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
He’s the ruthless king of the New York Bratva. She’s a lethal assassin sent to end him.He rules with blood-stained hands and an unforgiving heart.She’s fueled by vengeance, trained to strike without mercy.He’s untouchable.She’s the chaos he never saw coming.He’s her target.She’s his obsession.Their worlds collide in a storm of blood, betrayal, and forbidden desire.When enemies become lovers, the line between passion and destruction blurs.Will their fire consume them—or will they burn the world down together?***Chapter 1: Busted [Enora] “You’ll be dead in two minutes.” The man, whose time of death I’d just pronounced, pulled his face from a stripper’s cleavage and looked at me with eyes full of disgust, as the disco lights flashed green, red, and blue on him. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked, his Russian accent thick. “Me?” I smiled, because I thought it was only fair for a soon-to-be corpse to be surrounded by cheerful faces. “Enora, but some call me Portator
[Nikolai]I have no issue killing women for one reason: my enemies have no gender. But no woman had ever had the balls to point a damn gun at me—until now. This tiny woman standing in front of me with her ass pressing against my dick was the first one. And she hadn’t just pointed a gun; she’d dared to try and kick me in the balls. The thought sent adrenaline through my veins as I tightened my arms around her small neck, threatening to squeeze the life out of her if she moved the wrong way. Her white hair reeked of strawberry and lavender, masking the stench of alcohol, death, and nitroglycerin. I wrapped the length of it twice in my hands, yanking her head back painfully. She stiffened, her trembling legs betraying the fear she tried to hide. I wondered if she was cursing me or swearing to kill me. Not that it mattered. The chances of me fucking her life out of her were far greater than her taking mine. “Go, malysh (Little one),” I whispered hoarsely in her ear. “Tell him
[Enora]Nikolai Lantsov was killable, and that was all I needed to know. He was like every other egotistical man in the mafia world, looking down on women and feeling impenetrable. Too bad his death would be at the hands of a woman—me.I’d probably thank him before I killed him; I’d always hated my long hair because my papa had a weird obsession with it. When drunk, he’d call me Isabella. Was that my mother’s name? If he loved her, why ensure I had nothing to remember her by?Nikolai’s pale blue eyes and large frame filled my mind. I’d sworn never to get blood on my own hands, but if it meant ridding New York of a tyrant, I’d have a blood bath. My father was just as bad, but I couldn’t kill him—not yet. First, I’d use his power to destroy Nikolai. Ricco’s death confirmed Nikolai wasn’t immortal. Loyal to papa for 27 years, Ricco deserved more than a simple *okay* before papa sent me a second job: a mother and her son, Pedro. As the breeze carried the scent of roses, I imagined a
[Enora]The laughter from the foyer was poison to my ears. Papa had told me he’d signed me off like property, but not who my soon-to-be husband was.I glanced at the ice bucket arranged with unopened whiskey, swallowing my saliva to keep from grabbing a bottle and gulping it down. I was curious—desperate—to meet my new owner. Knowing Papa, I’d be surprised if my groom was a prospect, but the deep, old voice from the foyer suggested otherwise.A whirlwind swept my thoughts to Nikolai. Not that I liked him—he was forty-two, almost twice my age. Yet, with dark gelled hair and toned muscles beneath his suit, he didn’t look his age.My God, what was I thinking?The voices drew closer, spiders creeping up my spine. My jaw dropped as Mario Luigi, Papa’s underboss, entered. Older than Papa by six years, he even had a son ten years my senior. Maybe I’d marry the son, not him.“Enora,” Papa called. Mario kissed my hand disgustingly. “You’re just as beautiful as always,” he said, eyes on my
[Nikolai]The first thing I noticed was the way the tips of her hair made contact with her shoulder. Most men liked women with long hair, but I liked mine to be distinct—short hair with smoky eyes was my kink. And that was exactly how she looked when she walked into my club, fearlessly.Enora Patrizio didn’t strike me as a woman who would be stupid enough to walk into a den of vipers, so there could be only two reasons she would do so.One: this was a fucking trap, probably set up by Carlos Patrizio.Two: she was actually stupid.I preferred to go with the first option because the second wasn’t only very unlikely, but it was safer never to underestimate your enemies. And as it seemed, I had more enemies than friends.Our gazes were locked on each other, hers cautious, mine observing. Her gray eyes glittered something sad in the disco lights, her lashes were wet, her black mascara smeared beneath her eyes. She looked nothing like she did when I first met her a week ago. I supposed th
Enora paused when she reached the couch and spun to face me. “It’s nothing.” She sat down and stared at the walls that were the color of her eyes. I knew she was lying by the way she avoided my gaze.“Do not lie to me, malysh.” My voice was harsh with rage and this strange thirst for blood—blood of the one who hurt her. I stood from my swivel chair, went to her, and dragged her up from the cushion before examining her back. Red and purple lines crossed each other countless times, and the skin around them was crimson, darker than red.I ran my finger on them, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. “Who did this to you, malysh?” I asked again, hearing the roar in my voice.Enora swallowed. “It’s nothing.” It was something, and it all made sense. Her entering my territory even after I’d threatened to kill her the next time we meet, her bare feet, her pale face, and misty eyes.“Listen, malysh.” I tilted her chin up and peered straight into her gray eyes. “The day I find out who di
ENORATonight, I made a deal with the devil against my will, and I had a feeling it would cost me my life.When I walked into the Lantsov club an hour ago, I had no idea what the heck I was doing or why I was even there. But after I met Nikolai, an idea flashed through my brain. Killing two birds with one stone, that’s exactly what I was going to do.I was between two devils I needed to destroy: my papa and Nikolai. Nikolai was notorious and ruthless, so I’d heard, but he appeared a saint compared to my papa. For instance, my papa would have shot me on sight if I’d launched an attack on his club, but Nikolai didn’t.I’d use him to bring my papa down since I’d rather not have his blood in my hands. Then I’d kill Nikolai and burn this fucking underworld to the ground—it didn’t matter if I burned along with it.The problem was, Nikolai wanted me to marry him, and I would rot six feet under before I dared to marry someone like him. “You’re crazy.”His lips curled into a crooked smile,
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
ValentinI had never been one to take much pride in celebrating holidays beyond drinking my weight in vodka and whiskey, but it was difficult to think about anything other than going trick-or-treating for the first time with my son.Getting him ready for the night out sparked more of that excitement, and seeing him so content about his costume made it all worth it.He was a joy to be around. He became the light of my life in no time at all, and I couldn’t be happier as a father.Charlie’s costume was already on while he ran around the condo, exclaiming about how badly he wanted to go get some candy. I slipped my cape on and put the fake teeth in, ready to go as a vampire.It had been a last-minute idea since I had been more focused on what our son was going as.The two of us waited in the living room with Charlie’s pumpkin-shaped container, waiting on Lyra. A Halloween film played on the tv, half keeping our attention.“How do I look?”Glancing up at her, I was stunned the moment I la
Lyra By the time I finished breakfast, Valentin left to take care of business, and he dropped Charlie off at Enora and Nikolai’s house for their playdate.Surprisingly, it was refreshing to be out in the city on my own—aside from the bodyguard that trailed me the entire time—and left alone to browse as I wanted.Having one of Valentin’s men with me the entire time started to get on my nerves, but I didn’t say anything about it since it had been one of the few things Valentin asked of me. It was the least I could do.Perusing a cute boutique with an endless supply of dresses, I got lost in the music and the peace of having time for myself. It was a much-needed time away from everything that had happened in the last while.Just as I draped a black dress over my arm that looked perfect for what I had in mind, my phone dinged from inside my clutch—one that Valentin chose with his endless knowledge of high fashion.Digging my cell out, a chill moved down my spine the moment the screen lit
LyraTime had been a blur since Valentin was injured, and two weeks came and went.I was surprised by how worried it made me. I knew he and his brothers had invested in a dangerous lifestyle, yet I couldn’t help but stress over his safety.I didn’t want our son to see his father in such a state, wondering if a day might come when a bullet lands in the right spot or if someone decides he has wronged them. Anything could happen in their business, and it felt impossible to be passive about it.As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I didn’t want to see him that way either, afraid the next time might be the end.Even if the feelings came from a once dormant place, I resented how I cared for him even after things didn’t end as amicably for us as they could’ve.No matter what happened between us, we had a son together, and that meant I had a stronger vested interest in him surviving his dealings.Despite the blinds being drawn in our bedroom, the vague light leaking through had stirred me f
It was after midnight by the time I walked into the condo, moving as quietly as I could. My head pounded, and ears rang from the royal scolding I received from my eldest brother for being incompetent and unprepared enough to lose not only the money but the drugs too.It was a complete loss for us, all at my hands, for not being able to defend what was ours.Exhausted, I had hoped to drag myself into the shower and let it wash away the blood, but I was surprised to find Lyra still awake and reading in the living room.Her head lifted at the sound of me walking in, and the moment our eyes met, hers grew twice the size. Concern flooded her face, and she stood up, tossing the book to the side.“Valentin, what happened to you?”“It was nothing,” I said out of instinct, dismissing the terrible day I had. “Why are you still awake?”“You were gone, and I couldn’t sleep,” she murmured, already face-to-face with me. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re covered in blood—let me take care of it.”Whil