“Big brother?” My jaw dropped. The mask I had precariously placed on my face was shattered, long forgotten. I couldn’t tell if Nikolai was lying or not. There wasn’t an ounce of deceit on his face, nor was there any other emotion.“It seems you know little about your mate.” Nikolai shook his head regretfully, “What a shame. If you were mine, nothing would be kept from you. You would never be left in the dark.”“If Viktor’s your brother, why isn’t he in line for the throne?” My eyes narrowed at Nikolai, ignoring his last comment.“Viktor—as you know him by, hate’s being in charge of others.” Nikolai smiled grimly, “Viktor’s skill is ending lives. He never possessed the tasks necessary to rule.”“There are plenty of Royal’s skilled at ending lives.” I murmured; my eyes locked on Nikolai’s. “They use others to do the

Two Days LaterNikolai Aslanov had been true to his word. Even though I knew he was responsible for the attack at my Birthday Gala, he found evidence against Elena Halifax. This evidence cleared Viktor’s name, letting him finally come back to me.I was unsure why Nikolai wanted to give Viktor and I a chance, but I didn’t argue with it. It was clear Nikolai expected Viktor and I to fail, hoping I would come to him after the fact. Nikolai Aslanov wanted a chance with me, yet he had a funny way of showing it. Trying to have me killed on my birthday wasn’t the best gesture.Viktor was able to return with August in two days. Viktor had turned around the minute I gave the news. He was naturally suspicious of Nikolai Aslanov’s motives, not that I could blame him. I could feel Viktor’s jealousy for his younger brother as I told him that Nikolai wanted a chance with me. I told Viktor what Nikolai had told me, that they were brothers. I asked