Nikolai.Lifting her shirt for me to peel it off from her effortlessly enticing form. Sofia blushed trying to insulate herself from my hungry gaze. I merely bestowed her with a warning glance and like a good girl she dropped her hands looking everywhere but me.Fuck, if she only saw herself the way I did.So damn beautiful. So sweet and fucking precious.I sighed meaning every goddamn word that left me, "You're enthralling," my lips found hers in a sweet kiss loving how she reciprocated the action."And so fucking perfect, sweetheart," I pecked her forehead rendering her to flush even redder and I chuckled expressing the joy bubbling within me at the melodious giggle.I caressed her smooth cute stomach reveling in the feel of her soft skin. The urge to ask her about them, the small scars littering her skin was heart wrenching as they tainted her beautiful pale skin. Yet she was the most beautiful woman I laid my eyes upon and always be.Tearing my eyes and averting my vicious thoughts
Author's POV.Nadei, finally,got his load of work done and decided to find his little girl. He searched everywhere he thought he might find her until he figured out that Nik might have taken her to their library being the only place he hadn't checked.And knowing how much of a nerd his brother was despite his inability to focus while reading as his hyperactivity got the best of him every time. And he knew how much he loved the place with its calm atmosphere and its peacefulness..Reaching his destination, Nadei stood leaning against the railing of the stairs and getting greeted by the grinning face of his younger brother with their little girl tucked into Nikolai's hulking frame in a small blanket, her head peeking out shyly but drowsily at him."Hello, brother," Nikolai greeted with a cheerful tone pulling Sofia to him and Nadei scanned the sight of the disheveled state she was in with her clothes on the floor making him smirk, lust prospering in his green orbs."You have been busy a
Sofia.After we got into their bedroom.We found Nial in slick black trousers, a black button-up adorning his form as he scrolled through his phone sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes drifted to his brother's then to mine.He smiled wildly, them got up and gathered me in his arms lifting me off the ground as I squeaked. I felt myself tense for a second but accepted the show of affection, however didn't reciprocate it.Nadei got into the closet closing the door behind him and Nikolai threw me a wink, my eyes accidentally wandered off to the wet spot on his upper thigh making me blush.Oh, no.And Nial noticed and smirked at his brother. His brown orbs fleeted to mine swiftly. "What have you two been up to?" He teased pulling a gurgled embarrassed sound out of me.His raven wet locks tickled my face."I missed you," he whispered kissing from my nape to my ear and I resisted the urge to admit that I sorta-kinda-maybe-a smidgen bit missed him too.I shook my head and gave him a small
Sofia.After a few boring minutes of me playing with the guys' hands. I pulled out the phone from my pocket checking if I had received anything from Carter just to find an empty inbox. With disappointment clouding my head, I try to cheer myself up by doing one of my favorite things.My giddiness was evident as I decided to start a new book on Kindle thanking the gods that I had downloaded it to be offline. My eagerness getting the best of me."Love?"And my fun was instantly, ruined."Yeah," I answered not turning towards Nikolai."We've arrived," he chuckled at the way I whipped my head so fast towards his opened side of the door Speedy Gonzales would've been proud. I hurriedly got out of the car, excited but jittery.Nikolai smoothly placed his hand on the small of my back guiding us as the other two stoically marched ahead. The huge fancy double doors of the restaurant bring pulled open by the doorman and the luxurious building itself buzzed with energy from the inside out.Opening
Author's POV.The trio's happiness couldn't be measured.The absolute love and adoration that they felt for their little angel were ineffable and absolutely consuming. Their hearts leaped in their chests filling them with comfort and warmth at the way Sofia had been interacting with them. The way she affected them with the slightest touch, the way she made them hang on to her like air.She was an enchantress without even trying.She brought peace upon the dark, broken sherds of ice surrounding their hearts melting them into a puddle of still water and yet, she didn't know how much effect she had on them.They gave her the space that she needed. Not wanting to crowd her and seeking her to come to them even so they were giving her whatever she desired without expecting anything in return besides her love and acceptance.The trio felt the need to be wanted and needed by her and they have been making progress in doing so.They hoped it'd be like that, forever.Just them and her happily i
Sofia.Did I just get my first drink ever?Yes, yes, I just did and it was awesome.Who the hell was I kidding?It was weird, to say the least as the unfamiliar and dry beverage slid down my throat to fully feel my taste buds twist and turn at the taste with a soft wince on my face.I took another sip wanting to get used to its taste and numb down the slight burn it made my tongue feel but it was slightly better than before.I heard three hearty deep chuckles making my eyes snap to the trio that was watching me with utmost attention like a Martian alien on one of those stupidly Hollywood cliches and I blushed."Your first time huh?" Nikolai mused and I mumbled a 'yes' with another soft sip.After enjoying the comfortable silence for a few minutes sipping our wine, our eyes fell on the beautiful starry view, the waiter from before coming back with our dishes and we dove right in. My stomach grumbled at the delicious-looking lasagna.And I started eating as the trio peeked at each other
Nial.Discomfort.Disappointment.And the fear that she looked at us with was overbearingly heart-consuming that made my own heart clench in pain. I didn't want her to feel like that. No one of us wanted her to feel like that.She broke down.But none of those things hurt more than the look of pure self-hate and disgust she had on with the gloomy atmosphere that we were trapped in while departing home didn't make it any better.Sofia refused to talk to us as she cried silently, her heart-wrenching quiet sobs racked through her small form and I fought the urge to comfort her in any way she'd let me.But I held myself back.My brothers were no better.Nadei was seething in anger as he always did instead of showing the hurt and expressing the pain that he felt. He bottled it up and I'm afraid that it'll catch up to him one day.Nikolai being the one with his heart on his sleeve and the most sensitive one amongst us had sadness and desperation colored all over his face staring longingly a
Author's POV.While Sofia was lost in her thoughts scrubbing her skin in the bath to distract herself, those endless grief injected tears flowing down her cheeks.The trio was in their study.Nadei had his head buried in his hands trying to control the urge to break something, he has always been the temperamental one amongst his brothers.He was the older brother with anger issues and a significant amount of trauma weighing his back. Nadei had tried to protect his younger brothers from the random and unnecessary beatings their father would inflict upon them.Lucifer Idler Alexeyev lived up to his name as a successful businessman and a ruthless mafia leader yet he was pictured as the perfect husband and perfect father.He thrived on power, money and territory. And he wanted his sons to be the same in any way possible.Meanwhile, Nikolai was overthinking everything, his thoughts were a complete mess, and his demons were catching up to him.She would never accept this.She would never w
Arsen.She was pacing again.The damn woman wouldn’t sit still, despite nearly toppling over twice already. Stubborn as hell, jaw clenched tight, the way her hands balled into fists every few minutes—it was like watching a storm build, waiting for the inevitable thunder. I let out a slow exhale, flexing my fingers against the dull ache in my side. The pain had settled into something manageable, but the bullet wound still throbbed every time I moved too much. Not that I’d admit it. ''You need to eat.''Sofia finally stopped near the small window, arms crossed as she glared into the distance. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered, refusing to look at me.I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, and I’m a fucking priest.”She shot me a glare, but it lacked real fire. Her exhaustion clung to her, evident in the slight unsteadiness of her stance.I pushed off the couch, biting back a grimace as my side protested. “You haven’t eaten since you woke up, Sofia. You need to.”She let out a humorless laugh. “Why d
Sofia.Silence stretched tight in the room, thick with unspoken arguments and barely restrained fury. I could feel the weight of their gazes pressing down on me, but I refused to bend. Not this time. Not ever.Nikolai exhaled through his nose, his jaw locked tight. "Sofia, you have to trust us.""Trust?" I barked out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. "Trust goes both ways, Nikolai. And right now, it sure as hell doesn't feel like you trust me."He didn’t flinch at my words, but something flickered in his eyes—something almost guilty. But before I could call him on it, Nadei moved. Fast.Too fast.A sharp prick at my neck sent a chill down my spine, my hand flying up instinctively. My fingers met Nadei’s, his grip gentle but unyielding as he pressed the syringe into my skin. No. Fuck."You son of a wh—"The room tilted. My vision blurred, the edges growing hazy and dark. I staggered, reaching for something&
Sofia.The weight of Nikolai’s words settled in my bones. We move at dawn.No hesitation. No second-guessing. We were past that now.I turned to face him, meeting his unreadable gaze. The soft glow of the garden lights cast long shadows across his face, making the sharp angles even more pronounced. He looked terrefiyingly beautiful. I knew that look—controlled fury barely restrained. This wasn’t just about revenge. It was about sending a message.Someone had the audacity to come after me. After us. And they had failed. But failure meant nothing to men like the one who was after me. It only meant they would try again. Harder. Smarter. With more firepower."We should get some rest," Nikolai said, his voice rough from exhaustion, but firm.I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "And leave the battle planning to you?"A smirk almost ghosted across his lips, but it never fully formed. Instead, he stepped closer, his hand brushing against my wrist in a fleeting touch. "Sofia. I need you to be
Sofia.The safe house was buried deep in the outskirts of the city, a fortress disguised as a forgotten estate. High walls, reinforced doors, bulletproof windows—it screamed security. Yet, as I stepped inside, the familiar scent of cigars and espresso made it feel almost homey.For a moment, I let myself believe we were safe.Until Luca locked the door behind us, and the tension in the room snapped tight like a wire about to break."We need answers." Lorenzo’s voice was ice, sharp and cutting.Clearing his throat, "Agreed." Nadei said as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his green eyes dark with exhaustion. "We were ambushed, but someone had to tip them off.""Someone on the inside," Nial added, wiping dried blood from his knuckles. "Someone close enough to know our movements."My stomach twisted. He wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t just a random attack. This was precision. A well-planned execution. And yet, we were still standing.Thankfully."Who do you think it was?" I asked,
Sofia.I feel someone's intense gaze on me.The night was a cacophony of chaos, but all I could hear was the drum of my own heartbeat, the fire in my lungs as I fought, as I survived. The air was thick with the scent of gasoline, wreckage and blood, the crack of bullets whizzing past my ears a deadly symphony.Nikolai was at my back, covering me with precision, his bullets finding their marks like it was second nature. Nadei was a storm, his movements ruthless, his rage palpable as he carved through our attackers with a kind of brutality that made my chest ache. Nial fought with a quiet efficiency, his blade flashing in the dim light, while Arsen, bleeding and furious, held the line with the stubbornness of a man who refused to fall.And still, they kept coming.More men poured into the alley, their silhouettes dark and faceless, their weapons raised, ready to finish what they started."We need a fucking miracle," Nial panted, reloading with grim determination."We don’t break," I gro
Nadei.The world erupted in fire.The blast threw me off my feet, a wall of heat and force slamming into my back as the explosion consumed the alleyway. Debris rained down like fucking bullets, and the scent of burning asphalt filled my lungs. My ears rang, my vision blurred—but I didn’t stop moving. I couldn’t afford to. I. Had.To. Keep. Moving.“SOFIA!”My voice was lost in the chaos, but I caught sight of her through the smoke. My heart squeezed at the sight. Arsen had tackled her to the ground, shielding her with his body as the fire roared behind them. He was bleeding. So was she. But they were alive.Nikolai was on his feet, gun raised, scanning the destruction. Nial had taken cover behind what was left of a dumpster, his face set in a snarl, blood dripping down the side of his head. But the bastard we’d been questioning? Gone.Of course he was.''Fucking hell.'' I spat out a curse, my grip tightening around my gun as I forced my body into motion. We needed to move. Whoever sen
Arsen.The moment of peace I shared with Sofia is quickly shattered. The first explosion rocked the walls, sending a tremor through the floor. The windows rattled violently before one of them burst, spraying shards of glass into the air. In the same breath, the lights flickered and cut out, plunging us into chaos.Fuck! They had where they wanted us. We didn't expect them to strike this fast. And that was our first mistake.“DOWN!” Nikolai roared, tackling Sofia to the ground as a second blast ripped through the room, deafening and blinding. The table flipped, and I hit the ground hard, the taste of dust and gunpowder sharp in my mouth.Gunfire erupted outside, sharp, controlled bursts—whoever was out there wasn’t just trying to scare us. They were here to finish the job.Nadei was the first to move, rolling into cover behind the overturned couch, his gun already in hand. “We’re under attack.”“No shit!” Nial growled, already pulling his own weapon. His face was twisted in fury, but h
Arsen.I had always known my past would come back for me. But I never thought it would come like this—like a blade pressing against my throat, like a storm tearing apart everything in its wake. Like my heart was going to be ripped away from my ribbcage.Sitting in that dimly lit room, my jaw still aching from the blond dickhead's punch, I could feel the weight of my next words before they even left my mouth. I had their attention now. The three men who owned Sofia’s heart. The men who would kill me without hesitation if they thought I was a danger to her.And maybe I was.I exhaled sharply, pushing down the bitterness that always threatened to surface when I thought about what could have been. What should have been. I wasn’t here for that. I was here because I had answers. And they needed them."The people after Sofia? They aren’t just old enemies," I began, my voice even, controlled, despite the storm raging inside me. "They’re the remnants of something much worse. Something that nev
Author's POV.The moment Sofia and her husbands left- fuck, he hated that word. Husbands. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, and it wasn't fair to him. He wanted to be the man for her. He desereved that title, but she chose them, not him, he reminded himself - silence settled over the room like a thick fog, suffocating and heavy. Arsen exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face before gripping the edge of the table. The tension in his shoulders had coiled so tight he thought he might snap.He should have expected this. From the second he locked eyes with those five men in the café, he knew this moment would come. The past had never been the kind to stay buried, not for people like them. Not for men who lived in the shadows of power and blood.Sofia was different now. He had seen it in the steel of her gaze, the way she held herself—not just as a mother, not just as the girl he used to know, but as something else entirely. A woman carved by war and loss, by survival. The Bratva’s