. “You know I’m not a morning person.” She exclaimed.

     “That might explain the cereal box and bowl, but what
about the purse?” Luka asked with a cocky grin.

     “I’ve heard it’s the safest place to put your money.”
Nadia stated importantly.

     “Uh huh, that’s why you do it.” Luka drawled
sarcastically. Nadia gave him an evil stare and Issy giggled relaxing back on
to Nadia’s chest. I wanted to ask further about this tendency of Nadia’s but Issy
looked like she was ready to pass out any second.

     “You guys ready to go back to bed? I know I am.” I
declared.

     “Yeah, me too. Come on, Issy.” Nadia scooted to the
edge of the bed setting Issy on the floor while she held the blanket I’d given
her around her body. “Night Luka.” Grabbing Issy’s hand she led her down the
hallway back to their room.

     I watched from the doorway as Nadia tucked Issy back in
bed and rather than uncover herself with the blanket I’d given her from Issy’s
bed, Nadia grabbed the coverlet from her bed switching them.

     “Nadia, will you sleep with me tonight?” Issy asked
softly.

     Nadia ran her hand over Issy’s hair with a warm smile.
“Sure,
lapochka.
Let me just get the light.” 

     “I’ll get it, Nadia. Go ahead and get into bed.” I
stated flipping the switch.