by Lylah James
They stopped just a few feet away, facing me as they stood in a line. Behind them, I saw several of Alessio’s men crowding closer.
I hadn’t noticed Nina before. She was standing far away, hidden in the shadows. But now she walked forward.
She came to stand beside Nikolay, taking the front with Alessio’s most trusted men.
The atmosphere suddenly shifted, the air feeling somewhat deadly and cold. The look of determination on their faces confused me.
A shiver ran down my spine when I saw them take out a small knife. Each held one in their hands.
I looked up at Alessio, but he only looked proud. His eyes held mine for a moment before he leaned down for a kiss.
“You are their Queen,” he whispered in my ear before pulling away.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously.
The four of them took a step forward without a word.
I licked my lips nervously, waiting. My heart hammered in my chest when they took their next step.
And then they knelt down on one knee.
The men behind followed suit, bowing the heads. In respect.
“Oh no! What are you doing? Please stand up,” I quickly said. I looked at Alessio for help, but he shook his head.
“Let them do this, Ayla. It’s a ritual they all hold very close,” he explained, nodding toward the kneeling men.
Even Nina was kneeling down, her head bowed in respect.
I saw Maddie smiling. Lena had tears in her eyes.
Viktor held the dagger to his right palm. I could see it wasn’t a normal dagger. There were red crystals around the handle. An emblem was on the blade.
His head came up, his darkened eyes meeting mine.
And then he spoke.
His voice was deep and strong as he recited what seemed like a vow. But my eyebrows furrowed at the different language.
He was speaking Russian.
I saw him press the blade into his palm. My eyes followed the trace of blood, my heart hammering faster and harder in my chest.
I felt Alessio at my back. He wrapped his arms around me. His warm breath tickled my ear as he translated Viktor’s words.
“I vow to protect you. As your warrior, my life is yours. I bleed for you. Your life before mine. In every sense, you are my Queen. With this blood, I make this vow.”
When Viktor was done, Phoenix made a similar cut in his palm as he recited the same words.
Nikolay took his turn. And then Nina.
I stood speechless and completely immobile as they made their vows to me.
When they were done, the men behind them made their blood oath together. Their voices were loud and rang clear through the house.
As silence fell upon us again, Viktor, Phoenix, Nikolay and Nina placed their daggers at my feet and bowed their head again.
“They are waiting for you to speak,” Alessio muttered, giving the small push I needed.
What could I say? Never in my dreams did I ever think that a scene like this would have been possible.
To have such strong men kneeling for me, vowing as if their lives didn’t matter.
I was shocked and rendered completely speechless. But they patiently waited for me to speak.
No, they waited for my command.
When I finally found my voice, I held onto Alessio’s hand tightly. With his unwavering support and strength, I spoke.
“Please, stand up. All of you,” I said softly.
My eyes blurred when they all stood up.
“I don’t need this,” I said. “I don’t need your lives. I don’t want you to bleed for me. That’s not how it works. We are a family. Just because I am Alessio’s wife, it doesn’t mean that you are less than me.”
Alessio’s arm tightened around my hips. “It’s our tradition, Ayla. It’s a ritual that has been taken seriously for centuries. For every Queen that has been brought into this family, our men vow their lives for hers. It was like this for my mother. Now it’s your turn. One day, it will be our son’s wife. Or our daughter.”
Viktor came to stand in front of me. “This is a tradition we all hold very dearly, Ayla. Grant us this wish. Let us serve you the way you deserve.”
“The love that all of you give me is enough. I don’t need warriors; I just need friends. A family,” I replied tearfully. “I never had a family. But this family is all I need. Nothing else. Nothing more.”
Viktor smiled. I saw him looking at Alessio, as if asking his permission.
When his eyes came back to mine, I knew that whatever he wanted to do, Alessio had given him his permission.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead. “You already have all of us.”
He pulled away and showed me his bloodied palm. “You will never be alone again. This blood means we are a family. We are one. If you want to take it like this, then you could say this is our vow to you.”
My heart squeezed and Princess kicked against her father’s hand. A single tear slid down my cheek as I regarded Viktor. I felt choked with emotion. My throat closed as I tried to speak.
I looked over his shoulders at the others. They were all looking at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and then nodded. “Okay.”
Their shoulders sagged in what seemed like relief. As if my acceptance was everything they needed.
“I love you, Angel,” Alessio said in my ear. His words were only for me. I closed my eyes and sank into his arms, letting him support my weight. “I’m so proud of you. You leave me in awe every single time.”
“These types of rituals always make me cry,” I heard Evaline say. There were some chuckles and laughter.
I opened my eyes to see Maddie holding her hand over her mouth. It looked like she was holding her tears in too.
“I guess the only thing left is the wedding ceremony!” she announced loudly.
“We are already married,” Alessio snapped back.
Maddie’s tears were suddenly gone. Instead, she glowered at my man.
Oh no. This was about to turn ugly.
“I mean an actual wedding,” Maddie hissed.
“Are you saying Ayla and I aren’t married?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Actually, it’s not official. Your marriage isn’t legal,” Viktor piped in.
“Excuse me?” Alessio growled.
“You need to sign the papers to make it legal. You had no witness either,” Lyov explained.
“Well, actually, about that…” Maddie started.
My eyes widened when I saw her biting on her lips nervously. Alessio must have noticed it too because he stiffened.
Viktor, Phoenix, Nikolay, and Evaline looked suddenly guilty.
Oh no. No. No. Nope.
“You did not!” I gasped out loud.
“We were only there for half of it! I swear!” Evaline quickly tried to plead innocence.
Maddie nodded. “As soon as the rings were exchanged we left.”
“I’m about to shoot someone,” Alessio snapped.
Everyone took several steps back.
“We just wanted to make sure you stuck to the plan and didn’t mess it up,” Phoenix tried to reason. “You were having a hard time memorizing the lines the night before.”
“Not that you said anything remotely close to what you practiced anyway,” Viktor continued.
“But it was so sweet. If I wasn’t already in love, I swear I would have fallen for you, Alessio,” Evaline swooned.
Viktor’s head snapped toward Evaline. “What did you say?”
Nikolay paled and looked like he ate something huge and it was stuck in his throat.
Not good. Not good at all.
“About that,” I jumped it. “Alessio, you said you practiced. Who did you practice with?”
“Don’t, Ayla,” Alessio started, but it was too late.
“Me!” Viktor announced, his attention back on us. He puffed his chest and smiled a Cheshire smile. “I was his bride.”
I raise
d an eyebrow and looked at Alessio over my shoulders. He swore under his breath.
“Oh really?” I questioned, hiding my giggle behind my hand.
Viktor came to stand beside Alessio and threw an arm around his shoulders. “We practiced everything.”
“And by everything, I mean…everything. If you know what I mean.”
“What the fuck!” Alessio bellowed.
Alessio let go of me. When I heard Viktor scream in pain, I didn’t have to turn around to know what happened.
“You broke my nose. What the fuck?”
“You deserved that one,” Evaline sighed.
I couldn’t hold myself any longer. My laughter bubbled from my chest, and I let it out, laughing uncontrollably at all of them.
They were crazy. Insane.
But I loved them. They really did make me the happiest woman.
“You guys are crazy,” I wheezed between my laughter.
Alessio was back to my side. He wrapped me in his embrace as I smiled, looking at everyone.
My gaze found Maddie, and I sent her a small smile. “Maddie, it doesn’t matter if we have the wedding. It won’t be official anyway. I’m supposed to be dead, remember? I have no identity.”
Her expression turned sorrowful at the reminder of my previous life. “Okay, no papers then. But can we still have a big-ass wedding? Please? I have been planning this for months! Years even! Please, Alessio. Ayla,” she begged.
It was impossible to say no to her puppy eyes. She pouted, and I saw Evaline doing the same.
“No,” Alessio simply stated.
I sighed and shrugged. “How big?”
“About a thousand people? Only the close ones,” Evaline suggested.
Woah.
“Will I get to wear a wedding dress?” I asked, feeling suddenly excited.
“Yes!” Maddie squealed.
I knew Alessio and I were already married. I didn’t really want another wedding.
But the thought of walking down the aisle toward Alessio, confessing my love to him, making my vows to him in front of everyone…it made me feel slightly giddy.
On top of that, I didn’t think it was possible to say no to Maddie and Evaline.
I turned in Alessio’s embrace and faced him. “I already consider us married. We don’t need another wedding. The vows we made to each other are already enough.” I paused.
“You want the wedding?” Alessio asked.
“Do you?” I shot back. “If you don’t, then we won’t have one.”
“I don’t care either way, Angel. You are already my wife. No one else can say otherwise.” He shot everyone a glare.
“I want to wear a wedding dress,” I whispered shyly, feeling suddenly nervous. “And walk down the aisle for you. Again.”
I sucked in a quick breath when Alessio kissed me hard. “We’ll have a wedding then,” he announced loudly.
Evaline and Maddie squealed behind me.
I only smiled at my husband.
My heart was overflowing with love for this man.
How could he be a killer and so sweet at the same time…I didn’t understand. But I didn’t have to understand. I just needed him the way he was.
Dangerous, ruthless, yet sweet and loving.
He winked, and my stomach fluttered in response. My heart drummed faster at his smile and blue eyes.
“But bring down the guest numbers, and after Princess is born,” I said when I turned to face the others.
“Deal,” Maddie quickly agreed.
It looked like we were having a wedding after all.
Alessio placed a kiss on my temple. “You are so sweet, husband.”
He teasingly nipped at my ear. “Only for you, wife.”
I giggled…feeling so free…so loved…so treasured.
In Alessio’s arms, I was whole.
Chapter 31
Two weeks later
“Where are we going?” I asked for probably the tenth time.
“You’ll see,” Alessio simply replied.
Our hands were entwined together, and he was pulling me somewhere. Although I had no idea where that somewhere was…because he wouldn’t tell me.
We walked down the hall toward his office. “We’re going to your office?”
“No.”
I was about to ask again when we stopped two doors before his office. I glanced up at Alessio, waiting for him to explain.
“You have never been in here, right?” he asked, gazing down at me intensely.
I shook my head. “No. It’s always locked.”
“Today is an important day. I guess you can say this is another tradition,” Alessio explained.
Confused, I stared at the door as he unlocked it. He pulled me inside, closing the door behind us.
The room was dark, the curtains drawn down, hiding the sun. Alessio walked to the window and dragged the curtains away, letting the sunlight infiltrate the room. It cast a golden glow around us.
I had to blink several times, trying to adjust my eyes to the sudden light.
Alessio had made sure to position me toward the wall. Because of this, the first thing I saw were the large portraits.
My eyes widened, and I let out a barely audible gasp. There were two portraits that I realized were of Lyov and Maria. They looked young in the photos.
The first portrait had Maria sitting on a chair while Lyov stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder. They were both looking at the camera. Maria had a small smile on her face while Lyov looked intense and serious. Almost vicious.
The second portrait, there was only one addition. A small boy sitting on Maria’s lap. When I saw her rounded pregnant belly, I instantly knew the little boy was Alessio.
That portrait was taken when Maria was pregnant with her princess. Tears blurred my eyes at the thought. A princess they never got to meet.
Lyov had the same expression as the first. I wasn’t surprised that he looked like the very killer he was.
I stared at the second portrait for a long time, my eyes on Maria and Alessio. He was a chubby kid. Such a cutie.
He looked so serious in that picture, like he knew this was something important.
My heart ached at the thought. Alessio had to grow up so fast. He never had a chance to enjoy his childhood. His mother’s death had caused him to spiral down so fast toward the dark side.
I felt his warmth behind my back before he even pulled me into his embrace. Alessio wrapped his arms around my waist, his lips placing wet kisses down my neck.
He was always touching me, holding me, showering me with love. I was the happiest when I was in his arms.
“You were so cute,” I muttered, still staring at the portrait.
“Yeah?” he questioned curiously.
“Yeah. I hope Princess has your eyes,” I replied.
“Hmm…I’m hoping that she has yours.”
I cuddled closer into his arms. “Want to place a bet?”
Alessio paused. “You need to stop hanging out with the guys.”
I laughed at that one. “You’re cute.”
“No. I’m hot. Sinfully deliciously sexy. Remember?”
I shook my head. “I should have never said that. You’re always going to remind me of it, aren’t you?” I said with a sigh.
This man. He had such a huge ego and was so damn arrogant. I shouldn’t feed into this arrogance.
But then again, whatever I said was the truth. And he knew it.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
“No.” I chuckled at the demand.
He nipped at my neck playfully. I felt his hips moving against my back, and my mouth fell open. Alessio thrust against my back, letting me feel his hard length.
“Oh my God,” I hissed when he laughed.
“Say it,” Alessio ordered teasingly. His hand made its way to my breast, and I froze when his fingers made contact with my nipple.
He softly dragged his finger tip over it through my dress.
“Yo
u are impossible, Alessio.”
I couldn’t stop the moan when he played with my hard nipple, pinching and tugging at the pebbled point.
“Not exactly what I want to hear, kitten,” he returned huskily.
“Your body is made for sinning. You are deliciously sexy,” I quickly said as he continued to tease me.
His slow ministration stopped. “Do you want to sin then? Right now? Right here?”
I took a deep breath. The invitation was quite inviting. I loved the idea, but I shook my head. “No. Because that’s not why you brought me here. After you explain, then maybe we can go back to our room, and I will let you have your way with me.”
“Hmm…I think that’s a good deal. You won’t be able to walk tomorrow, though. Is that good with you?”
He was making it more impossible to resist him. Turning around in his arms, I smiled at the goofy smile on his face. I kissed his lips slowly before pulling away. “You can just carry me around. That’s what you do most of the time anyway.”
“You make a good deal, Ayla Ivanshov,” he said proudly. He loved calling me by my full name. Maybe it was a way to remind himself that I was truly his.
After all the heartbreak, I was finally his in every sense of word.
“You taught me well, Alessio Ivanshov,” I replied.
We stared at each other, both wearing silly smiles. His loving gaze finally moved from mine to the portrait behind me.
His expression changed, and a wave of pain took over. I hugged him to me, trying to take some of his pain as my own.
“I’m sorry, Alessio,” I whispered in his chest.
His arms went tight around me. “Don’t apologize, Ayla. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
I hiccupped back a sob. His unwavering love for me always made me speechless. I cried softly in his chest, trying to find my words.
“It still haunts me, Alessio. To know that it was my family who destroyed yours. I still wonder how you can look at me and not hate the mere sight of me. How can you love me when I am the offspring of the man who killed your mother?”
His hand caressed my back soothingly. When he spoke, his words held power and strength. “It’s not your fault. I’m not going to blame you for this. You ask me how can I love you? Well, I don’t know. I really don’t know, Ayla. I don’t need a reason to love you. All I know is that I can’t live without you. When I look at you, when I see your smile or hear your laughter…it’s enough to make me feel at peace. You calm me. I can’t be without you. It’s simple…there is no me without you.”
