NINAMy leg bounced as I sat in the backseat while a driver-Lachlan sent- drove me to wherever I had agreed to meet him. To play our game.I didn’t know what came over me that I refused a quiet dinner at home, because according to him I needed rest, and instead I asked him if he was serious about his text regarding our game of chase. And then told him that I wanted that instead of a dinner date.When I’d woken up in the morning, there was an unmistakable scent of bleach in the air and this time I was sure someone was in my apartment. But when I’d opened the apartment door Lachlan’s bodyguards were still there, so that left me more paranoid and scared than before. And with my money gone, that note from the loan shark and everything going wrong in my life Lachlan felt like the only safe option. As if he was aware of my thoughts, my phone rang with his call. “Where are you?” He asked as I answered.“I don’t know... You didn’t tell me where I was coming to meet you.”“Are you ready?” “A
NINAI woke up to the sensation of cold seeping into my body. When I blinked my eyes, my cheek was pressed on something cold and hard. Concrete. Rough, unyielding, and damp. My head throbbed, my body a twisted coil of aches and bruises. And the air around me was thick with something pungent—coppery, metallic, the scent of rusted iron and dried blood.Darkness pressed in around me, thick and suffocating. My fingers twitched against the floor, searching for something, anything, to anchor me. But all I found was the sharp bite of chains wrapped around my wrist and ankle.Panic tore through me.No. No, no, no.I tugged, yanking hard, but the metal didn’t budge. It only cut deeper, biting into my skin. My breath shuddered out, my heart raced in my chest.Think. Think. Where am I? What happened? The last thing I remember—The park. The woods. The chase. Lachlan.But it wasn’t Lachlan who had caught me. The masked man had manhandled me and then... drugged me.My hand went to my neck, the puc
NINAThe first thing I noticed was the warmth, a soft golden glow filtering through the curtains. The room smelled of fresh linen and chamomile, a deceptive kind of peace that didn’t match the unease tightening my chest. The walls were painted in muted yellow and cream, the kind of colors meant to soothe. But nothing about this moment felt soothing.My body ached, my limbs heavy as if I had been asleep for too long. My throat burned, dry and raw, and when I shifted under the blanket, the rustling of fabric sounded too loud in the quiet space. A voice broke through the silence, startling me. “Oh, you’re awake.”I sat up with a jerk and erything come back to me at once as I stared at an old woman standing near the windows. My heart raced with the memories and once again panic gripped me.But the old woman seemed unfazed of the turmoil inside me as she walked to the bed where I was sitting, clutching the blanket against my torso— my very naked torso. While I was sleeping, someone took t
NINAMy hands trembled as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The ivory dress clung to me like a shroud, mocking me with its delicate lace and intricate embroidery. The four women had worked tirelessly, perfecting me for a wedding I had no part in planning and didn’t want. Lachlan hadn’t come and I was starting to wonder if I’ll only see him at the alter. Just then the bedroom door was pushed open, and Lachlan stepped inside. “Leave.” He ordered, waving at the girls who were packing their things. They all filed out of the room, leaving me alone with him: my soon to be husband. His green eyes took me in and I felt myself freezing for his perusal. He said, “You look beautiful, kotyonok.”“What does it mean?”“Little kitten.”I nodded. Of course, he didn’t have to speak in Italian anymore. It was only to keep me unaware of his original identity. And once again I was reminded of his betrayal. Lachlan had done this. It was all his doing.Tears burned the back of my eyes and I turn
NINAAs we walked out of the bedroom, Lachlan slid my hand in the crook of his arm and led me through the dimly lit corridor. The house was silent, but it pulsed with wealth—cold, suffocating, and undeniable. The floors were polished marble, smooth and gleaming under the soft glow of wall sconces.My curious eyes looked around as I tried to focus on anything but what was about to happen. I stared at the large framed pictures that lined the corridor, their glass surfaces catching the light as we passed. They were portraits of people but Lachlan didn’t give me a chance to study them as he strode with wide footsteps. But there were other frames too, that were covered with black cloth, shrouding whatever lay beneath. A strange unease curled in my stomach at the sight of them.When we reached the grand staircase, its wide steps covered in plush red carpeting muted the sound of our footsteps. The iron railing was sleek and curved, intricate designs twisting through its frame. And as we desc
NINAThe priest said, “As the wedding is to be completed by the old Bratva tradition, this union will be sealed not just with vows, but with blood. For blood binds stronger than words, making this marriage unbreakable.”I watched as Jeremiah picked the dagger and without breaking eye contact cut a deep gash on his palm. My eyes widened as blood pooled in his palm. I stood there, breathing hard, as he held the dagger out to me. I couldn’t move, the sight of his blood did something to me even when he seemed unfazed. When I didn’t take the dagger, his grey eyes flicked behind me and a hand came from behind me to hold my palm open. Before I could even look at him, Lachlan leaned down as he said, “Hold still. It won’t hurt much.” I closed my eyes as he took the dagger from Jeremiah and made a shallow cut on my palm. Unlike Jeremiah there was only a few drops of blood that surfaced on my palm. “By blood, you are bound. By pain, you are tied. There is no escape from this union,” The pr
NINAI stood there, shaking, in Lachlan’s arms as he held me. From the corners of my eyes, I saw Jeremiah unbuttoning his jacket with slow, deliberate movements, peeling it away to reveal a black shirt underneath. A shiver crawled down my spine when I realized he was going to really give it to me.As if sensing my dread, Lachlan’s arm tightened around me. My breath hitched as he pulled me against him, his grip firm but not bruising. My body trembled in his hold, I couldn’t help it, I was scared. Every cell of my body was screaming to run, to fight.And I did try to get away. I struggled against his hold, but Lachlan didn’t let go. “Don’t do this,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I gave into my fear. I didn’t want the pain. “Please, stop him.” Something told me that only he could.“Hush.” Lachlan’s green eyes met mine. “It'll be over in a minute.”I wondered if I should change my decision and submit. It was just one act of submission, to kneel and kiss his shoes. But my pride shook
NINAThe monster hunting me and devouring me in my nightmares was always faceless. I don’t know how he looked. My nightmares never revealed his face while he pushed me down on the forest floor and fucked me senseless.But as Jeremiah Sokolov stood at the threshold with his tall and muscled form wrapped in black shirt and grey slacks, I wondered if he was the same monster from my nightmares. He has the bearing of it, of being a heartless monster who would take without an apology. If he was, it’ll be another fucking joke from the universe. Because no matter that half of his left cheek was scarred, making one of his grey eyes look sharper because of the marred flesh, but the other untouched side told a story of how beautiful he must’ve been before the fire took it from him. And yet, somehow, he wasn’t ugly. His golden hair, his grey eyes, sculpted jaw and those lips still told the tale of a beauty underneath. His presence seemed to suck the air from the room. The tension was suffocati
NINA “What will it be, my little shadow? Your hand or my belt?”Before I took my next breath, Lachlan’s fingers curled around my wrist and he was pulling me down on his lap. I fought, tried to twist my wrist free. But Lachlan held on. “Lachlan! Are you mad? How can you listen to him? Let me go!”The monster tsked. “Look at her, she thinks you’ll do whatever she wants. She thinks she has you wrapped around her fingers just because you fucked her and made her come.”Lachlan was staring at Jeremiah, his eyes still locked with his. And it felt like he had shut me out and no matter how much I tried he won’t listen to me. I touched his face with my free hand. “Lachlan, please…. You don’t have to—”“Shut up.” I froze. And in the ensuing silence the monster chuckled.Lachlan met my eyes with his green ones, they were reserved now as he said, “You heard him. We disobeyed him. Do you want to get the belt?”My throat went dry.Until now Lachlan had never talked to me so coldly and treated m
NINA The low hum of the car was the only sound filling the thick silence between us as the three of us sat, going to my first public appearance as Jeremiah Sokolov’s wife. I was tense, nervous, not knowing what to expect and the two men surrounding me like I was there pet to display were sitting back like they couldn’t feel my growing agitation. But there was the tension in the air around us, too suffocating to go unnoticed. Outside, the foreign city stretched in all directions, neon lights bleeding into the darkened streets, casting fleeting shadows against the tinted windows of the Rolls-Royce. The car was sleek, all black with an interior of deep red leather that smelled of luxury and power. Everything about it screamed and represented what the owner was — polished, controlled, with an underlying edge of danger. What it couldn’t show was how lethal and fucking arsehole the man who owned was. I leaned back, trying to relax. But it seemed impossible to relax with was Lachlan sit
Twelve Years Ago ____Innessa: 18 years oldJeremiah: 24 years old ____JEREMIAH I sat in Giorgio Sicilian’s office, was poured the finest whiskey the man had as he sat across from me.Now, you must be thinking— why would a man who came to Italy with the sole purpose of destroying Giorgio Sicilian be sitting in his office, sipping his whiskey?The answer was simple.Because at this moment, I wasn’t Jeremiah Sokolov, heir to the Bratva. I was a businessman from New York, looking to invest in his third-rate weapon manufacturing industry.My disguise was flawless.A slate-grey Armani suit, Italian leather shoes, and a French beard— just for effect, I like to check all my boxes. Contact lenses concealed my grey eyes because Lachlan claimed they always gave me away as a predator. My little shadow was perceptive and I always take his advice with a grain of salt. After all he was the only man I trusted with my own life and not to betray me.And to top it off? I was wearing spectacles I di
JEREMIAH I watched her.Her eyes were wide with curiosity, lips parted as she hung onto every word that left Lachlan’s mouth. I should have been the one telling her our past, not him. But no— I had been too distracted, too consumed by thoughts of making her pay now that she was finally in my grip. I had forgotten to begin the history lessons as I had planned.Instead, I had wanted her out of my sight as soon as possible because I wasn’t sure what I would have done next. Every time I looked at her, all I saw was fire closing in around me— then waking up in a dark cell, my body marked with the scars of her betrayal.There was a time when I had stood where Lachlan was now, wanting to shield her, keep her safe, wipe away her tears, and offer her the solace of my presence. But that time was gone. It was never going to happen again.And I would make damn sure my little shadow didn’t fall for her lies and end up scarred, too.Last night, I had thrown her out of my bedroom and stopped Lachla
LACHLANMy little kitten let out a beautiful gasp as her lips parted for me. She let me devour her, melting into the kiss. Her tongue coming out to tease mine and when I sucked on it, her hands gripped my shoulders. I banded my arm around her and adjusted her until she was straddling me. I deepened the kiss, tasting her gasps as she settled over my hard cock.I had been hard since she’d come down to the dining table, just the sight of her had made me want her and take her. And then Jeremiah had humiliated her in front of everyone. I didn’t like that he had humiliated her for his revenge. It would’ve been different if it'd been for her pleasure and for ours but he did it for his revenge to shame her. And yet still, I had become hard when I had seen her eyes, for one single moment she had almost looked like she wanted me amidst her ordeal.Now her labored breathing fanned across my cheek as I trailed my lips down to her chin, jaw and neck. She arched, and sighed, as I placed open mouth
LACHLANI shouldn’t be here.That thought lingered at the back of my mind, but it didn’t stop me from opening her bedroom door and stepping inside. As soon as I entered something came flying at me, I ducked, my reflexes taking over. A loud crack had me looking to my left where now the broken vase was. When I turned to face her she was standing on the bed and glaring at me. The sight of her flushed face and angry eyes almost made me smile. Almost. But I knew it wasn’t time to let her know how adorable she was looking right now and I just wanted to sit there and look at her. Instead, I stepped inside her room, closed the door and said, “It could have been Garcia, or worse Jeremiah who you could’ve hurt, Nina. And we don’t want them hurt.” I walked to the bed and held out my hand for her. “Garcia wouldn’t have been able to dodge and would’ve gotten hurt, and she doesn’t deserve that. And, Jeremiah would’ve retaliated.”She stared at me for a long moment, the spark of silver in her one
LachlanI moved to follow her but Jeremiah stepped in my path, stopping me. “Move.”He didn’t. His eyes glared at me and he said, “We have a meeting.”“Go ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. I was aware of the eyes on us. Xavier, Kayne, Olezka and his fûcking aunt was staring at us. But he didn’t seem to mind as he gritted out, “Don’t defy me again and again, little shadow, there’s only so much I can let go.”I took in a calming breath and moved past him in the direction of his fucking office. I needed just a moment of his weakness to strike back at him and bring him to his fucking knees. I was bidding my time, letting him think he was in control. Because if he knew I was plotting he will consider me his enemy too. His trust in me was already fragile and I didn’t want it to shatter like it had for everyone else in his life. God. He didn’t even fucking trust his own twin. It was a fucking miracle that he put even the slightest of it in
NINA "It seems I will have to take my wife in my own hands.”Dread coiled up in my stomach, my fight and flight instincts told me to make a run for it and I lurched to my feet, but he was faster.Before I could escape, his fingers clamped around my wrist, and he yanked me forward. My breath left me in a sharp gasp as he twisted me, forcing me over the breakfast table. Plates and silverware rattled beneath my weight, the scent of coffee and toast mixing with the scent of his cologne. Fire and danger engulfed me in a brutal hold. I thrashed and tried to fight his hold, but his grip was unyielding as he twisted my arm around my back and pushed me down harder that my breastbone hurt. “Stop,” I hissed, panic clawing at my throat from being subjected to this. “You fucking bastard—”The loud smack echoed in the hall before the pain registered and I went still. My mind short-circuited unable to process what just happened. He just hit me. The fucking monster hit my arse, making my whole bod
NINA“Sit, wife.” Jeremiah ordered, motioning to the chair beside him. He behaved as if nothing had happened last night. As if he hadn’t humiliated me. As if he hadn’t made me have sex with another man on what was supposed to be our wedding night. As if he hadn’t denied me my pleasure. As if he hadn’t tossed me out of his bedroom like garbage once the deed was done. I wanted to take that knife from his hand and plunge it deep in his throat. I hated him so fucking much.His eyes narrowed on me as if he could read my mind.I took in a deep breath and obeyed. As I sat down my eyes inadvertently went to the man sitting on his other side, in front of me. Lachlan’s green eyes searched mine as if he was looking for something. I met his gaze and everything that transpired last night between us came rushing back to me in vivid details. He had fucked me. He was the first man to claim me in twelve fucking years. And it had hurt but it had also felt so good. I had wanted him. I had wanted him