Untamed (Bratva Kings #2)

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.

“Morning,” she whispers, her voice thick with sleep.

“Morning, Zveda Maya. ” He brushes his lips over mine. “You alright? Bad dream?”

She shakes her head. “Not anymore.”

Her fingers lace through mine.

She lays against me as her phone buzzes on the bedside table.

“Did you forget to silence those notifications again?”

“Mhm. Someone distracted the hell out of me.”

I shake my head. “I’ll have to have a talk with Zoya. You don’t have to be her personal book assistant.”

Laughing, Ember pushes my chest. “As if.”

“Seriously, baby. You’ve become a star in your own right.” Her account has absolutely exploded, earning more than she ever imagined. Her follower count has skyrocketed. Here in my home outside of Moscow, she doesn’t just have a little nook enchanted with fairy lights to hide the cracked ceilings and fading wallpaper. Oh hell no. My little queen has her own library.

Built it myself and I’m damn proud of it. The grin on her face was worth it.

“Oh, please,” Ember says on a yawn. “My account is doing well because of you, not me.”

I stifle a snort. “Yeah, no. My occasional cameo has nothing to do with it. It’s you, babe. They want to see you. You let your authenticity shine, and that’s what they’re here for. You tell them to keep dreaming and all that.”

Her eyes narrow playfully. “You mean all those reviews about dark, brooding alpha males? Who could I possibly be drawing inspiration from?” She snorts. “Not my husband, who hardly shows his face on my feed.”

“Right. You just let the books keep doing their talking, babe.” I shove the covers off and give her ass an affectionate slap. “Let’s go. Gym time. You said your New Year’s Resolution was to get back to the gym so you could wrestle me. No more slacking.”

She throws her pillow at my head. “It’s not my fault you keep railing me every time I get dressed in my gym clothes.”

I shrug. “No regrets.”

As she tugs her leggings on, she sighs.

“What?”

“I miss the attention I used to get at the gym.”

She is baiting me, and she’s going to fucking regret that.

“Behave yourself, woman.”

Smirking, she ties her shoe laces. “It’s harder to get attention at a home gym.”

“You really need more attention?” I push myself off the dresser and stalk over to her, but she squeals and runs toward the kitchen, likely to grab the protein shakes she prepped in the fridge last night.

I shake my head and chase after her, but when I find her, she’s rummaging through the cabinets. “I can’t find the peanut butter.”

“Peanut butter?”

“Yes,” she says with a sigh. “I am dying for a peanut butter and pickle sandwich.”

I stare at her. She hasn’t asked for one of those since we went to the cabin. It feels like a long time ago now. Here in Russia, Zoya cooks for all of us at the family home, and Ember happily partakes, as we all do.

“Are you serious right now?”

“I just… it sounds so good right now, and I’m a little nauseous…”

We both turn to face each other at the same time.

“Ember.” I hardly trust my voice.

“I—I’m not ready, Rodion. I—I can’t, not now, not yet. We used protection!”

I am trying to be sympathetic, but what I’m actually doing is mentally tallying the closest place I can get a pregnancy test.

“We did, we did,” I tell her reassuringly, nodding. “But it’s not foolproof. We’ll just…let’s get you a pickle and peanut butter sandwich and a test, okay?”

“Rodion.” Her voice is a whisper.

She looks so small, so fragile, it twists something deep in my chest. “We need to find out,” she finally says, shaking.

“We do. But listen.” I pull her into me. Her fear is palpable. “What if I can’t do this? What if I?—”

“What if you’re not alone?” I finish. “What if the two of us are together?”

Holding my gaze, her eyes shimmer, her fear still palpable. “Together.”

I nod. “Wait here,” I say, stepping away after seeing the notification on my phone.

It’s time.

“Rodion, what are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

I slip outside, ignoring the snow biting at me. The driver meets me at the gate, and I take the small bundle he’s holding. It squirms in my hands, the softest little growl followed by a squeak. I can’t help but smirk. Feisty little thing.

Perfect.

“Behave,” I whisper, handing the driver a tip before I turn to the house. I take a deep breath and place another order before I go in.

My heart swells. Our little family might be growing in more ways than one…

When I step back into the warmth of the kitchen, Ember’s perched on a stool. The moment she sees me, her brows knit. “Rodion… what did you do?”

“Ordered pregnancy tests.”

“ Rodion… ” her voice trails off in a whisper as I set the bundle down at her feet, the blanket falling and revealing the sweetest little creature wobbling on tiny legs with big, fluffy paws promising he’ll grow to be big and strong enough to protect my girl in my absence.

Ember’s hands fly to her mouth. “A puppy.”

“I may have, uh…hacked into those folders of yours, and when I saw you have equal amounts of puppy videos with the book ones… well…”

Her gaze darts between me and the dog, her face unreadable for a split second before she melts.

“He’s yours…ours.” I reach down and pat his little head. When he turns and gives me an affectionate lick, not gonna lie… I melt a little, too.

She scoops the little guy up and he nuzzles her neck.

“I can’t believe this,” she says, kissing the top of his head.

I stand watching, my arms crossed on my chest. “You need someone to look over you when I’m not here. He might not be ferocious yet, but I’ll train him.”

“Is that right?” she asks, her eyes shining at me as her voice drops. “Thank you.”

I bend and kiss her cheek. “And I love you. What are you naming him?”

“Oh my gosh… it has to be a book boyfriend name, of course. Rhett? No, no, Darcy. Maybe…Jasper? Romeo?”

“Bratvbloodline too much?”

When she laughs, I cup her face in both my hands. “Look how far you’ve come. You don’t have to do anything alone anymore. Do you hear me? Not now. Not ever.”

She lets out a shaky breath.

I smile at her. “I ordered peanut butter, too.”

“And pickles?” she asks hopefully.

“And pickles.’

By the time the tests arrived, she’s happily perched on my lap, eating her second sandwich and showing me her latest video, taken at a bookstore here in Moscow. The puppy is passed out.

And by the time the positive test sits in her palm, she’s calm. Her eyes shine at me.

“A baby.”

I smirk. “Semyon can’t even get a wife and now look. Motherfucker better get his shit together.”

“Rodion!” But she’s laughing. “Be nice.”

I lean in. “I will. I’ll get you anything you need, little queen. More peanut butter? Pillows? Pickles?”

She lets out a sigh and lays her head on my shoulder. “I don’t need anything, not really.” I hold her to me, staring at the little test that will change our lives forever. “I already have everything I need.”

I kiss her cheek.

So do I.

THE END