Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
He collapses gently beside me, his weight comforting as he traces lazy kisses on my shoulder. The fairy lights flicker like a silent reminder of the magic between us.
Finally, after a while, he lifts his head. “How’d I do?”
I slap his massive shoulder and snort.
“Not bad, Bratva boy. Might need another round to do a comparison test.”
He groans and flops beside me. “Of all the times to test me, woman…”
We curl up in bed. The half-packed boxes can wait.
He reaches for my phone and hands it to me. “Go ahead. See what they said. Maybe tell them you were otherwise occupied, wink wink.”
I take my phone and kiss him. “Stop being so perfect already.”
“Oh yeah? I can take your phone away and make you worship me as your king. Would that destroy the fantasy illusion?”
I grumble. “Yes, actually, it would.”
I love the way he chuckles when I slap his arm playfully with a book. I click on the notifications and nearly squeal.
This is so fun.
Girl noooo. You’ve been keeping him from us the whole time? Where do I sign upppp
The way he took off that mask and whispered in your ear? I need holy water, rn
Not me rewatching the video on repeat to catch every detail of his shadow lurking in the background…
OMG. Welcome BACK, “little queen!”
The way he looks at you like he will LEGIT burn the world down for you.
Forget the book recs. I just need to know when the second part of this video drops, pretty pretty pls
I grin at him. “I knew they’d love you.”
We read through the comments and reply. I swear his head grows three sizes.
“Stay humble, Bratva boy.”
“Call me that one more time, and I’ll reopen my account just to post that video of you over my lap.”
I can’t help but giggle at that.
He kisses my cheek. “Baby, they love you. You’re the one who keeps the fantasy alive. Who keeps the hope alive.” He shakes his head. “And I love that for you.”
I sigh and look around my apartment before I shut the phone off. I rest my head against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart beneath my cheek. “I guess I’m just nervous. It feels like closing a door.”
Rodion tilts my chin up, his thumb tracing my jaw. “Then leave it open. Just don’t let it keep you from walking through the next one.”
He’s right.
There’s nothing tying me here anymore. Shawn is gone, and for the first time in a long time, I’m not looking over my shoulder. This apartment—the one I once considered my safe haven—now feels like something I’ve outgrown.
“Alright, let’s finish packing. I still owe Zoya about ten book recs before we leave.”
“Not sure how I feel about that.”
“Not sure it’s your business.” I narrowly dodge his outstretched palm.
The apartment grows quieter as we work, the shelves slowly emptying. But even as the space becomes less mine, I feel it—the excitement thrumming just beneath the surface.
Moving to Russia isn’t the end.
It’s the start of something new.
Epilogue
RODION
The faint glow of a winter dawn filters through the window, but I’m mesmerized by the sleeping form of my wife.
My wife.
Those two words hold a world of meaning they never did before. Her fiery red hair spills on the pillow—a satin pillowcase she tested for her new online store, saying something about it leaving hair softer and untangled. I don’t much care about that part, but it twisted nicely into makeshift bonds last night. Heh.
She’s quiet now, her breathing steady, but the tension in her brow still lingers a little. Not every day is a happy ending, and not every night sweet dreams. She has nightmares sometimes. I don’t ask her what they are. They could be memories of her past or even more recently, the bloodstained ground the day of the gala.
I only pull her closer and whisper against her ear that she’s safe. That I’m here. That I’ll protect her. I stroke her hair until she’s softly sleeping against my chest.
I never go back to sleep, though. I can’t. Vigilance was burned into me by my brother, and that won’t change, especially now that I have someone to be vigilant for.
Sometimes, I wish I could dig up Shawn’s fucking corpse just to kill him all over again. But I can’t go to the past to rectify the present. Instead, I’ll focus on the here and now. I promise to slay whatever demons threaten to rob her peace.
Happily.
I give my everything to my wife, and that won’t ever change.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Ember whispers, her eyes still closed, echoing my own teasing line to her.
She stirs, her gorgeous emerald eyes blinking up at me. For a moment, she looks dazed, and so vulnerable she’s almost childlike. When she sees me, her lips curve into a soft smile that brings an ache to my chest.