ENORANikolai Lantsov really did live up to his name as a lunatic who toyed with women, and I hated how I’d manage to add myself to the list of women who became weaklings in his presence.I exhaled, trying to blow out the frustration that had built inside of me. I closed my eyes, ashamed of myself for how easily I surrendered to his touch. Fuck. Even now, the feeling of his light touch on my face and his warm breath on my skin still lingered. Weird things were happening between my legs, tugging at my self-control and needing more of his dangerous touch.I’d tried to deceive myself into believing my body was only reacting how it would biologically after the way he tried to seduce me but why was my heart pounding nervously? Why did a tiny part of me feel bad that he did not have any interest in me and was just teasing me?This was not good. Not good at all.Liquid dripped between my legs, alerting me of how hornily helpless I was, and my brain strayed and made me think of his lips on
ENORAI tilted my head to Nikolai who was still busy on his phone. What if it was Camilla he was talking to? I shot up from my seat and dragged his phone from him. He glowered at me with complete shock, and I could see Mikhail and Dimitri stand up cautiously to defend Nikolai from me as if they’d be able to save him if I intended to really kill him.“Don’t you have any manners?” I yelled at Nikolai. “You don’t use your fucking phone at the table! You can’t just keep everyone waiting till you decide you’re ready to eat.”Nikolai did not say anything in response to my correction, which made me even more upset. “Won’t you say something?” I queried.“Something, like what?”I scoffed, he had to be the most annoying person in existence. “You’re really a heartless bastard.”The calm in his eyes turned into a raging storm. For a minute, the dining room was noiseless while Nikolai and I had a cold war on who would look at the other in the cruelest way possible. “Sit down…or I’ll press you t
ENORAMornings were my least favorite part of the day. Sometimes, I wished I died in my sleep, and a few times, I’d even wondered what it would feel like swinging down from my ceiling.Maybe Papa will care. Maybe he will hurt for me and finally look at me with love. Those were my thoughts every morning.But with each morning I woke up and saw the dread on his face. Every single time he treated me as nothing more than a war dog and a killing machine, I learned something. Papa would not cry for me if I died, he would simply toss my body into a river and if I was lucky enough, he would toss me in with me a nice black casket to keep the sharks away from my lifeless body.I woke up one morning and I no longer craved his love or for him to treat me like a father would a daughter.I woke up one morning and I became morte.The sky was still pitch black that morning, but it had been void of stars. I closed my eyes; I could still hear the rough wind whooshing in my window and the footsteps do
ENORAExactly an hour later, I was dressed in a white dress that looked like it had decayed in a trash can. It was ripped all over and I was so pale, I looked like the corpse bride.The damn dress wasn’t even decent enough to cover my shame.Truthfully, I’d thought I’d seen Maria smile mockingly at me when I climbed down the stairs, but I’d been imagining it. I honestly wouldn’t blame her if she laughed though, I looked horrible and this fucking thing on my body was laughable. I would’ve laughed if I wasn’t the one getting married in rags.I hadn’t worn this dress because I was afraid of Nikolai, I’d worn it because, for some reason, I preferred being Nikolai’s hostage rather than Mario’s animal.Nikolai smiled at me when I reached the patio, and I rolled my eyes at him. I wondered if he knew how much I wanted to play Russian roulette with my pistol pointed at his head. The fucker probably knew, but he definitely underestimated me.Ego was a common disease with men in our world. They
NIKOLAI“Didn’t I tell you, malysh?” I moved closer to her, expecting her to pace back, but she didn’t. “You’re mine. Mine to torment, mine to punish, and mine to touch.”Enora sneered at me, her beautiful gray eyes sparking with mischief. “You’re really a nutjob, aren’t you?” She folded her hands over her chest. “I’m not an item, Nikolai. I do not belong to you.”She walked to her bed and sank down on it, looking away from me.Did she know how much her stubbornness turned me on? If she did, she wouldn’t try to argue with me. She would’ve tried to do as I said.It’d been almost two hours since we got married. Two hours since I forced her to say I do.After I leaned closer to her ear and marked her as mine, goosebumps spread across her skin and I heard her little yelp.Enora was scared of me. I could see it despite how hard she tried to hide it, and I was glad she tried really hard to.The last thing I wanted was a little white-haired Italian woman cowering with fear whenever she saw
NIKOLAI That didn’t mean I couldn’t touch her, torment her, or tease her how I wanted. I would until her wall crumbles and she would have no choice but need me to quell the dirty desires I’d built inside her.“We’re married, and I’m certain you know we must consummate our marriage tonight.”Her cheeks turned crimson and her eyes dilated. She licked her lips and swallowed, trying to calm herself.Oh, my poor, little malysh. She had no idea what was awaiting her.I smiled to myself because she didn’t even know how much effect I had on her already, and it would be too late by the time she realized it.Because by then, I would’ve infiltrated her mind and thoughts until there was nothing left but longing and need for me. I would use her feelings as leverage to get to that rat, Carlos Patrizio.I would get everything I could on him and then hit him where it hurts the most. I could already envision the shock on his face when he finds out I used his own daughter against him. A daughter he m
ENORA The same nightmare had hunted me since I was a child; a woman with a face like my own staring back at me, a man with a voice like my papa’s roaring, screams from a voice I was not familiar with, and the sound of my own voice crying.It always felt the same whenever I woke from the nightmare. My body was always wet with sweat, my heart pounding as if it wanted to explode, and I had this feeling that it wasn’t just a dream.Deep voices and footsteps came from downstairs. I remembered falling asleep after Nikolai humiliated me and left the room.That man had an effect on me that I didn’t like one bit. A single touch from him evoked so much emotion in me and he knew it. I knew he was baiting me, making me go crazy for him until he decided it was time to devour me.Yet, I couldn’t resist him. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.I’d been so wet, and he would have discovered that if he’d stayed back to touch me a little more. Goddamnit! I was even wet right now just thinking of him. I’d tr
ENORA “I want you dead.” I didn’t know if that was even the truth anymore. “I fucking want you and every other bastard like you dead.”Intense darkness seeped into Nikolai’s eyes. “Guess what, sweetie?” His words came out like a bare whisper. “I am hard to kill.”He tossed my hair away, making me lose my balance and fall to the ground. He lowered himself to a squat, brushing a bloody thumb on my lips. “There are many things you do not know, many things.”“Maybe there are.” I shook my head to fling his fingers away from my lips. “But I do not want you close to me. You’re fucking disgusting.” I didn’t know that I wanted to say those terrible things to him. I hated that I wanted to see to this man’s death myself. I hated that he’d just gone ahead and killed someone for me. I hated it even more that a part of me liked what he did, and that part of me wanted to pull his bloodstained body in and kiss him. Maybe I was a monster after all, maybe I was just like my papa and every other bl
LyraA few days passed since I returned to my father, and that passage of time only got harder to endure.When I gave in to the boredom, I started reading the stack of books in the bedroom without paying all that much attention to them. It didn’t take long for me to finish them, leaving me with nothing at all.A knock at the door early morning on the fourth day tore me from my empty thoughts, sitting up in bed.Dad poked his head inside again, carrying a tray of food for me. He had the chef make me an omelet with toast and berries on the side. It smelled good, but my stomach had been in knots since I arrived home.An unreadable expression moved across his face while he placed the food on my nightstand. “You’re being returned to the Lantsovs today, my dear.”My heart stopped immediately, and everything around me seemed to still. I blinked through my astonishment, murmuring weakly, “What?”He nodded, handing me the glass of orange juice.I was being handed back over to them. While that
ValentinThe war between us Lantsovs and the Romanos was raging, and we had been horribly ignorant of how big their numbers truly were. We had blind faith in ourselves without ever seeing the bigger picture.We were fortunate to have the Chesters as backup, even if that was a sore spot. Lyra’s betrayal put Barnes’ interest and loyalty into question, but he swore up and down that he had nothing to do with it. He never even knew they were communicating.Something in the way she had been so secretive about it helped me believe he didn’t know anything.Gritting back my anger, I looked down at the casino floor, fists clenched.Likely thanks to Lyra, the Romano men had grown immensely since they managed to intercept multiple dealings. With all the money and resources they snagged from us, they multiplied their numbers and reached beneath our noses.We were forced to up our guards since then, especially around me and the casino. We weren’t taking any chances, not after what had happened.I
LyraCarefully, Dad crossed the room and sat against the edge of the bed, offering me my space still. “For making you choose such a difficult decision at your age without asking for the full picture. And for wagering your hand to advance my position in New York. This isn’t an excuse, but I did it for our family.“I know it only drove a wedge between us, and it hurt me every day to know you were out there on your own because of me, just as it was when I married you off to Valentin. You are right. It was all because of me, but I only hope you can see things from my perspective too.”“It hurt when you wanted me to abort my child,” I managed to say through the tears. “I needed your support, and you tore it away from me. I was prepared to never forgive you for it.”Dad nodded, cloaked by his own sadness that surprised me. “You have every reason to be angry with me. You don’t owe me forgiveness, but I hope one day I may earn it again.”The thought of simply letting go of everything that had
LyraI never thought I’d ever see the inside of my childhood bedroom again, but it turned into my makeshift prison.Valentin said he wasn’t my jailor, but he gave that responsibility to my father instead.The driver brought me back to Philly and handed me back to my dad as if I had never been married to Valentin in the first place. Beyond unworthy of even my apparent husband’s presence. They were worried I was still a threat to their empire, keeping me as far away from it as possible, thanks to my apparent betLyral.It made me worry he was working toward getting a divorce.Worst of all, I was kept away from Charlie. No matter how I shouted and screamed, nobody would bring my baby to me.Being separated from my son was the hardest part. It tore me up inside, leaving my cheeks stained and eyes dry from crying so much. Even if my marriage was ruined, I just wanted my boy. I had never been away from him for so long, and it was killing me.If everything else was lost, I at least wanted to
LyraPacing the length of the living room, I debated texting Valentin then and there. I had to warn him before anything happened—before he could be injured or killed. The thought gripped the back of my neck like an icy hand, and regret flooded my chest.Even if I hated him for what he did and for agreeing to the marriage pact, I never would’ve wanted that for him at his worst. He didn’t deserve to be hunted down by someone I didn’t even know.He was the father of my child, and we had gotten so far with our unorthodox relationship. Everything had been perfect, except for my inability to tell him about the unknown number. We had started to trust one another again, and I was sure I had ruined it immediately.Our time together had reignited those old feelings I had for Valentin, and I had to fix things before they got worse.Unable to handle the thought of waiting any longer, my hand shook as I pulled out my cell phone and pressed his contact.Before I could type anything, the door slamme
Valentin More disbelief flooded my system at that, wondering what he could possibly be on about. Things between me and Lyra had been perfect. We found a mutual understanding, and I had been working to fix things between us.Our sex life had been mind-blowing, and it felt like we were taking steps in the right direction.There was no way she had been texting anyone behind my back. I would’ve known. She wouldn’t dare.“That’s impossible,” I grumbled beneath my breath, aware of the dread that loomed above me, waiting to strike. I fished my phone out of my pocket and clicked through my apps.“What are you doing?” Nikolai asked in a hushed tone, glancing at my phone.“Making sure this rat isn’t telling the truth, or else he’ll be wearing a bullet in his head.”“It is the truth,” Enzo added, eyes filling with concern. “I have no reason to say otherwise.”“Shut up,” Dimitri growled, slapping the captive with the butt of his gun.The man yelped in pain, shoulders slumped as he breathed deepl
ValentinTensions were high in the warehouse. Our captive from the ambush was bound to his chair in the middle of the room, blood dripping from his broken nose. His breath shallowed, glancing between us lazily.Nikolai and Dimitri stood before him, with the latter’s knuckles already stained crimson. He flexed his fingers, unbothered by the hits he had already given him.“What’s your name?” Nikolai asked, looking at him with a neutral expression.The man hesitated, then grit through his teeth, “Enzo.”“Well, Enzo, consider yourself lucky that you might just be useful to us,” he murmured, pacing in front of him slowly. “But the moment that stops, we won’t hesitate to send a message.”All it took was a glance in Dimitri’s direction, and he swung, hitting his face with a sickening sound.Enzo recoiled in his chair, taking full force without any other choice. He grunted from the impact, chest heaving. Blood seeped into his mouth, and he spat to the side, breathing hoarsely through the pain
LyraI was surprised by how smoothly life had been ever since Valentin explained himself.The weeks had gone by, and we were doing better than we ever had. We were in a good place, co-parenting Charlie and working on understanding one another better. I was glad, and we were happy.I even noticed a difference in our son since his father came into our lives. He had always been a good kid, but his excitement and joy were contagious. Whenever he had the chance, Valentin spent time with him and took him places, always looking to expose him to new experiences.He seemed to flourish, and I enjoyed watching them interact with one another. Seeing his effort first-hand was everything I had hoped for.Padding down the hall and into the kitchen, I saw it was nine in the morning, and the condo was suspiciously quiet.A sticky note on the counter caught my attention, and I reached for it.It was from Valentin, letting me know that Charlie was with Enora and Liliya for the day. He was at work, and
LyraThe feeling of his lips against mine was enough to make my knees weak, forgetting all the previous grievances I once had with him. While I wasn’t one to forgive so easily, the sincerity in his eyes was enough to convince me of just how sorry he truly had been.The way he melded our mouths together like it was the first time helped too.Pressed against him, he wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled away just enough to murmur against my lips, “You are more than I deserve, and I know that. I will never forget it. But you are my wife, and I mean to work at proving myself to you.”Swallowing against the dryness in my throat, a familiar pulse returned between my legs, dissolving every ounce of resolve I ever had. That resistance was gone, and my body knew exactly what I wanted.His palms glided up and down my back while his minty breath fanned my lips. “It didn’t take me long to fall for you the first time, and those feelings never truly went away. Let me show you just how badly