Gavriil shook his head. "Not Moscow. Sorbacov is staying in St. Petersburg at the moment while he cleans up his father's mess. He's trying to keep a low profile even while he's moving behind the scenes to become president."

"Why does he hate your family so much?"

"I honestly don't think it's personal. At least not until Maxim kept him from acquiring Airiana and her brains to become his own little captive think tank. He can't afford for his father's experiments to ever see the light of day, so he's sweeping the entire special unit of assassins his father created under the rug, so to speak. In order to do that, he has to execute the students who attended the schools his father set up."

"How did your family get involved?"

"When my father was alive, he was a very influential man. He had many gifts, and his political opponents feared him. At that time the country was in the beginning stages of unrest. It was all beneath the surface, and several men were trying to orchestrate a change in power. One of those, a man by the name of Kostya Sorbacov, was on the rise. He was very careful to always be in the background. He wanted anonymity to carry out his plans."

"The power behind the throne so to speak."

Gavriil nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately for him, there were several very powerful men who were outspoken against his chosen candidate. So he went to work systematically destroying them. One night soldiers broke into our home. We were taken, our parents murdered. Sorbacov didn't want us together. He feared we would be too strong and loyal to one another, so we were taken to separate cities and placed in schools."

"The spy/assassin schools for children. I heard whispers of them, but no one knew if they really existed."

"He called us operatives. I was Operative Prakenskii. We had brutal instructors and learned everything from languages to art, but mostly how to kill people. It was... difficult and the punishments for failure ranged from beatings to death. It was a big range."

Lissa sighed. "Let me get you another cup of coffee. Keep talking." She glanced at the dogs, straightened her shoulders and stood up gracefully. Both dogs alerted, watching her closely, but neither moved a muscle.

"There isn't much to tell. We did our jobs. And then Sorbacov's son grew up, and politics in Russia changed. Uri, his son, doesn't want to be the man behind the scenes. He wants to run the country, but he can't do that if there is any evidence of these schools Russia had been denying all along. So he set out to make certain all evidence of the schools was wiped out. Before he did, Lissa..."

Gavriil took the mug of hot coffee she handed him. "Before he did, Uri and his father went to St. Petersburg to their 'safe' house. To try to get to them would be suicide. It may be possible later, but now they're expecting it and have prepared. They know the faces and identities of everyone who attended the schools, and their security forces are on the lookout for those specific individuals as well as strangers."

Lissa curled her feet under her. "You're suddenly warning me off, Gavriil, why?"

"I didn't expect to care one way or the other," Gavriil admitted. "I'm not a caring man. I think Lexi did something to me the other day and ruined my ability to stay distant." He was half joking and half serious.

Lissa burst out laughing. "That's Lexi all right. She definitely can put a spell on you, and she isn't even aware of it." The smile faded from her face. "You know it won't be easy with her, right?"

"Do you think she'll have it easy with me?" he countered. He indicated the maps. "Are you really going?"

"Sometime in the next couple of weeks, when I know Lexi is safe from these cult members. I really love to get away now and then. It inspires me." A slow smile teased her mouth. "I wasn't kidding when I said I'd feel safer there than here. I'm not the kind of woman who could put up with an overbearing man. I can't imagine anything else in a Prakenskii, and it's down to two of us now. Blythe and me. I'd rather not take any chances."

"I see your point. I'd love to stay and chat more, but I need to make certain Airiana and the children have been introduced to the dogs. It seems Benito likes to sneak around spying."

"He does," Lissa agreed. "I've caught him a time or two lurking in the trees. He hasn't figured out a way to cross the open area to the house."

Gavriil laughed as he stood up. "He's industrious if nothing else."

"Their parents were killed, just like ours. They lost a little sister as well. Maxim is worried Benito is going to go down a wrong path. None of us want that for him, so we're all trying to redirect his rage and feelings of helplessness into a more protective mode." She shrugged. "Who knows if it will work?"

"One thing I do know for certain, Lissa," Gavriil said, "this farm is a place of healing. If there's any way that boy can put his life back together and become something other than a killer, it's here."

"That's a nice thing to hear," Lissa replied. "We tried hard to make new lives for ourselves and to build not only a haven of peace, but something productive."

"I think you've accomplished that. Before you make up your mind to go on this trip, give it a little more thought, given the things I've told you. If you really feel you want to try, I can give you the schematics I have on the Sorbacov estate as well as all information I've accrued. Which isn't as much as I'd like. But you have to promise me that you'll think about this."

Lissa nodded. "Thank you, Gavriil. And I wouldn't mind knowing how to train a dog the way yours have been trained. Do they scare me? You bet."

"I don't think much scares you, Lissa." He signaled the two dogs to his side.

"Don't kid yourself. Dogs terrify me, but I'm willing to try to get over it for everyone else's sake."

She'd kissed Gavriil Prakenskii. Lexi looked up at the sky, expecting it to fall. A miracle had happened and no one was around to witness it. Not that she wanted anyone to see her kissing Gavriil, but really? She'd kissed him. She touched her lips. She was smiling like an idiot and couldn't seem to stop.

She wasn't going to ruin the morning by thinking of anything that came next. She'd achieved a milestone, more than that. She'd actually kissed a man, and she hadn't panicked or thrown up. She threw her arms out and did a slow circle, happiness blossoming. Her feet did a little happy dance right there in the lettuce field.

"Lexi?"

She whirled around, her heart in her throat, jerked back to the present, to reality, to her life. The breath rushed from her lungs and her throat closed. Adrenaline poured through her body, paralyzing her. She could only stare at the young girl who had come up behind her. It took many long moments before panic receded and her mind allowed her to recognize Lucia.

The girl was crying, tears pouring down her face. She looked so young and lost, Lexi stepped up to her and gathered her into her arms, holding her close while she wept. She didn't ask what was wrong, or what had triggered the storm. She knew. How could she not?

When Lucia finally began hiccupping and clearing her throat in an effort to stop, Lexi pulled back, her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Do you want to go up to the house and I can make tea for us? We'll talk."

"I can't stop crying this morning," Lucia admitted. "I didn't want the kids to see me. Siena and Nicia both fall completely apart if they see me crying. I just can't stop thinking about my little sister Sofia and what she suffered before she died. I couldn't stop them from taking her. I tried, Lexi, but they knocked me down and dragged her out." She pressed both hands over her ears. "I can't get her screams out of my mind. I've never heard anything like that, so frightened. So..." She broke off, staring at Lexi helplessly with her enormous dark eyes.

Lexi had screamed. She'd heard other girls scream, and she knew exactly the sound Lucia was trying to describe. She nodded slowly. "It seems as if those screams will never fade and leave you alone, leave you in peace, even for a moment. And then you worry they will fade and that means you're forgetting and the guilt and shame come."

Lucia nodded. "I can hardly stand it sometimes, Lexi, and I have to smile and laugh for the girls. Benito tries not to cry, and he won't tell me what happened to him, so I know that it had to be very bad. Nicia cries in her sleep and calls for Sofia. Airiana is so good to us, and I hate adding more of a burden to her by falling apart too, but I am. I'm completely falling apart."

She began to sob, pushing her fist into her mouth to try to choke back the heartbroken weeping. Lexi gathered her into her arms again.

"Airiana doesn't think you or your sisters and brother are a burden, Lucia. She knows what it's like to lose someone she loves in a terrible way. I do too. I lost my parents, two brothers and a little sister."

"Why? I don't understand why. My mother and father were good people. They didn't do anything wrong. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Honey, it doesn't make any sense to anyone. There are bad people all over the world. I have no idea what shapes them into the monsters they are, but they ruin lives. They do. We have to fight back by not allowing them to ruin our lives. We're here together, building another family, learning to live all over again without the people we love and with the scars we carry. We're defiant and determined."

"I'm just sad all the time. More than sad. I feel as if something heavy is weighing me down and I can't get out from under it."

"That's grief, Lucia, and you're supposed to feel it. You lost your family. Please let Airiana take you to our counselor. She specializes in working with people who have lost loved ones through violence. I know she'll help you through this time."

"I feel guilty for clinging to Airiana and Max," Lucia admitted in a small voice. "It's okay for Siena and Nicia. They're young. Babies. Little Nicia was assaulted by that horrible man. She talks to Airiana and Max and that's a good thing. She needs to. They both need parents, and so does Benito, but when I find myself clinging to Airiana and Max, I'm so afraid I'm betraying my mother and father."

Lexi put her arm around the girl and started her back toward the house. "Your parents would want you to be happy and loved. They would want Airiana and Max to be in your lives, loving and caring for you and most of all, protecting you. If you find yourself loving them in return, that doesn't ever mean that you love your parents less. Do you understand?"

Lucia sniffed and shook her head.

Lexi kept her walking. Lucia shivered several times. Airiana had told Lexi during the cooking lesson that she was worried about the teenager. Lucia was so busy looking after the younger children that she hadn't really dealt with her own traumas. Lucia was overwhelmed now, the reality of her situation hitting her at once.

"You love people differently. You love your parents, Lucia, and you love your siblings. You probably even feel maternal toward Nicia and Siena, right?"

Lucia nodded. "I always wanted little sisters, and when they came along, I pretended I was their mother, especially the twins." She choked up again.

Lexi settled her arm more protectively around the girl's waist as they made their way up the path toward the house. She felt a little desperate. She didn't know the right thing to say to Lucia, and right now, the child needed to hear something that would help her. Lexi wasn't certain she was the right person to come to.

"Of course," she said. "That would be so natural to pretend at your age that the babies were your own. The girls love you so much, Lucia, but it didn't lessen their love for their parents. Accepting and loving Airiana and Max won't take away the love you have for your parents. It won't. Love doesn't work that way."

Lexi had no idea if she was even making sense. Lucia continued to weep, only much more quietly, reminding Lexi of her own terrible grief a grief so deep she could barely express it.

"Max makes me feel safe," Lucia said.

There was guilt in her voice. Shame. Lexi frowned. Now they were in precarious waters. She had to figure out for herself what was bothering Lucia so much. She had made the confession in a little rush, as if confessing her sins.

Lexi was silent, her mind turning over and over the way Lucia had made her declaration. "Honey, are you feeling angry with Max? You? Or your father?"

The moment she voiced the question, Lexi knew she was right. Lucia felt guilty because she was angry that her father hadn't protected them. She was angry at herself for feeling that way and angry at Max because she felt he was capable of protecting them something her beloved father hadn't done.

A fresh flood of tears was her answer. Lexi stopped again to hold the girl tightly. "It's okay," she murmured softly. "That's natural too. There are stages of grief, and anger is one of them. Max would understand and so would your father."

Lucia shook her head. "How? How could they possibly?"

"Max grew up in a world of brutality. Every single day of his life, he saw men like those who murdered your parents. He trained to go after them. That was his job. Your father lived in a completely different world, Lucia. You had money and privilege. You went to great schools. That was the world your father grew up in and knew. How could he possibly see the danger? How could he know someone would plot such a heinous crime against him and his family?"

"I know. I know that. In my heart I know that, but in my head..." Lucia trailed off, once more flinging herself into Lexi's arms.

"It's all right to feel what you're feeling, Lucia," Lexi said, rubbing her back and smoothing her hair. She had to talk around a lump in her throat. "I felt exactly the same way. I wanted my father to protect me and I questioned how he could let such a thing happen to me. It's normal. Intellectually we know they couldn't do anything, but it hurts so bad that our hearts ache and we ask ourselves why."

There was a kind of cleansing in admitting to another human being that she felt those raw emotions so intensely, just as Lucia did. She knew, more than most could, just how guilty and ashamed she felt for having such thoughts. More and more she identified with little Lucia. How could she not?

"You did, Lexi?" Lucia asked, lifting her head from Lexi's shoulder. Her eyes searched Lexi's. "You're not just saying that? You were angry at your father?"

"Sometimes I still am," Lexi admitted. "Most of the time I'm realistic and I know he couldn't have done anything, but then I have nightmares or a panic attack and I'm angry. I freeze and can't move, can't breathe, and it makes me feel cowardly and weak. Then I really get angry. Mostly at myself, but sometimes at him."

Lucia took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here, Lexi."

"Me too, honey. Let's go in and put the teakettle on. Did you tell Airiana that you were coming to see me this morning?"

Lucia nodded. "She looked... sad. I knew she wanted me to talk to her, but I couldn't look at her every day if she knew how angry I was with my father. I didn't want to hurt Max and she would have told him how angry I get with him. Seeing her face I just felt guiltier. I feel ashamed and guilty all the time."

"I did too, for a very long time, and then I met Airiana and my other sisters. They changed my life and gave me peace. We'll find that for you as well. It may take time, honey, but we'll do it."

Lucia hugged her hard and then pulled away, giving her a watery smile. "I'm learning how to make tea the way all of you like it. Let me try."

Lexi watched her run up the stairs into the house, knowing she needed to be alone for a few minutes.

11.

Gavriil dropped his hand on Drago's head, watching Lexi take Lucia into the house his home. The word tasted strange to him, but was exhilarating at the same time. He had never thought he'd have a permanent home and the thought was daunting. He'd never stayed in one place long and he knew, sooner rather than later he would become restless. He would have to find a way to deal with that.

Lucia was as tall as Lexi, all arms and legs, much like a gangly filly. His heart went out to her another first for him. This place the farm was changing him faster than he had thought possible.

Gavriil spent an hour with Airiana and Max, letting the children fuss over his dogs. Both Drago and Kiss remained somewhat aloof, but tolerant of all the attention. Lucia was very withdrawn, and when she got up abruptly, muttering she was going to find Lexi, he couldn't help but see the hurt flash in Airiana's eyes. Max reached over and took her hand to comfort her.

Max's gaze met his and he nodded, knowing his brother wanted him to follow the child and make certain she was all right. He waited a few minutes to give her a head start. He didn't have a clue how to deal with the girl's grief and trauma. He counted himself lucky that he hadn't made too many mistakes with Lexi. A fourteen-year-old girl? No way.

He took several deep breaths and then pressed his thumb into the center of his palm, reaching for Lexi. Is it safe to come inside? Is she still crying?

There was silence. He felt her warmth first as she came to him, pouring into his mind to fill every lonely place. The intimacy of her entrance stole his breath and sent heat rushing through his veins. He could almost smell her clean, forest scent and see the moss and cool streams. He definitely felt peace stealing into him.

I wouldn't mind the help with her. I don't have a clue how to comfort her.

He remained very still, not moving a muscle. That's your department. You're good at that kind of thing.

She made a little annoyed sound that didn't bode well for his future. Because I'm a woman? I have no experience with teenagers. You're older and wiser.

That's going to come back to bite you in your pretty little butt. Rather than bother you right now, maybe I should finish up in the lettuce field. Didn't you have some planting to do?

It's done. Don't be a coward. Come have tea with us. I already told Lucia you were on your way home. She's expecting you now.

Treacherous woman.

There was clearly nothing else for it but to go. It didn't really bother him, not when Lexi was waiting for him as well. He had a need to see her. To touch her. The obsession only seemed to grow stronger the more he was with her.

She likes the dogs. How did Lissa react?

She was very brave, Lexi. You would have been proud of her. She had been attacked when she was a child and she's never gotten over it. She does think it's a good idea to have protection dogs on the farm with each family. She will take one of the puppies. I promised her I'd help her train it.

Lexi came out of the house onto the porch and stood at the top of the stairs, her arm curled around the column, waiting for him. Just looking at her gave him a strange sensation of the earth moving beneath his feet. He wasn't a fanciful man, in fact he was quite cynical, but there was no denying the overwhelming emotions pouring into him when he was close to her.

Her smile greeting him as he came up the stairs to her made his heart stutter just a little bit. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her mouth. "Hi. I missed you."

"I missed you too." She sounded a little shy.

Lexi touched his face with the pads of her fingers briefly, but she might as well have branded him. He found himself falling into the coolness of her green eyes. The dogs pushed against her in greeting, breaking the spell. Lexi rubbed their coats and murmured a greeting, telling them Lucia was in the house.

"I've got a tray," Lucia called. "Can you open the screen?"

Gavriil stepped around Lexi to open the door for her, partially blocking the dogs from the teenager as she came outside with the wooden tray. On it was the teapot and three cups. He smiled at her.

"I see you found Lexi."

Lucia nodded. "She was in the lettuce field. Yesterday she mentioned she had to plant." She sent Gavriil a shy smile. "She was dancing around. I think it was some kind of ancient rain dance."

Lexi burst out laughing, the sound contagious, but there was a hint of color creeping up her neck into her face and her gaze slid away from his.

What were you really doing? He couldn't help but be curious the way she reacted.

Dancing because you kissed me and I kissed you back. She was strictly honest.

He sank onto the porch swing abruptly before he could make the mistake of kissing her all over again. She could have torn out his heart with her admission. Her eyes were soft, almost luminous, and he couldn't quite stop looking at her mouth.