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It doesn’t matter if you start late. It matters that you start.
Life for life and blood for blood is the only philosophy I believe in.
It’s a painful sensation. To have your heart rise from the ashes, but the person behind that change not be present to witness it.
The thought that I won’t be able to smell her again makes my entire body fucking cold.
“Hey, Princess. Are you okay? Talk to me.” Her pale lips twist and she murmurs the words that cut me in half, “Who are you?”
She may change and gather her hair up to be the woman the world demands of her, but when I stare deep in her eyes, I see the burn for more, the flames that rise with the need of passion.
Ever since I saw her lying at the bottom of the stairs, the thing beating in my chest has been burning and roaring like a volcano on the brink of eruption. And the only way to extinguish that fire is through her. My wife. My Rai.
“Hey, motherfucker.” Damien snaps his fingers at him. “Shut the fuck up and fuck the fuck off.”
Damien takes her hand in his. “That’s the spirit, Rai. Truth is, you and I were always meant to be together.” My blood boils and I’m a second away from barging in there and throwing him to the floor. “Really?” she asks slowly. “Really. I’m the love of your life. It started when you saw me kill for the first time. You said it was hot.” He grins. “Then we had a lot of kinky sex.”
I never wanted to be one of those men. And unlike what they think, I never wanted to rule over them or snatch the throne with ruthless hands as they do. The only thing I ever wanted was to be recognized for what I have to offer, regardless of whether or not I have a penis between my legs.
You might not be a man, but you’re a Sokolov, Rai. And do you know what Sokolovs do? We snatch the throne even if the price is high. Don’t be afraid to shed blood, even if it’s your own.
But not everything visible is beautiful. After all, the devil looks his best when luring in his victims.
“But as your husband, I will avenge you.” “I don’t need vengeance.” His voice drops. “But vengeance is my specialty, Princess.”
“What if I need space?” “I don’t believe in space. That’s a word invented by losers who couldn’t figure out their own minds.”
Kyle has always had a distinctive taste and smell, but right now it feels like a mixture of longing, despair, and something else.
His eyes never leave mine as he speaks and sips from his own glass. Then he licks the wine off his lips as his gaze slowly slides to my breasts. I clear my throat. “I’m up here.” He doesn’t break eye contact. “You’re also down there.” Jerk.
I’ve heard stories about the black widow spider who kills her mate after mating, and I always found it fascinating how she followed her instinct, even if it meant killing her own husband. I guess we’re the same that way.
I was never a nobody in Rai’s life, not even when we lived continents apart, so being a nobody to her now is like a black hole. With every passing day, that hole gets bigger, wider, deeper, and it’ll eventually drag me to its bottom if I let it.
“Don’t you have to go back to the company?” she murmurs. “One more moment. I haven’t gotten my fill of you.” “Do you ever?” “Nah, not really. So stay still.”
Why do I keep calling her my wife when she betrayed our vows? But I guess I betrayed those first when I turned our wedding into a bloodbath.
Why the fuck is she angry? I’m the one who’s supposed to be boiling. And yet, all I feel is the cut of her betrayal in a place I thought was long dead with my parents.
“I was born ready for death. I had my resurrection in death and to death I shall return. Isn’t that poetic?”
Our marriage started by blood, and with blood it will end.
Kyle’s injuries might be physical, but mine run deeper. He slammed into my chest and broke my heart, then walked all over it to the point that I’ll never be able to mend it back together again. And all of that was because I trusted him. Against my better judgment and doubtful personality, I trusted Kyle Hunter, and he smashed that trust to the ground.
“Stop provoking me. You think I wouldn’t do it?” “I’m pretty sure you’d do it. After all, you poisoned me. Way to go, Princess. I’m proud of you.” “Stop saying things like that.” “Like what? That I’m proud of you?” “Yes. I don’t want you to be proud of me.” “Well, I am. I told you that, once cornered, you need to hurt, bite, and kill your way out, and that’s exactly what you did.”
“Who knew we would find ourselves in this situation?” I ask slowly. “What situation?” “Me holding a gun and you tortured.” “Our marriage started in a bloodbath, did you really expect it to end any differently?”
It hasn’t been a long marriage, but he’s became such an inseparable part of my life. Now that he’s gone, I have no clue how the hell I am going to pick up the pieces.
“We made vows, and I intend to keep them. Till death do us part.”
“Pretend this is seven years ago and leave without looking back.” “I’m not doing that again.” “Why the hell not? You did it just fine before.” “I can’t do it again.”
“Why can’t you just leave?” My voice breaks and an onslaught of tears blurs my vision. “I already let you go.” “But I didn’t.”
“You don’t fucking push me away.” “You…don’t understand…” I’m panting so harshly it’s a miracle I manage to get those words out. “I understand perfectly. It’s you who doesn’t. You’re my wife. My. Fucking. Wife. Do you understand what that word means? It means we belong together, not far apart.”
Back then, I thought he was only a conceited killer; I had no idea he’d invade my whole world in no time.
“There will be no more goodbyes between us, Princess.” He speaks against my neck, his voice raspy, aroused, but also angry.
Maybe, like me, he feels that our joined bodies are only a bridge for our battered souls.
He said I poisoned him, but he’s the one who poisoned me. He’s the one who’s firing an arrow at my heart, and I have no way to stop it because he destroyed my fortress.
She’s so beautiful, it’s maddening. My obsession with this woman runs deeper and darker than I originally calculated. The thought of putting distance between us felt like ripping my heart out from between my ribs.
“Save your pity, Princess.” “I’m far from pitying you.” Her expression is determined, hard, and holds no doubts. “I want to murder him for you.”
“You’re awfully loyal to people who keep trying to chase you out.” “So what? That doesn’t mean I didn’t snatch my rightful place. I may not be a”—she makes quotation marks—“‘brother’, a fact they won’t stop reminding me of. I might hate Mikhail’s sexist ass and despise Kirill’s slippery nature. I might distrust Damien’s recklessness, Adrian’s mysteriousness, and Igor’s secretiveness, but my loyalty lies with what those men stand for. I will not allow you to destroy them.”
I wrap my hands around the small of her back, because touching her feels critical right now. Like if I stop touching her, I will stop breathing.
“Troublemaker.” “Always have been, Princess.” “You’re not supposed to be proud of that.” “You like that about me.”
“Not until you stop talking about other men in my presence. I don’t like it and it’s the best way to send me on a murder spree.” “You’re crazy.”
“Stop being jealous, you idiot.” She leans over and brushes her lips to mine, softly, carefully, away from my cut. “None of them is my husband.” None of them is her husband. Those words stab me straight in the bones. When she attempts to pull away, I grab her by the throat and deepen the kiss.
In Kyle’s arms, I feel light, protected, and…peaceful.
The gray flecks in Damien’s eyes that I couldn’t perceive earlier expand until they nearly cover the entirety of his irises. The black bull. It’s the side of him that only comes out when he’s on a violent spree.
“Tell me, I’m curious.” Damien leans his elbow on the table. “What made you settle with Kyle, of all the men who surrounded you all your life? You had much better options. Hint: me.” “He understands me better than anyone else,” I say without even thinking about it. That’s what always made Kyle special. He sometimes understands my needs before I do.
“How does one even begin to understand a witch?” Kirill asks. “You would never know because when you start, you’re already under my spell.” “Holy fuck, that must’ve hurt.” Damien barks out a laugh. “You okay there, Kirill? Want me to get you something for the burn?”
“It’s fine, fine.” Abe motions at me with a dismissive hand. “Damien?” “Yes?” “I’m offering you my daughter’s hand in marriage.” “Why would you do that to her?” Damien stares incredulously, then whispers, “Is she not really your daughter, so you’re punishing her?” Abe laughs, the sound genuinely amused. “I like you, Damien Orlov.”
It’s one of the rare times Kyle lets me see this side of him up close and personal—the merciless killer. The one who will finish a life as if it’s a fly’s. And he did it for me. For some reason, it’s like he learned everything up to this point so he could kill for me.
When in his embrace, I’m protected and safe. I probably shouldn’t feel this way around someone I don’t fully trust, but I can’t ward off this strange feeling of belonging.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my beautiful wife. I’m so proud of you, Princess.” His words make me want to purr, to snuggle into his side and hug him—among other things.
