King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Sephle

Adrik and I were the last ones to breakfast the following morning. Everyone gave us knowing looks and I suddenly worried that I’d been too loud the night before. Adrik felt my sudden panic. He slid his arm around my waist, his lips next to my ear. “Nobody heard you. But if they did, they’re just jealous.” He was clearly amused at the possibility of them hearing me. It was an ego boost for him. It was insanely embarrassing for me.

“Good morning, princess,” Ivan said. I was fairly certain he felt my momentary panic as well. He was becoming quite good at feeling as much from me as I could feel from him. “We made bets as to whether you would wake up late today or not. You’re due for a late morning.”

“Sh ut up.”

“No, it’s true, gazelle. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve slept in. I think you’re past due, actually,” Misha said.

I couldn’t hide my amusement at them apparently knowing my schedules better than I did. “I had no idea I was so predictable,” I said, sitting in an empty chair beside Viktor. He put his giant arm around my shoulders, hugging me sweetly. He kissed the top of my head, saying, “you’re allowed to sleep in whenever you like. You waste a lot of energy taking care of all of us, sestrichka.”

“I would not call that a waste, Papa Bear.”

one, am relieved that you didn’t sleep in this morning, spider monkey. I was going to feel bad about letting you go full speed yesterday morning if you had,” Andrei said.

I smiled at him, nodding my head. “I assume there’s

them,” Misha said. Both Aleksei and Vitaliy looked at all of us curiously, wanting to hear why they called me by the names they did.

I had to carry her around every chance she got. She still does it. That’s why I call her spider monkey,” Andrei said as he smiled and winked at me. I knew he’d come to love

killed me that first

put me in mine very quickly after first meeting her. I had called her princess to try and pi ss her off. I was giving her shi

since.”

to pi ss her off?” Vitaliy asked.

set of skills

“How so?”

him shi t back so he let me clean his wound, but I told him he needed stitches. He said

told him she wished she had a lollipop to give him and thanked him for not killing this princess when she was done,” Viktor said, his arm moving around my