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Chapter 19 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Eclipse was a temple of everything I despised. The bass pounded through my bones like artillery fire, adding to the list of reasons why I avoided these places. The half-dressed women were already winking their heavily painted brows at me, gesturing for me with their asses and twirling their tongues over their red lips like vampires. Fucking shameless bitches. Even after a scalding shower back at my place, I could still smell her on my skin. Still taste her. The memory of Sylvia pressed against that wall made my grip tighten on the leather-bound rail as I ascended to the VIP section. Fuck, I’d barely stopped myself from going back there, from showing her exactly what salvation could feel like when you weren’t afraid to reach for it. “You look like you’re either about to kill someone or get laid,” Luigi commented as I approached our pre-booked corner booth. “Okay, possibly both.” I shot him a look that would have made smarter men shut up. Luigi just g
Chapter 20⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾"Bless me Father, for I have sinned."The words tasted like ash in my mouth. I shifted on the hard wooden seat, the confessional's familiar quietness suddenly unnerving. How many times had I sat here, offering my small transgressions like pebbles? But this one felt like trying to confess a boulder."It has been one week since my last confession."One week. But barely twelve hours since Nikolai had me pressed against that wall, his hands making me forget every vow I'd ever taken. My skin burned at the memory."Go on, child."I swallowed hard. How exactly does one confess to wanting a man to commit several mortal sins? With visual aids and a PowerPoint presentation? How do I possibly tell a religious leader in agonizing details how shamelessly close I’d come to being fucked senseless in the shelter by a man who murdered people for a living? How could I tell him the terrible things he’d done to my breasts last night? "I... I've had impure thoughts, Father." T
Chapter 21 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "My name is Luigi. And I work with Nikolai." I remained frozen, Maeve's half-braided hair still between my fingers. "Obviously, I work with Nikolai," he continued, gesturing vaguely at his outfit with a smirk. "I don't mean to scare you, cutie," he told Maeve. The little girl immediately ducked her head so low I thought she might burrow into the floor. Her cheeks flamed red as communion wine as she tried to disappear behind me. Sister Margaret, who'd been monitoring the playground, sprinted toward the main building like her habit was on fire, presumably to get Mother Beatrice. Her sandals slapped against the concrete with a desperate rhythm that matched my heartbeat. In the thirty seconds it took for Mother Beatrice to appear—a record time that suggested she'd either sprouted wings or violated several laws of physics, the entire courtyard had descended into panic-stricken whispers. "Why is he here?" "Does he have a gun?" "Is he going to kill us a
Chapter 22 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “What the fuck is she doing here?” I barely got out the words before Luigi stepped forward, hands raised like he already knew I was about to rip him apart. “Relax,” he said, though his own voice was tight. “I had to bring her.” My hands curled into fists only to recoil at the feel of blood seeping through my right fingers. “You had to?” I repeated, eyes locked on Sylvia, who stood a few steps behind him, head bowed and her hands crossed in front of her. Luigi exhaled sharply. “You’re bleeding out, Nikolai. If nothing is done, you’ll be dead in an hour.” His voice dropped. “I can’t watch that happen.” I dragged my tongue over my teeth, tasting iron. “And so you brought her?” Luigi clenched his jaw. “I couldn’t think of a better option.” I turned my glare on Sylvia. She raised her head at the same time, and when I met her gaze, she arched a single brow. “You didn’t send for me.” A statement, not a question. Luigi stepped in before I could speak. “
Chapter 23 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I crossed my arms over my chest. "Absolutely not." Nikolai’s brows lifted slightly, like he couldn’t believe I was actually telling him no, then he sank back against the pillows. My hands were still stained with his blood, and now he was asking me to help him sit up, and judging by that look on his face, whatever he had in mind wouldn’t glorify God. "You're going to stay lying down," I stated, "or everything I just did will be for nothing." His lips curled into an infuriating smirk. "Look at you. Giving orders like you're talking to one of those kids at the shelter." "In this moment, I believe I am." The words came out before I gave it a thorough thought. At theraise of one of his brows, I tried to salvage my comment by adding, “Doctor's orders." "You're not a doctor." "And you're not in a position to argue." We stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. His eyes -I’d thought they were just dark before - but now that I was staring di
Chapter 24 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Three nights since opening Lussuria Nera, and the place was already packed wall-to-wall downstairs. Success by any standard. So why the fuck was I in such a foul mood? I flexed my right hand, the stitches pulling tight under the bandage. Sylvia had done good work with the stitches. Clean. The wound still hurt like a bitch, but I could use my hand now, which was all that mattered. "You gonna sit there brooding all night?" Luigi asked from the doorway, not bothering to knock. As usual, he looked like he'd stepped out of a fashion magazine, his suit perfectly tailored, not a dark hair out of place. The picture of sophistication—until you noticed the brass knuckles tucked into his pocket and the knife scar running across his left eyebrow. "I'm thinking, not brooding," I corrected, taking a sip of whiskey. "About the nun or about Morelli?" Luigi smirked, helping himself to my liquor cabinet. I shot him a warning glare. "The business." "Right." He didn'
Chapter 25 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia stood in the center of my room, looking as out of place as a prayer in a whorehouse. Her eyes kept darting around, taking in the sleek furniture, the expensive art, the obvious displays of wealth. Judging, probably. But there was curiosity there too. "Nice place," she said, wrapping her arms tighter around herself nervously. "Very... minimalist." I snorted, pouring myself a whiskey. "Funny way of saying 'cold and soulless.'" "I didn't say that." "You didn't have to." I offered her a glass, which she predictably declined. I dragged a chair closer and straddled it in front of her with my whiskey still in hand. “So, tell me about this nun who’s into drugs and sneaking around with old men.” “Sixteen,” she said, oblivious to my spiraling thoughts. “Latina. Short, brown hair, bright green eyes. She’s got a little scar on her eyebrow from when she was a kid.” I texted that to Luigi who was already checking the security footage we’d installed around
Chapter 26 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I'd imagined hell many times during my years in the convent. Fire and brimstone. Demons with pitchforks. Souls in eternal torment. I never imagined hell would look like the backseat of a luxury SUV with tinted windows, a massive dog's head in my lap, and a literal dangerous handsome man driving ninety miles an hour through Brooklyn while making calls that sounded suspiciously like he was organizing a small army. "I need four people at Kent Avenue. Now." Nikolai's voice was different when he spoke to his men tonight, harsher, colder. More like the man I first met than the one who'd laughed about his dog cockblocking a nun. "Tell Manuel to bring the heavy hardware. We're crashing a party." I stroked Fur's head, taking comfort in the warmth of him as my stomach twisted with fear. Not for myself. I'd made peace with my own mortality long ago. It was for Maria. Sweet, damaged Maria with her too-old eyes and fierce determination to prove she didn't need anyon
Chapter 47 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ She hesitated for only a second before dipping the spoon in and bringing it to her lips. The moment the warm broth hit her tongue, her eyes widened, and a slow, almost reluctant moan of approval slipped from her.j My dick jumped in appreciation. “Oh my God.” She took another spoonful, savoring it with a soft hum. “Nikolai, this is incredible.” I smirked, then leaned against the headboard with my own bowl. “Told you.” She shook her head in disbelief, already going for another bite. “I can’t believe it.” I sipped my soup like a man with nothing to hide. If she only knew. Well, she didn’t and I wasn't about to correct her assumption. Let her think I'd made it. I'd paid for the damn thing, after all. She took another spoonful, clearly enjoying every bit of it. “This is unfair,” she muttered. “You already have everything! Money, power, good looks—why the hell do you also get to be a good cook?” I shrugged. “Talent.” She shot me a look. “You don’t see
Chapter 46 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I stared at the contents of my fridge like I was deciphering ancient hieroglyphics. Opening and closing cabinets, I found precisely jack shit that would help me make soup. What did I even need? Chicken, obviously. Water? Vegetables? Christ. With a muttered curse, I grabbed my phone and did something I never thought I'd do today. I dialed a number. Three rings later, Allesia’s surprised voice came through. "Nikolai!” She shrieked. “Is everything alright?" "I need to make chicken soup," I said without preamble. A long pause followed. "I'm sorry, what?" "Chicken soup," I repeated, impatience creeping into my tone. "How do I make it?" "You... want to cook?" The disbelief in her voice mirrored Sylvia's earlier reaction, which only added to my determination. "Yes," I growled. "Is that so fucking hard to believe?" "Language, Nikolai,” She chided with a loud laugh. Then she sighed. "For whom?" I hesitated. "A friend. They're sick." Another pause. "R
Chapter 45 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I was dying. At least, that's what I felt like as I sat in the hard plastic hospital chair, my head buried in my hands. The words "I'm sorry" had left my mouth so many times in the last hour that they'd lost all meaning. "I'm sorry," I said again, because apparently, I was incapable of stopping. Sylvia rolled her eyes. "If you apologize one more time, I swear I'll—" "I'm sorry," I interrupted, then caught myself and let out a groan. She threw a wadded-up tissue at my head. It missed spectacularly, landing somewhere near my shoe. "You're impossible." I gritted my teeth. “I should have been more careful. I should have—” “Nikolai.” Her fingers curled like she was bored of hearing my school boy tone. “You didn’t force me.” That only made the guilt worse. She was so fucking soft and I had been reckless with her. Fucking dickhead. That’s what I was. But then, I’d never had to use a fucking manual for sex. Sex was sex and usually I just fuc
Chapter 44 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I gasped as pleasure built again, impossibly fast. "The children—" "Have another hour at least," he finished for me, his mouth moving to my breast. "And this time," he added, teeth grazing my nipple, "I want to see how loud you can really get." True to his word, he worked me into a frenzy with his fingers and mouth, drawing out my pleasure until I was writhing beneath him, dignity forgotten. When I came again, his name tore from my throat in a cry that surely would have been heard three rooms down—if anyone was awake to hear it. As I floated back to awareness, boneless and thoroughly sated, he was watching me with that same intense focus, something like wonder mixed with the hunger in his gaze. "Beautiful," he murmured, brushing damp hair from my forehead. "So fucking beautiful when you come apart." I should have blushed. Instead, I found myself smiling lazily up at him, a newfound confidence warming me from within. "Your turn." His eyebrow
Chapter 43 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I should have looked away. The nuns would have expected modesty. Shame. Instead, I watched hungrily as he stripped, revealing himself. He was... proportional. Intimidatingly so. My experience was limited to that night I saw him, barely. This—Nikolai naked and proud and obviously aroused—was something else entirely. It was frightening and hot at the same time. "See something you like?" The arrogance in his tone should have scared me. Instead, it sent another flutter of heat through me. "Yes," I admitted, the single syllable feeling like its own kind of freedom. His smile turned predatory again. "Take those off," he nodded to my panties. And then I realized that everything he’d done to me before now was from sliding my panties to the side. All this time, I thought I was naked. My hands moved to the waistband automatically before hesitation struck. "I haven't... I mean, I'm not..." Understanding dawned in his eyes. "I know." It was
Chapter 42 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ He lifted me suddenly, hands gripping my ass, and I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively. My back hit the wall with enough force to rattle the cheap crucifix hanging beside us—the one Mother Beatrice had insisted I keep. The irony wasn't lost on me as Nikolai's mouth descended on my neck, teeth scraping against the sensitive skin. "Wait," I gasped as his hands slid under my shirt. "The children—" "Are sleeping," he murmured against my throat. "Your saints won’t be awake till morning.” "I actually need to talk to you about that—" "We’ll talk later,” His hands found my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples through the thin cotton of my nightie. "We have time." A whimper escaped me as he pinched lightly, sending sparks of pleasure-pain racing through me. "Unless," he pulled back slightly, eyes finding mine, suddenly serious. "Unless you’ve changed your mind." I hadn’t. God help me, I couldn't form the words. Instead, I arched int
Chapter 41 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Two days had passed. Why hadn't he forgotten? "What?" I stalled, my mind scrambling. "Don't play dumb, Sylvia. It doesn't suit you." His eyes alone were enough to command my full attention. "There's no way I'll forget that when you were cumming around my fingers, you called out another man's name." “Jesus, Nikolai.” I groaned, pressing a hand to my burning face. “I literally just prayed for forgiveness minutes ago.” His eyes remained hard, but his hand came up anyway, fingers trailing along my collarbone, they dipped just beneath the thin neckline of my nightie to trace the curve of my breast. A casual, possessive touch. Like he was making a statement. “Then you better start talking,” he said, voice full of wicked promise. “Or you’ll be offering a different kind of prayer—with your face against that same altar.” He gestured to the crucifix with his head, “I bet he’d love to see just how filthy his holy little lamb is.” My entire body seized up. “Lord
Chapter 40 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Two days of solitude had given me too much time to reflect my sins. I finished the last prayer bead, pressed my lips against the small silver crucifix as my final words echoed in the stillness of my room. "Thank you Jesus for sins forgiven." I whispered, though I wasn't sure if I was truly seeking absolution anymore. For just a moment, I felt clean. At peace. Safe. Then the floorboard behind me creaked and I realized I wasn’t alone. Slowly, I crossed myself and turned, still on my knees, to face whatever demon had come to swallow me, most likely as punishment for the thoughts in my heart. Then my eyes adjusted to the dim light of my room, and my heart slammed against my ribs. Of course it was him. He stood there like a fallen angel, beautiful and terrible in equal measure. His imposing frame blocked what little moonlight filtered through the window, casting him in silhouette. He was dressed the part of a masked psychopath stalker, down to the hoo
Chapter 39 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “We've got something." I followed Viktor to the makeshift investigation house we had just established at the Lab House. Computer screens lined the wall, surveillance footage playing on some, data scrolling across others. "We found a partial print on the envelope," Viktor explained, gesturing to Luigi who sat hunched over a keyboard. "Not enough for a match in any database, but it's something." "What about the symbol?" I asked, staring at the blown-up image of the serpent wrapped around a dagger. "Nothing concrete yet," Luigi replied without looking up. His fingers continued their relentless dance across the keyboard. "It's not associated with any known group in our records. I'm running it through international databases now. With Liam’s help.” I nodded slowly. "And the security footage?" Viktor released a breath. "That's where it gets interesting. They knew exactly where the cameras were. Moved in blind spots whenever possible." He pulled up the