God of Fury (Legacy of Gods, #5)

by Rina Kent

Now, the thought of being without him terrifies me. Death terrifies me because it would take me away from him

“The fact that you kidnapped him and beat him up in the first place.” “He had it coming when he messed with my fucking sister.” “You were messing with his fucking brother!”

“And you think he forced her? If you weren’t so up your own arse, you would’ve seen the way she looks at him. She loves him, Nikolai. She’s in love with him. And you might not want to believe this, but he loves her, too, in his own fucked-up way.”

“No, it wasn’t. But I knew if I hurt him again, I’d lose you, and that’s not a fucking option.”

“You don’t get to ignore me, pretend I don’t exist, then proceed to hurt my brother after I basically begged you not to and waltz back into my life as if nothing happened.” “I’m not pretending it didn’t. I’m just saying I’m in your life despite everything that happened. And I didn’t ignore you because I wanted to. I was on my high and things would’ve turned ugly if I came close, especially with the shit with Landon. I punched you, Bran.”

“I still don’t like it. I hate the very idea of hurting you, even unintentionally. I was haunted for weeks by the sight of the blood that gushed out of your nose. I’m so sorry. I’ll never let myself do that again. That night in front of the Elites’ mansion was enough proof that I had no control and was capable of hurting you. Also, I could never pretend you don’t exist, motherfucker. You’re everywhere like goddamn air.”

“Now, you listen to me, motherfucker.” I wrap a hand around his throat. “You don’t get to hide from me and demand to know me. You don’t get to bury yourself six feet deep and think you can still read me like a book. If I’m splitting myself open for you and allowing you to see parts of me no one else is privy to, you need to do the same. You owe me that fucking much.”

“Are you really going to let go of the Landon thing?” “I should’ve listened to you and exchanged you for Mia. You can say I told you so.” “No, Nikolai. I don’t derive pleasure from seeing you hurt or conflicted, and I know how much you love your sister. But it’s hypocritical to want Lan away from her while insisting on having me. Lan is my twin brother and he will always be a massive part of my life. You can’t, under any circumstances, make me choose. I need you to understand that.” “I get it. I’m sorry.”

His lower lip pushes slightly forward in a little pout and I can’t help the feeling of complete adoration that floods me. He’s so goddamn cute for an asshole.

“Don’t ever do that again.” He pants against my lips, his fingers pulling on my hair until it’s painful. “Don’t you fucking dare walk away from me or ghost me. I don’t give a fuck if you’re on a high or a murder spree. I couldn’t care less if you hurt me. You don’t come to me when you’re only okay, you come to me at all times. Am I fucking understood?” I lick his bottom lip then bite down. “You don’t hide from me, either. I want you raw. Am I fucking clear?” His hot breath whooshes out in harsh pants against my mouth. “What if you don’t like what you see?” “Not sure if you noticed it, but I like everything about you—your control-freak tendencies and nagging included.”

“Hi, good morning,” I say with my most welcoming smile that I only show my parents. “I’m Bran’s friend from school.” His mom smiles. “Are you, by any chance, Nikolai?”

So imagine my fucking surprise when he threads his fingers through mine and smiles at his parents. “Yeah, Mum. This is Nikolai and he’s more than just a friend.”

First I get a psycho son. Okay, fine. Love that. Best challenge of my life and pretty sure I passed it. I didn’t need to have my daughter with a psycho boyfriend. And now, it’s the psycho’s psycho fucking cousin.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was supposed to be fucking glaring,” I say loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Don’t ma’am me. Just call me Astrid. Make yourself comfortable and treat this like your home.” “I wouldn’t recommend that.”

“Once again, I’m sorry for showing up without previous notice. I thought I’d see Bran and leave.” “Aw, such good manners.” My wife smiles. “And don’t worry, you’re welcome here any time.” “I wouldn’t use the word welcome

There he goes defending the little fucker. I’m losing my children one by one to a bunch of wankers.

Bran ducks his head and smiles as he spreads an unhealthy amount of apricot jam on some toast. My heart kind of fucking bursts. I haven’t seen my son smile so broadly since…well, his pre-teenage years.

“He prefers a sweet breakfast, Mum.” Bran slides the jam sandwich that I thought he was making for himself in front of Nikolai and even gives him a whole plate of macarons.

“Don’t be fooled by the muscles. He has the most tragic sweet tooth I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness.”

“One day, you’ll go into a sugar coma,” Bran says with a sigh, as if he’s mentioned this countless times before. “Worth it.”

“I actually have a GPA of 4.15, sir. I might not look like it, but I have an awesome memory. Though your other son likes to call me stupid.” I smile to myself, proud of Lan, but then Bran strokes Nikolai’s arm. “You’re not stupid. Besides, Lan finds ninety-nine percent of the human population mentally challenged, so he’s the problem.” Is he consoling him right now? Dear God, please blind my fucking eyes.

“As long as you don’t think that, I couldn’t care less about Landon’s opinion of me.”

“So what do you like about my son?”

“The right question would be what I don’t like about him. Which is maybe three things…actually, I take that back. I like those things sometimes as well, so they don’t count.”

“Is that your way of not giving me one single thing you like?” “I’m happy to. How much time do you have, sir?” “As much as you need.”

“Okay then.” He inhales deeply and speaks in one continuous breath. “I like that he’s responsible, punctual, takes all of his engagements seriously, steps up for justice, and helps in every way possible. I like his cooking, his rare smiles, and how dedicated he is to running and staying healthy. I like making him laugh and, eh, watching him sleep. I like how he’s fully concentrated when he’s in the art studio, but most of all, I like how he let me into his life and made a place for me there. I even like the boring Agatha Christie movie adaptations now, not because they’re any good, but because he’s truly obsessed with that shi—I mean, stuff. I even like his nagging and control-freak tendencies most of the time, so yeah, there’s nothing I don’t...

It’s the look in Bran’s eyes as his entire body angles in Nikolai’s direction. It’s awe and affection but also fear. A fear so deep, even I can see it. What is he afraid of? He doesn’t look to be scared of Nikolai, more like he’s scared for him. But why and from what?

He’s in love with him. It’s not a crush, mere admiration, or a fling. My son is fully, truly, and irrevocably in love with the gangster.

“I’m totally going to tell my dad to ask you that exact same question when you meet him. I want to hear what you have to say.”

My wife scolds me with those bright-green eyes that could make me do anything—absolutely anything—except for handing over my precious Bran to this wanker.

can leave if that’s better—” His words come to a halt when Bran clutches his wrist and shakes his head.

“I…thought so, too.” He sighs and shakes his head. “It’s impossible to stay away from him. Believe me, I’ve tried. Multiple times. Each time, it only got harder, not easier, and I really can’t imagine my life without him in it anymore. I hurt him enough by denying my sexuality and him. He was patient and even agreed to see me in secret although he’s openly bi. I can’t hurt him anymore, that would be worse than causing pain to myself. The idea of losing him scares the shit out of me, Dad.”

I see it again. That look he had earlier. This time, it’s more intense as he stares at him. He’s not afraid for him, he’s afraid of losing him.

“All my life, I thought I was one of those people who was meant to be alone, but he changed that. Single-handedly. He chased me and made it impossible to ignore him. He’s helped me become a better man—more balanced, less…agitated and lonely. He’s the only one for me. So…if you don’t hate him a lot, can you try to accept him? I love you and respect you a lot, Dad. You know how much your approval means to me.”

“Come here, son.” I half hug him. “I don’t actually hate him. I just don’t like the idea of him replacing me.” “That’s impossible. No one can take your role in my life.” He steps back. “You’re also my only worthy kitchen mate. Nikolai can’t cook to save his life.”

“Tell me about it. He’s so unorganized, it drives me bonkers. He’ll be throwing everything around, leaving milk outside the fridge, and meditating underwater. He can’t even tell the difference between basil, oregano, and coriander. ‘They’re all grass’, he says. He also didn’t know who Agatha Christie was until recently. He barely knows who Zeus or most historical figures are. He said the only superior one is Hannibal because he was a badass general who nearly brought down an empire, and the rest of them don’t merit a place in his head. Can you believe that?” My sigh is deep and fucking defeated. “You love him that much, huh?” “Yeah—” He cuts himself off and his eyes widen as he swallows thickly. “I mean… I…I…” “It’s fine.” I clutch his shoulder. “Take your time to come to terms with it. I know it’s scary, but it’ll get better.”

He grins in return and we walk in as Astrid says, “That’s Jayden, or Jay for short.” “A relative?” Nikolai asks. “You could say that. He’s my stepsister’s half-brother and was Bran’s

first crush.”

“First crush you say?” Nikolai’s tone turns mysterious as he looks at the picture in which Bran and Jay are wearing Minion jumpsuits, clutching each othe...

“Hmm. And where is he now?” “In the States. He’s the youngest hotshot NASA scientist. I’m so proud of him.” “Is he at the headquarters or one of the other field centers?” “Headquarters, I believe.” “Good to know. Is he Jayden Clifford?” “No, Adler.” “Jayden Adler. DC. Cool.”

“Jay and I haven’t really seen each other much over the years. He’s a genius student and barely has time for anything but studying.”

“Did I say anything?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Bran says low, but I hear him. “No idea what you’re talking about.” “Nikolai,” he warns. “Yes?” He smiles and I want to punch him, ...

“You’re such a papa bear. Just be happy that Bran found someone who cares about him like Nikolai does. You heard the part he hates, right? That’s exactly what we struggle with, and not only has he picked up on it, but he chose it as the only thing he dislikes. You know how closed off and inward Bran can be, so we should be celebrating the fact that he’s letting someone close, not be babies about it.”

“Levi, come on. Have you ever seen Bran smile so much?” I groan. So she noticed that, too. Of course she did. And I hate to admit it, but she’s definitely right.

Bran included. I saw it in his eyes earlier. He wants to be with Nikolai and he’ll do it no matter what it takes.

His jeans hang low on his hips, stretching over his muscular thighs, giving him a lethally attractive edge. His whole look is. From the leather jacket to his hair that’s unfortunately held up now. His bicep flexes, drawing my attention to the tattoos on his full sleeves, stretching to the backs of his hands. I never thought so many tattoos could be so sexy until Nikolai.

But then again, it might be because the tattoos are on him.

I can’t help the smile that tugs on my lips. He’s so fucking adorable.