From Russia With Claws (26 page)

Galina glanced nervously around the circle at the sheer number of werewolf Mafioso. “Uh, Irina…”

But Irina was off. “Viktor!” Irina streaked past bodyguards and old men to launch herself at her not-quite-dead lover.

He staggered under the impact, but wrapped his arms around her tightly, lifting Irina off her feet. The crowd went silent as Irina claimed Viktor’s mouth in a kiss so fierce that Galina could practically feel the heat from across the clearing.

“What the fuck is this?” she heard Alexei mutter behind her.

Galina shared a grin with Andrey, who crossed the grass to stand beside her. The silence broke as many heads bent together, exclaiming and whispering over the shock of Ilya Sudenko’s sweet human daughter making a shameful spectacle of herself with a poor, unconnected Beta. Galina looked over her shoulder to see the monstrous sneer pass across Alexei’s face at the sight of Irina in Viktor’s arms. He stepped toward them, but Nik held him back.

Irina let Viktor up for air just long enough to rear back and slug him with everything she had in her. The werewolf’s head snapped backward from the force of her blow, but his smile was blinding. Galina heard Andrey chuckle next to her even after Irina spat, “Don’t you
ever
do that to me again, do you hear me?”

“Thank you all for coming,” Galina began, pulling the focus from her sister’s reunion with her beloved.

Silence filled the yard. All eyes were fixed on her. She stepped away from Andrey and Irina, standing alone before all of them. Galina knew that she had to do this herself. It was the only way. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about challenging her brother to single combat.

“I’ve invited you all here to bear witness.” Mutterings began, sweeping through the circle of people. She plowed ahead. “I, Galina Sudenko, do hereby challenge my brother, Alexei Sudenko for leadership of the Sudenko family.”

Alexei looked murderous. The mutterings around her exploded, all shock and indignation over Irina’s behavior forgotten as shouts began to ring back and forth across the open space.

“Nonsense!” Alexei scoffed. “A woman has no right to challenge me. Everyone knows females can’t run the business.”

Petyr interrupted. “That is not the case. A woman has every right to initiate a challenge. It has happened in the past when Ykaterina Grenko challenged her husband.” The shouting settled down, Petyr’s words calming the more excited of the group.

“This is ridiculous.” Alexei stalked up to her, trying his best to intimidate her through height. He looked ludicrous since he was only an inch or two taller than her. “What cause does she have?”

“I don’t need a cause to initiate a challenge, or are you unfamiliar with the rules, Alexei?” She waited a beat before continuing. “But if you must have something, then I challenge you for the murder of our father, for the attempt on my life, and for the abduction of our sister—these are my reasons for challenge.”

Galina watched as Alexei’s nostrils flared in rage. She hoped this would unbalance him further. He made stupid mistakes when he was angry.

“And just in case there is any doubt that I have cause to challenge my brother.” Galina raised her arm, phone in hand, and pressed play. Alexei’s enraged voice rose to life, echoing through the trees as he explained his “efforts” to Irina.

“Do you think it was so easy? Getting Papa out of the way? Do you know what I had to do to end this farce of an engagement to that Rom mongrel? Do you think I wanted to have Papa killed? No! But I did it, for you, Irina. So we could be together. I killed Papa for you!”

Alexei howled in rage, barely audible over the rising crest of the crowd’s voices.

Petyr nodded, holding up his hands for quiet. The list of accusations against Alexei and his own confession were too much for the crowd to take. Galina heard a few of them calling for Alexei’s blood.

“And who will be your challenger?” Petyr asked.

Galina smiled slowly, feeling it creep across her face like fog. “I will.”

Again Petyr held up his hands for silence as the other wolves responded, still capable of shock, somehow. Alexei was grinning like a madman, obviously unconcerned about her challenge. He thought she wouldn’t know how to fight. She was counting on his being overconfident.

“Galya,” Petyr said softly, drawing close to her, “this is madness. Let Nikolai handle this.”

“No, Uncle,” she told him, shaking her head sadly. “This is between me and Alexei. He’s the one who stuck a knife in my back.”

“A woman does not fight!” he scolded.

“This woman does.” She turned back to Alexei. “I’m going to change.”

“Why don’t you do it here?” he taunted.

There were a number of reasons why she wouldn’t change in front of the group of men gathered. The most important was that she needed these men’s respect when she took over as head of the family and it was hard to do that once they’d seen her naked. And she really liked the dress she was wearing; she didn’t want to shred it.

Galina gave Alexei her most infuriating smile. “Because I think everyone should be focused on the fact that you’re a murdering coward and not on my naked breasts. Even if they are fabulous.” She walked away to a small copse of trees that Papa had planted decades ago for just such a reason.

Andrey followed her. Before she could do more than remove her coat, he grabbed her roughly and kissed her. His mouth pressed hard against hers, demanding, wanting. She opened her lips beneath his, feeling his tongue slide against hers. He kissed her breathless, so deeply and desperately that she wobbled unsteadily against him.

“Let me fight him,” he demanded, breaking away from her mouth.

“You know my answer to that already,” Galina answered, kicking off her shoes.

Andrey’s hands on her shoulders stopped her from undressing. “I can’t lose you.” His voice was soft, pitched for their ears alone.

“You won’t,” she assured him with a confidence she didn’t feel. Galina knew only that she would never be able to live with herself if Andrey was hurt fighting her battles. “Do you really think I could stand losing you?” She held a hand to his cheek.

“Be careful,” he said, moving his head so he could kiss her palm.

“Watch my back?” She finished undressing quickly.

Andrey grinned, his eyes never leaving her as she triggered her change. “When the back is as lovely as that, of course.”

Galina padded toward the circle slowly, taking time to adjust to her wolf senses. It took her a few minutes to get used to four legs instead of two, a lower center of gravity, and how alive everything looked and smelled. Her senses were in overdrive, her thoughts scattered.

Her sensitive ears picked up gasps as she stalked into the circle, Andrey behind her. Galina didn’t spend a lot of time in wolf form and hardly anyone here—outside of Nik, Alexei, and Rina—had ever seen her as an animal. Her coat was thick and white, her eyes the same icy jade as when she was human. She was large for a wolf, even larger than most males.

Alexei had changed in the circle and he now growled when he caught wind of her scent. Galina ignored him for the moment, taking a turn around the area to inspect for things not visible to the human eye. When she was satisfied everything was to her liking, she sat at the edge of the circle and waited.

“To the death?” Uncle Petyr asked once more as soon as Alexei calmed down.

Galina nodded her big wolf’s head.

Galina stared at Alexei, also in his wolf form. He was no larger than she, but he did outweigh her. Her coarse white fur bristled as they circled each other. “To the death,” Uncle Petyr cried out, and the entire assembly called out their agreement.

They wanted blood? That was fine with her; so did she.

Alexei snapped at her, his blocky head lunging at her front legs. Galina jumped back lightly, feeling out his speed. He snarled, snapping again. She lunged in return, nearly catching his front leg in between her teeth. She’d held back her speed, not willing to give away one of her strengths to him. Instead she pulled back, letting him think he was in control.

Alexei always made mistakes when he got cocky.

He rushed her, hoping to bowl her over with his superior mass, but Galina dancing out of his way, making a high barking noise as she did so. It was a taunt, a sound designed to humiliate at the same time it egged him on. She heard her brother growl with frustration and he leapt forward again, this time snapping at her hindquarters.

Instead of jumping away, Galina spun. Ducking her head low, she lunged at Alexei’s throat. He jerked back, pulling his head away from her. She kept at him, teeth closing on fur but nothing else.

Alexei rushed her, his greater weight bowling Galina over. She scrambled to her feet, feeling his teeth dig into her flank. Galina lashed out with a paw, smacking him in the head. Her claw grazed across his eyes and he jumped backward.

She hadn’t meant to hit him in the eye, but she would take it. Blood ran down her leg from the gash Alexei’s teeth had left on her. Galina tested her footing to make sure her leg would bear her weight, feeling relief when it did.

Alexei paced before her, rage vibrating through him. Galina watched him cautiously, knowing how dangerous he was in this state. His eyes held nothing but hatred when they met hers. She wondered when things had gotten so bad between Alexei and the rest of them. He’d always been a bully, but when had they missed the chance to help him? How had they missed the signs of what a monster he was becoming?

Galina felt a sadness spring up inside of her. It was too late to help him now, even if he would allow it, which she doubted. She had to end this—for Nik and Rina, for Andrey, for the family business.

She had to end him.

Alexei growled, then attacked. Rather than bracing for him, Galina rolled with it as he smashed into her. He fought to pin her, his teeth aiming for her throat. She turned her body to the side, closing her jaw around his foreleg and bearing down.

Her brother howled in pain. Galina kept biting, feeling the crunch of bone beneath her teeth. Alexei fell off of her, backpedaling to get away. She opened her jaw, the taste of Alexei’s blood filling her mouth. She wanted to spit it out but couldn’t.

They circled again, Alexei moving slowly. He did his best to not put weight on his injured leg. Galina suddenly wished it could have been different between all of them, all those years ago. Back when they were kids, before their mother’s death and Elena’s. She wanted to turn back into her human form so she could talk to him, tell him so.

But his gaze burned into her, and Galina knew that there was no going back. Alexei would never forgive her for this. He would kill her if he could.

She feinted on the side with his bad eye. He had to turn if he wanted to see her. Galina changed direction, only to find herself snout to snout with him. He slammed into her, ignoring the damage to his foot. She dropped to her side, off balance, knowing she’d made a mistake.

But Alexei’s teeth and claws didn’t cut into her. Galina looked and saw him snarling, his gaze pinned to Rina as she passionately kissed Viktor.

Galina used his distraction to her advantage. He leapt toward Viktor, intending to kill him, but she’d already guessed his purpose. Crashing into him, Galina brought him to the ground. Before he could get to his feet, she was on him, jaws closing around his throat.

“Galya!
Stop!”
Nik shouted. “You can’t kill him! He’s still our brother!”

Galina looked up at her brother from over the fur of Alexei’s neck. She relaxed her hold slightly. What the hell was Nikolai thinking?

Alexei pulled free, changing as he did so. Human again, he staggered to the pile of his clothes. Galina stared at Nikolai, wondering why he would interfere with the challenge.

“Galya, look out!” Irina screamed, jumping into the fight circle. Viktor threw his arm around her waist and hauled her back.

Galina caught sight of Alexei with a silver knife in his hand, just like the one that had been used by Maksim at the hotel. Mama Yaga’s voice flashed through her head.
“If you are pierced with silver again, you will not heal.”

Galina felt her leg muscles bunch in a powerful predator’s twitch. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Andrey was lunging at them, trying to interpose himself between her and the knife. Konstantin was shouting, his hand going inside his jacket for his gun.

She leapt forward, feeling something hot zip past her fur as she did so. Galina saw a red hole open up in Alexei’s forehead, and then she was crashing into him, two hundred pounds of pissed off she-wolf bearing him to the ground with her teeth in his throat. Without hesitation, she ripped upward, tearing through flesh and muscle. Hot blood slapped her muzzle.

She spun, claws digging into Alexei’s shuddering body. Irina stood, gun in hand, staring down at her brother with a grim expression. Her sister’s eyes were hard, like chips of smoky topaz. Irina had shot Alexei, right between the eyes. No hesitation. Kon was right. She was a hell of a shot.

There was a moment of quiet before pandemonium hit. Alexei’s loyal followers pulled weapons of their own, or burst into the clearing on four paws. Galina met them head on, Andrey, as a great black wolf, by her side. Konstantin and Nik were also there in wolf form, snapping and tearing at anyone foolish enough to threaten their pack.