King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)

by Ana Huang

“You don’t know what you’re asking for, srce moje.” His voice was lethally soft. Srce moje. I didn’t know what it meant, but the sound of it pooled inside me with languid warmth.

“You’re mine, Ayana. I teško onom koji pokuša da mi te uzme.”

“You’re mine, Ayana. And woe to whoever tries to take you from me.”

“Call off the wedding.” Soft desperation ran beneath his otherwise cool command.

“There’s one thing you should know about me, Ayana,” he said, his breath grazing my ear. “I. Don’t. Share.”

I’d spent the past two weeks trying to find a way out of this mess, but short of kidnapping her, my hands were tied.

I wanted to march upstairs, grab Ayana, and claim her so thoroughly in front of every damn person in the building, there’d be no doubt left in anyone’s mind that she was mine. Only mine.

When I said I wanted her, I wanted all of her. Every smile, every tear, every sigh and moan. She consumed me, body and soul, and I refused to settle for anything less in return.

From the moment I heard her laugh on that damn TV program years ago, I’d been a goner. She’d been a new model at the time, but there was something about the way she talked and carried herself that sank its claws into me and refused to let go.

She’d radiated authenticity, and she had the type of smile that made me want to smile too—and I fucking hated smiling.

She was a splash of color in my world of gray, and before I knew it, I was ensnared. There was no way out.

What I felt for her was fascination. Preoccupation. Obsession so deep I couldn’t breathe sometimes.

I craved his presence the way an addict craved their next fix, and it’d been two weeks since I last had mine.

“Can you hold me?” she asked, her voice small. “Just for a little bit.” Fuck. My heart cracked straight down the middle. I didn’t say a word. I simply gathered her in my arms while she curled into a ball against my chest. She didn’t cry, but she felt so fragile and vulnerable I wanted to go out and annihilate anyone who dared to even think about hurting her.

The thought had passed through my mind. She was the beauty, and I was the beast. What person would look at us and think I was worthy of her in any way? But Ayana wasn’t that shallow. She judged people on their character, not their appearance. I wasn’t exactly an upstanding citizen, but for some reason, she seemed to find my presence appealing.

Beautiful and smart. A woman after my own heart.

She had the power to kill me with a single word, and she didn’t even know it.

When Vuk held me that day in the bedroom, I felt like I’d finally reached shelter after a long walk through a storm. Warm, comforted, safe. It didn’t make sense given everything he told me. He should be the most dangerous person I knew, and maybe he was. But not for me.

“Meaning if you think you’ve scared me off, you haven’t.” Ayana gave me a half-shy, half-mischievous smile. “You’re stuck with me, Markovic.” That foreign warmth prickled my chest again. A weight slid off my shoulders, and the ensuing lightness was so disorienting I almost stumbled. “Strong words, srce,” I said softly.

“If only we had bingo cards,” Ayana said mischievously. “Vuk is the bingo king.” I knocked a warning knee against hers under the table and earned myself a giggle. The sweet, silvery sound reverberated through me.

I could drink in the sweetness of her kiss forever and never be sated.

“Joy doesn’t require the absence of grief,” my mother said. “We have the capacity to hold both at the same time. That’s part of the human experience.”

I pointed them out on the packaging. “Soft woods for the mountains, which you said you liked. A hint of rum because you run a liquor and spirits company. Vanilla, for warmth and comfort.” Which is what you mean to me. I was too shy to say the last part out loud, so I hoped he picked up on my underlying meaning.

“For someone who can be so thoughtful, you can also be a real asshole.” He shrugged. I never said I was a good person. “I didn’t say you weren’t a good person. I said you’re an asshole.” My words lacked any real bite, but I thought I’d give him a taste of his own medicine. “Ahya.” His eyes narrowed. What does that mean? I took a demure sip of water and smiled. “Look it up.” That was when it happened. He laughed. Again.

“His scars are a sign of character, but your actions are a sign that you lack basic common decency. If I were you, I’d have a harder time looking in the mirror than anyone else here. It’s not him who’s ‘ugly’—it’s you.”

He kissed me like a man starved, like he could drink me in for eternity and not be sated. I thrilled at his possessive hold on my neck, and if he weren’t holding me up, I would’ve melted to the floor in a puddle of need.

This was where I wanted to be. He was who I wanted to be with.

Appreciation hummed in my veins. I didn’t care what strangers or society dictated. Vuk Markovic was beautiful.

His body was a portrait of the life he’d lived—hard, sometimes brutal, but so strong and imposing there was no questioning his raw power. Every scar and every burn was a testament to the trials he’d survived so he could be here, living and breathing and looking like a god of war before he rode off to battle. Pure magnificence.

I turned my head and took in her slumbering form. Her brow was smoothed, and the tiniest hint of a smile pulled at her mouth. A spill of moonlight softened her features, gilding her cheekbones and making her skin glow. She looked so beautiful and peaceful, I wanted to etch this version of her into my brain forever.

I liked messing with him, and I liked hearing him laugh even more.

I loved this teasing, light-hearted side of him.

I’d survived decades without her, but now that I had her in my life, I couldn’t imagine living in her absence. I needed to see her. Touch her. Taste her. Fill myself up with her so thoroughly that she was forever etched into my soul.

After years of waiting and wanting, she was finally mine. Only mine. And I was going to savor every goddamn second of it.

“It’s just a dress, srce,” I said, amused. “Unless you don’t like it, in which case I can have someone bring more options.” “No.” Ayana clutched the dress to her chest. “This is perfect. Don’t you dare take it from me.”

I never thought there’d be a day when I would exchange silly memes with Vuk Markovic, but here we were.

I was struck again by the strange sensation of having someone by my side, fighting with me. The shield to my sword, or the sword to my shield—whichever one worked in the situation. I wasn’t going into battle alone, and that simple fact was enough to steady my breathing.

I didn’t care that Ayana was a distraction. She was my distraction, the only one I wanted.

Heat poured off him like a living, breathing reminder of his duality. The businessman and the criminal. The protector and the murderer. The man who could kiss me so tenderly one day and kill so viciously the next.

“In my world, justice comes in one form: retribution.” Vuk cupped my cheek, his touch unbearably gentle. “I told you I wasn’t a good person, srce. You should’ve believed me.”

“But I forgot to mention another thing. Don’t touch my fucking cat.”

“Nisam sklon kompromisima, srce, ali za tebe bih pristao i na hiljadu njih.”

"I'm not one for compromises, sweetheart, but I'd compromise a thousand times for you."

“I’m not usually a compromise person, srce, but for you, I’d agree to a thousand compromises if you asked.”

“And yet, you won’t translate srce,” I breathed, trying to restore some semblance of control to my emotions. “You know what it means,” Vuk said, his voice tender again. I did. I’d finally looked it up, but even if I hadn’t, I heard the sentiment every time he uttered it. Srce moje. My heart.

“Plus, you saved my life. Again.” I’d been unconscious during the last part of the night, but knowing Vuk had run in to find me despite his past trauma with fire… A fist squeezed my heart. “No, srce,” Vuk said. “You saved mine.”

Like my mother said, joy didn’t require the absence of grief, and happiness wasn’t always found in the big moments. More often than not, they existed in small pockets of time like these—in a room with an adorable cat, the man I loved, and the knowledge that he loved me back.

“Merry early Christmas, srce moje,” I murmured. Ayana smiled, her face glowing with such happiness it made my heart squeeze. “Merry early Christmas, my love.” I stilled. My love.

Ayana framed my face with her hands, her eyes bright. “I love you,” she said. “Not because you saved my life but because you’re you.” It was as if she’d read my mind. “Grumpy, sweet, smart, loyal…a little stabby at times, but no one’s perfect.” She smiled at my small huff. “I’m in love with every part of you, Vuk Markovic, and I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. Tonight just happened to be the night I found the courage to do so.”

I dropped my forehead to hers. “I don’t deserve you, Ayana Kidane,” I whispered. “But fuck, I love you too.”

“I enjoy spending time with you,” I said. “I enjoy seeing you happy. That’s what I enjoy.”

Vuk was already on one knee in front of me. The most breathtaking ring I’d ever seen glittered in his hand. The flawless pear-shaped diamond rested on a bed of black velvet. It was set in gold and adorned with an exquisite scattering of tiny emeralds.