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
NIKOLAI I found it quite odd how repelled Enora was by the sight of blood considering she’d had it covering half of her face the first time we met. I’d even thought she’d be more pleased if it was the blood of that fucking raccoon who had the guts to laugh at her to her face.I’d had him tied to a chair and tickled till his eyes turned crimson with tears and his lungs almost ran out of air before cutting his tongue out like he fucking deserved. I had no regret, even if Enora thought otherwise. I’d be quite satisfied killing a hundred more men who dared to cause her pain.Carlos Patrizio included.Footsteps padded into my room just as I was about to turn off the shower, I picked my glock from the phone holder by the wall and threw a towel around my waist before leaving the bathroom. I’d not bothered to turn off the shower; in situations like this, it was better to let the intruder think you weren’t aware of their presence.A clang sound came from the room as soon as I was able to ope
ENORA I’d always thought men like Nikolai were somehow immune to pain, but now that his blood was dripping on the floor, and his eyes were flickering with fury and…pain, I couldn’t escape being trapped in my own conscience.Truth is, I hadn’t intended to stab him, I’d thought he would move away before the knife reached him. He didn’t, and blood was dripping down his chest, the part where my name was inked on.It wasn’t the right time to note something like this, but he looked like the painting of the hottest demon in hell.The drip, drip as crimson liquid fell to the floor was the only thing heard in the room for the seconds after I cut him. My nerves were working up, making me anxious. I knew I’d crossed a line. What Nikolai would do to me now could only be left to my imagination.And I wasn’t going to apologize.“You really shouldn’t have, malysh.” He grabbed the knife from me and tossed it across the room, smearing the floor further with red. His jaws twitched and his eyes gloomed
ENORA I complied; he’d turned me into a horny idiot.“Take your hands off,” he demanded. “I want to see everything.”Slowly, I moved my hands away from my breasts and let them fall to my sides. His eyes beamed with something I couldn’t quite pinpoint as he stared at me.“God, baby. You’re so fucking beautiful.”Heat rushed to my cheeks, maybe because he just picked up another nickname for me, baby. Or because he just called me beautiful. Could have been both.“Lie on your back with your legs apart.”I gasped, my throat dry with a slutty thirst.“Now!”I lay on my back, spreading my legs with my eyes closed. I heard Nikolai’s footsteps and he came to me before I felt his paper-light touch on my thighs. “Beg me to lick you, malysh.”There was no way I’d beg him, he either wanted to or not. But that was until his finger slid into my pussy; this man would make me go insane. “Please.”“Say it like you mean it, baby.”“Lick me, please,” I panted. It was hard not to with the way his finger
RomanDeflating, I put my face in my hands. I did know. I heard it. I saw it in her face.When I didn’t say anything, he scoffed. “I can’t believe you.”“She knew for weeks and didn’t tell me until tonight. How else was I supposed to take it?!” I snapped back, still trying to navigate the mess of my emotions. “I felt blindsided.”“That was weeks of her being scared, then. Alone with that knowledge.”“I know she was, she told me herself,” I admitted, taking another swig.The disappointment on Nikolai’s face was immeasurable. “And you ran, leaving her alone at your house. This isn’t how the Lanstovs do things, Roman.”“I suppose not,” I muttered, shaking my head. “And what if there’s some sort of marriage pact you’d like me to comply to? I can’t do that with another woman’s child running around.”“That child is yours. A Lantsov. Your heir. Why on earth would I need you to fulfill a pact when your child is already growing?” he questioned, looking shocked at my reluctance to accept this.
RomanWe were both spent and satisfied, but after I crawled back into bed and brought her against my chest, something moved through Aria’s eyes.We sat in silence for a while as I ran a hand up and down her arm, wondering why she was being uncharacteristically quiet. She felt so still—almost frozen. Something didn’t feel right.Intuitively, I had the feeling there was something she needed to say. Cocking a brow at her, I murmured, “Is everything all right?”That made her tense, and immediately, my concern flared. There was definitely something wrong.Aria let go of a deep, yet uncertain breath. She pushed herself up to look me in the eyes, gaze full of both guilt and fear.“What’s wrong?” I asked again, bringing a thumb up to caress her cheek.She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, sighing. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you because I’ve been too much of a coward to tell you.”My brows furrowed, not knowing what to expect.Immediately, my mind went to the worst plac
AriaStunned by what sounded like a promise, I only nodded, dumbstruck."Good," he murmured, gripping my chin in his hand as his lips crashed onto mine again.I saw nothing but darkness and stars as my lashes fluttered closed, too needy for him to care how it happened. His lips demanded all of my attention, and I had no mind to think about anything else.His tongue swiped against my lower lip, to which I complied, and he deepened the kiss so sinfully that even the devil himself would clutch his pearls.Instinctively, I spread my legs as his hand dropped to my thigh, reaching beneath my dress for those lace panties he had spied earlier.A shiver ran down my spine as he brushed against my pussy, already soaked for him. When he added more pressure, my back arched, silently begging for more."God, you feel so good," he groaned against my lips, his voice low and filled with need. "So fucking perfect."I couldn't stop the way my body reacted, but the heat in my chest flared. “You really thi
AriaI barely had time to enter the house before Roman's lips were firmly on mine, back pressed against the wall.Melting into his touch as his fingers worked my hair elastic undone so he could run them through my tresses, I forgot about how strange he had been. The chilly distance between us dissipated at once, and all I wanted was more of him.Roman had an incredible power that rendered me useless from mere touch alone, leaving me wanting and frantic. It was no different from the first time as our mouths collided, melding like we were made for each other.It was impossible to breathe, but I didn't care. Air didn't feel necessary while his lips brushed against mine feverishly, pouring his own desire into the kiss.His other hand slipped down to my waist where he squeezed, drawing out a soft breath from me. He smiled into the kiss and pulled me impossibly close.There was no returning from the kiss without getting what we both wanted, that was abundantly clear.In a whirl of frantic
AriaThere was something stoic yet very telling of their dormant strength in each of them, like a raw viciousness they could harness whenever necessary.They were indeed threatening-looking, but dressed up in their nice clothes, they reminded me of done-up Persian cats, rather than rogue mountain lions."Everyone, this is Aria. I expect you all to treat her like family," Lyra began, gesturing to me politely. Then, she moved through the others. "This is my husband, Valentin. My love and light and retired party animal."While Valentin wore a satisfied smile at first, it faltered into a teasing grin when he looked at his wife. "You're lucky today is your day, as well as Aria's apparently."He held a hand out to shake, and I took it with as much confidence as I could muster.“It’s a pleasure to meet the one who has claimed my brother’s attention as of late.”There was a heavy dose of teasing in those words, and I felt as Roman stiffened beside me. He let go of a sigh while his brothers ch
AriaThe butterflies in my gut were unavoidable as I got ready for the baby shower, putting on a light-colored dress that Roman said would be more than fitting for the day.While I was curious and intrigued by his family, the thought of meeting them all made my heart race. They were infamous to people who knew of them, and those who didn't were better off never crossing them.Fixing my hair into a neat bun and putting on a light amount of makeup felt like an impossible task while my stomach turned. I was more than aware that I had known I was pregnant for at least a week, and I still hadn't told Roman.I knew he'd be pissed off at me for not telling him sooner, but I hadn't worked up the courage to follow through with it yet. It was a lot to process on my own, and bringing him into it felt even more daunting.By the time I was ready to go and headed back downstairs, Roman was waiting in the kitchen. He perked up as I entered the room, and a small smile pulled on his lips."You look be
RomanAria hesitated then, seeming almost confused. She looked at the screen instead of me. "Are things getting any better?""Nikolai says so.""That's good then."It was awkward. Painfully awkward. But I couldn't help it. It had to be done."Did you get everything you needed today?" I asked, curious about what she got up to, even if I shouldn't be.Something moved across her face then, and she nodded."Let me know if you need anything else."Aria continued to look down at her food, seeming more uncomfortable than she had been before.I hated how I was coming across, especially with my unfriendly tone. I was being an ass."The food is good," Aria said, surely in an attempt to keep the conversation going.It felt like a lure cast in a lake, hoping I'd take the bait and be myself, the man she had grown used to after being around me for weeks.When I only hummed in response, I watched as her shoulders slumped. She looked hurt and confused, and I wished I could take that pain away. I wish
RomanI was getting too attached to her and I knew it. Nikolai had tried to warn me, but I didn't care to listen.I knew it was a problem the moment I saw her in the kitchen, looking like she had spent the entire night drinking. She was a mess, but I still found her beautiful. Something about it made me feel ready to take on anything with her.Aria had quickly turned into the one thing I looked forward to, always losing myself to daydreams of her.It was unlike me in many ways, and that was a problem no matter how I felt.I didn't want to be hurt when I inevitably needed to let her go. I couldn't hold onto her forever, not when I owed her complete freedom. I turned her world completely upside down because of my negligence and robbed her of not knowing about organized crime and who my family really were. I did that to her.And I was growing more attached with every passing day. That was my karma.I couldn't help but want her, even if it went against my best interest and that of my fam
AriaWeeks LaterI had planned on sitting in the kitchen to write, but the laptop was long abandoned, and I spent most of the day in the bathroom.My arms dangled from the cool porcelain as I dry heaved, despising the feeling.There was no way I had anything left in my stomach, but it seemed never-ending.At the very least, I’d managed to make my way to the ensuite to spare Roman from hearing any of it. That would only make matters worse.Sighing once the toilet flushed and I sunk against the nearest wall, I tried to pull myself together.I wondered if it was something I had for dinner the night before. Normally, the chef was thorough and clean, and I never had problems with their cooking before this. I could only guess that the salmon that had been crusted with parmesan wasn't as fresh as they were told.Wiping at my mouth as the chills started to ebb away, I glanced at the vanity and wondered if Roman had bothered to get me any sanitary products.With a sigh, I crawled over and opene