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I don’t know if Persephone fought Hades when he dragged her from the field, but I have no doubt Sofiya will put up more of a fight when I drag her back to my city. Not that it will stop me.
I’ll be seeing her again soon. And when I do, I won’t just be watching. I’ll be taking her with me.
“Do you recognize me yet?” His voice is quiet but loaded, sending my pulse skittering.
Recognize him? Something pulls at the edges of my memory, just out of reach.
unforgettable. My gaze drops lower, scanning his mouth and jawline, trying to figure out what it is that’s so familiar about him. Then I see it—the faint outline of ink on his neck.
He tilts his head, daring me to say his name out loud. “Do you recognize me now, wife?”
I shake my head so hard I feel my brain rattle around. What the hell is happening? I went out tonight to celebrate and allowed myself one impulsive decision. And somehow, that choice led me straight to him.
Nikolai Zhukov.
The man who saved me. The man I’ve fantasized about. The man I just had sex with in a bathroom. Who ...
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“You’re my wife, Sofiya. That means you’re my responsibility. Whether you want it or not, I’m going to take care of you… in every way.”
I don’t bother waking Sofiya. I scoop her into my arms. The blanket she had over her falls, but I keep on going. She’s soft and warm pressed against me, her head falling against my shoulder like it belongs there.
And it does. We fit together perfectly. The memory of fucking her will haunt me for the rest of my days. The way her body trembled against mine, the feel of her nails biting into my scalp, the way she clenched around my cock, milking the hardest orgasm of my life from me.
I knew what it would cost me to fuck her, but it w...
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“If you won’t wear my ring, I’ll tattoo one onto your finger. It’s your choice, Sofiya. But one way or another, no one will question who you belong to.”
I marked her because I wanted to and because the thought of her belonging to anyone else is like a stab to the gut.
Fuck, she’s even more beautiful when her face lights up like this. It’s a sight I don’t get to see often—not that I deserve to, after everything I’ve done.
“You are my wife, Sofiya. I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll fly in the best dance instructors in Russia or build you a studio worthy of the Bolshoi. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.”
“Do you think I’d let anyone else see what’s mine, moya sladost? Your pleasure, your pain, your body and soul—belong to me, your husband.”
Sofiya was never supposed to be my wife, never supposed to be mine forever. But she’s etched into me like a brand, a fire that refuses to die, and until it does, I won’t give her back.
“I’m just saying. I’ve known you for a good part of my life, Niko, and I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like all touch-her-and-die and I’ll-burn-down-the-world-for-my-woman alpha male.”
My men will pay for their incompetence, but the person most to blame is me. She’s mine to protect, and I failed her. The realization is a knife to the gut.
Then Nikolai emerges from the shadows like a man possessed. Relief crashes through me. His hair is disheveled, his chest heaving, and when his eyes find mine, they are filled with panic.
He drops to his knees beside me, his hands cradling my face. “Fuck, baby. Look at you.”
“I thought I was going to die out here, and it would be all my fault. I’m such an idiot.”
“Don't say that,” he insists, his voice strained. “You're safe now. I’ve got you, Sofiya. I swear, nothing’s going to hurt you again.”
Husband or not, I’m the monster holding her against her will. But monsters aren’t supposed to feel this way—destroyed by the sight of their captive in pain.
“I’m serious. I’m putting you on a timer,” I say, holding up my phone.
He’s the cause of my family’s misery, and yet I’m here, feeling all sorts of fucked-up things for him.
Nikolai Zhukov isn’t just under my skin—he’s in my veins.
And the scariest part is I’m done...
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“Where do you think you’re going, moya sladost?”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Am I imagining the huskiness of his voice? Maybe, but I’m definitely not imagining his thick length pressed against my ass.
“Oh, sweet wife, you have no idea what you do to me. Your smell, your skin, the sound of your goddamn voice haunts me. It’s like every sweet inch of you was made to drive me insane. Now I’m going to need you to hold on tight because I’m about to fuck you so hard, you’ll feel me for days.”
“Go where? You belong in my bed. You’re my wife.”
“This doesn’t change anything between us.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. This changes everything.” I grab her chin and f...
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“You scared the shit out of me. I hated finding you like that,” I admit. My chest constricts, picturing her body, pale and shivering in the rain.
“You’re not worthless. You’re extraordinary, Sofiya. Talented, kind, and strong as hell. You’ve been worthy all along, moya sladost. It’s the world that wasn’t worthy of you.”
“You’re mine, Sofiya. You’ve been mine since the moment you stepped into that Greek chapel.”
“Tell me there’s no one else,” I whisper. “That I’m the only one.”
“There’s never been anyone else, and there never will be.”
“You deserve it all, moya sladost. The sun, the moon, and the stars. If I could give you the world on a fucking platter, I would.”
“Maybe we don’t make sense, but I’m not sure if that matters. It’s just right between us.” She closes her eyes, our faces still pressed together. Both of us lost on this carousel of emotions.
She's not just dancing. Each movement feels raw and intimate, meant for my eyes only.
She’s ruined me, this woman. And I don’t think there’s any way to come back.
“I’m not mad. Maybe I should be, but it means you choose me. Even though it’s costing you the casino deal. But…” Her brows knit together. “I can’t be yours until there’s peace.”
My husband. My protector. Maybe even the father of my future children. I’m falling hard for him, which terrifies me because there’s still so much up in the air. He promised to make things right with my family and the Syndicate, and I have to give him a chance to prove himself.
“I fucking love her, and I’ll stop at nothing to bring her home safely. And then I’ll hunt them down, one by one, and make sure they suffer for this. It’s going to be a bloody night in St. Petersburg.”
Her lips tremble, and a tearful smile appears. “You came for me.”
