Nikolai stared at Elliot and froze, his look of supreme confidence replaced with one of subdued enquiry.
“Step away,” Elliot roared. Years of strutting around the ballrooms of London had given him an air of arrogance and conceit. His commanding presence roused a flicker of uncertainty in Nikolai’s beady black eyes. “Put your sword on the floor and step away.”
Leo put his arm around Ivana and helped her to her feet, pulling her back to a safe distance for fear Nikolai would lash out in a sudden fit of temper. As his brothers came to stand behind them, he caught Elliot’s gaze and gave a look that conveyed his gratitude for their timely assistance.
As two, they would struggle to overpower Nikolai.
As four, they stood a much greater chance.
Strength came in the form of loyal friendships forged during times of hardship. It came from knowing others loved you enough to sacrifice their own happiness to stand at your side. It came from the realisation that, despite all thoughts to the contrary, you were not alone.
A smirk touched the corners of Nikolai’s mouth as his gaze drifted over them. “My, you have been busy, Ivana. I have underestimated your skill in combat it seems. You have amassed an army of night creatures to do your bidding.”
“We are not creatures.” Leo squared his shoulders as his lips curled down in disdain. “We are brothers. We are men willing to stand together for what we believe in. Now you will put your sword on the floor as instructed.”
Nikolai’s expression remained impassive. When he surrendered his weapon, he showed no sign it was because he had been compelled to do so.
“Kick the sword away,” Elliot commanded, and Nikolai obliged without question.
Nikolai tugged at the ends of his coat sleeves. “What is it you want?”
Ivana turned and looked at Leo. An hour earlier, he would have been happy for Nikolai to walk away. But he knew they could not trust him. Should Nikolai escape, he would return. He would kill them all one by one. He would seek retribution.
Nonetheless, one thought took precedence and refused to be tempered. Nikolai knew of an answer to all of their prayers. “There is only one thing you have that interests us.”
Nikolai narrowed his gaze. “You speak of the cure. You wish for an end to your nightmare.”
He heard his brothers gasp, could sense their shock and disbelief. “We will all take the cure together.” Leo’s heart soared at the thought that there could be a tonic or a pill to swallow that would eradicate all the horrendous effects of their affliction. “Only then will we all be equal men. Only then will we let you leave here.”
A heavy silence permeated the air.
“That is not an option,” Nikolai said with a sinister chuckle. “I will not surrender the cure. Not under any circumstances. You will just have to kill me. If you think you can.”
“I knew it was all a lie.” Ivana threw her arms up, her anger evident in her venomous tone. “He finds amusement in other people’s misery. He gives hope when he knows there is none.”
But Nikolai had returned for something important, something worth killing for. Hope blossomed in Leo’s chest. To feel the sun warm his face again would be a dream he had never believed possible.
“Perhaps you could be persuaded.” Leo kept his voice calm for fear of revealing a hint of desperation.
What if they combined their efforts and compelled Nikolai to do their bidding? But to do so, would give him open access to their thoughts. There was a chance Nikolai would manipulate one of them, force a mutiny amongst ranks.
Nikolai dropped into the chair with languid grace. “Of course, I am willing to fight for the right to leave, fight to the death if necessary. If you win, you would have access to the cure.”
The temptation to accept was great indeed.
“You think you are a match for all of us?” Leo asked incredulously though he suspected Nikolai knew a way to even the odds.
“No, Leo,” he replied with a smirk as he folded his arms across his chest. “I think I am a match for you. As a gentleman, it is a question of honour. This is my home, and you have come here and taken something that belongs to me—”
“I belong to no man,” Ivana yelled.
“There is a debt to be paid,” Nikolai said in an amused tone. “To refuse would mean you deem Ivana unworthy. To refuse would mean you are a coward.”
Damn him! The man was a master of manipulation.
Leo’s respect for Ivana, his pride, and years of aristocratic breeding forced him to accept. “It would need to be a fair fight. It—”
“No!” Ivana turned to him, gripped his arms and made him look at her. “It is a trick. He will kill you and then we will be too weak in our grief to stop him. Let us just kill him now and be done with it.”