Anya Santini de Luna POVRosemarie forced me to drink a whole glass of sugar water.Vincent calmed down once he got to play with Roman again.Viktor is blocking the sliding door like a damn thundercloud, as if he’s scared I’ll try to make a run for it.I’m sitting on a couch next to Xander, and I have no idea what to say. I dreamed about this moment for years, but now that it’s happening, I don’t know what to do.I feel close to him but also miles away from him. It’s been four years.It takes Xander longer to recover from the shock of seeing me. Up until now, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me, but when Vincent lets out a burst of laughter, Xander slowly turns his gaze to his son.He tilts his head, and a frown forms on his forehead. “You have a child?”“Baby, let’s give them some privacy. Bring the kids,” Viktor says.I dart up from the couch, my eyes wildly flying to Vincent. “No, my child isn’t leaving my sight.”Viktor holds his hands up. “Okay.”“You have a child?” Xander asks again
Alexander Vittorio POVI can’t explain how I’m feeling. I get to hold her again. I get to taste her.She’s alive.I kiss Anya with every ounce of insanity I felt the past four years. I give her my broken heart and shattered soul, and she makes them whole.I can’t stop myself from pushing for more. Now that I have her back, there’s no controlling my need to make us one.Anya lifts her hands to my chest and starts to push against me. “Wait,” she mumbles against my mouth. “Xander.” She pushes harder and manages to turn her face away from me. “Wait!”Out of breath and overwhelmed with emotions, I grip her tighter so she can’t pull free from my hold.I’m never letting her go again.Never.“Wait,” she gasps. Her eyes meet mine, and she keeps her hands braced on my chest in an attempt to stop me from kissing her again.It takes a couple of seconds before I see the nervous expression on her face.“I need a moment,” she says, trying to pull away from me. When I don’t free her, she gives me a p
Anya de Luna's POVMy God. Now it all makes sense. Rosemarie’s guards. The estate. All the freaking guards. I’m right in the freaking heart of the Bratva. Dear God, I can’t believe after being so careful, I let this happen!I run to Rosemarie’s house and burst into the living room, I go straight for Vincent. I grab him off the floor and swipe my handbag from the couch.“Mommy!” Vincent exclaims. “You made me drop my cars.”“Anya? Is everything okay?” Rosemarie asks just as Xander appears in the doorway.Feeling cornered, my eyes dart wildly between Xander, Rosemarie, Viktor, and Alexei.“Let me leave,” I beg. “I won’t tell anyone anything about the Bratva. I’ve kept quiet for four years. I have a child. Please, don’t hurt us.”“That’s enough!” Viktor snaps, and my gaze zooms in on him. He holds up a hand. “No one’s hurting anyone. Let’s all calm down.”The nightmarish two months of torture and starvation are all I can think of.“Mommy,” Vincent cries, rattled by the volatile situation
Alexander Vittorio POVThe situation with Anya is driving me insane all over again. Alexei gave me a talking-to on the way here and told me to ease up on Anya so I don’t scare her away, but that’s fucking hard to do. My heart aches because it feels like she’s forgotten the bond we had in the dark room. How do you forget something so strong? How do you just move on? Has she even thought about me for the past four years? Where the memory of her kept me up at night and drove me over the edge, she just went on with her life.Walking into the living room, Alexei’s watching TV with Vincent.There’s a sight I never thought I’d see.Anya pauses the movie, and taking a seat, she lifts Vincent onto her lap.“I was watching Donkey,” the little guy complains.“You can continue watching in a minute,” Anya says, her voice filled with love. “Mommy has something to tell you.”His big eyes lock on her face. “What?”She gestures for me to come closer, and I crouch by her legs.Jesus, she’s alive.“This
Anya de Luna's POVAfter I’ve taken the dishes to the kitchen and tidied up, I take a moment to clear my head.Getting to spend some time with us has calmed Xander down. It was very emotional watching him with Vincent, but at least that went well. Now I just have to figure out how to handle Xander so he doesn’t go all crazy on me again. That’s one thing about him that’s changed completely. When we were held captive, he was always the calm one, but now he’s borderline insane.I understand why, though. After suffering for months in that hellhole, he lost Marc Vincent and me. That would drive anyone over the edge. And now that he’s found me again, he’s like a man on a mission. It’s not that I don’t want to get romantically involved with him. It’s the Bratva and all the violence and danger that comes with the world he lives in that has me running for the hills.I have to think of Vincent. And I’m no longer a naïve eighteen-year-old. I have to think with my head and not my heart.But still
Xander Vittorio POVI watch as Vincent drifts off to sleep, and I stop reading. Staring at my son’s peaceful face, the love I feel for him fills every corner of my being.I’ll be the best father I can be, my son. I’ll give you all the love you need. I’ll give you the world.Anya comes to press a kiss on his forehead. “Sweet dreams, baby.”Getting up from the bed, I place the book on the bedside table and leave the room so I can talk to Alexei.I find him by the front door, where he’s checking all the locks.“We need to put up a security system,” he mutters.“I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” I stop next to him. “You can go home. I’m staying here.”Alexei lets out a sigh as he locks eyes with me. “Don’t push the girl. She needs time to adjust.”“I know. I just want to be close to them.”He nods, then warns, “If you’re not home in time for our walk, and I have to drag your ass out of this house, you’ll regret it.”I let out a chuckle. “Got it.”He places his hand on my shoulder and pulls
Anya de Luna POVRealizing there’s no getting through to Xander, I say, “You’re sleeping on the couch.”The corner of his mouth lifts in a hot smirk. “That I can do.”I shake my head at him. “And don’t get any ideas during the night.”“Like?” he teases me.“You know what I’m talking about,” I mutter.When I walk toward the hallway, I change direction and check that the front door is locked.“What are you doing?” He asks.“Getting ready for bed.”He shakes his head. “We’re not done talking.”At the rate we’re going, we’ll never be done talking.“I’m tired, Xander. It’s been a crazy day. Let’s continue the conversation tomorrow when we’ve had some rest.”Agitation flashes over his features. “You asked me to place myself in your shoes, and I’m trying. Can you do the same for me?”I suck in a deep breath of air, then give in and nod.“Thank you.” He walks back to the couch and sits down, his eyes following me. When I pass him, his hand shoots out to grab mine, and he pulls me back onto hi
Alexander Vittorio POVI don’t dare move a muscle while Anya sleeps. I hold the love of my life, feeling the happiest I’ve ever been.This is all I wanted.With Anya in my arms, I process the shock of finding her and Vincent, and I form a plan to win Anya’s heart again.My woman wants dates. She wants to be swept off her feet.She better fucking brace herself because I’m bringing out the big guns.I manage to dose off occasionally, and when the sun starts to rise, I carefully climb to my feet with Anya in my arms. Carrying her to the bedroom, I glance around her personal space before I place her down on the bed.After I covered her with a blanket, I picked up the framed photo of her and Vincent.They’re on the beach, and both have happy smiles. Anya is wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and Vincent has a little Speedo on. My boy is covered in sand.I almost let out a chuckle.Taking the photo, I glance at Anya’s sleeping face before I walk out of the bedroom. I check in on Vincen