Chapter 13
Aspen
T he other side of the bed is cold, empty. Untouched. His pillow doesn’t even have a dent in the center of it.
I should be relieved but there’s a tinge of disappointment tugging at my chest. Feeling stupid for feeling this way for my enemy, I pull my pillow over my face and scream.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
I freeze immediately. No way he heard and saw me—
My face heats with humiliation.
Pulling the pillow from my head, I notice Nikolai leaning against the door frame. He looks flawlessly intact and I hate him for it. His hair is pulled perfectly in a low man bun. He’s in a black dress shirt, black pants and black shoes. All designer.
Nikolai doesn’t look like anything about last night shook him in the slightest. Like he doesn’t recall how his shadows felt against my skin. Like his lips don’t remember what mine felt like. Taste like.
I feign confidence I do not have right now as I glare at him from across the room. “Where did you sleep last night?” I cock my head to the side. If he says snooty two shoes Quinn, I might just lose it. And I never lose it, especially over a man.
Now when Roman ate the last of granny’s homemade buttermilk biscuits she made just for me two years ago, I almost killed him for it. Let’s just say, I’ve learned over the years where he would show up in his shadows, and I had the butter knife I planned to cut open said biscuit ready for him.
Nikolai points behind him. “Couch.”
Ok, that’s a better answer but why does it feel two times worse?
“Why?” Something about him sleeping somewhere else besides next to me, after we shared such an intimate moment, rattles me.
“Didn’t think it mattered.” He folds his arms across his chest.
Didn’t think it mattered?
Didn’t think it mattered?!
He’s completely unaffected by what he did to me last night. Oh. Casual sex must be his thing. No strings attached. Just all sexual gratification.
“I see.”
“Did it matter?” His forehead creases.
“No.” I sit up, tucking my braids behind my ears. “It was probably for the best. I can’t be held for any actions I may take while sleeping. I could have killed you and then ruined my chances of freeing Roman.”
He laughs, a real one.
“I doubt that. And speaking of your brother.” He walks towards me, extending his hand to me. “Come have breakfast and we can make a call to Roman.”
I let him help me out the bed and we walk to a quaint kitchenette area. There’s a table for two with two covered plates.
“It’s French eggs in a basket.” He uncovers our plates. “I didn’t know what you liked but no one has ever complained about my cooking. I doubt you will.” There’s a smug smile playing on his lips .
“You made this?” I take a seat at the table, astonished. The food smells so good, I almost close my eyes when I take a large inhale. There is a side of fried potatoes and my mouth waters.
“Yes, who else?” He takes his seat across from me.
“Um, your servants.”
“One. No one cooks for my wife, but me.” He stops to clear his throat. “Two. Those are our servants. You’re a Volkov. Forget that fact, I will remind you whose family you belong to again.”
My core pulses at that.
Calm down Aspen. That raging sadist gives you one catastrophic orgasm, and your body loses all sense.
“The same family that I’m counting the days until I kill each and every one of them?” I point my butter knife in his direction. “And did you poison the food?”
“You’ll even kill Viessa? She’s taken a liking to you.
Plus,” he grabs my butter knife from my hand and uses it to stab into one of my potatoes.
He puts it in his mouth and chews, then swallows.
“I have no reason to poison our food. We have an entire future to look forward to. Even if it’s bleak, it’s still ours. ”
I squint my eyes. This evil spawn is completely serious.
“This is only for a year. And that’s if we don’t kill each other first.”
He grabs his water and takes a sip. “Eh. We’ll see.”
I take a bite of my food and gasp. It’s so good. If he’s lying about not poisoning my food, it doesn’t matter because I am devouring every piece of it.
“I knew you would like it.”
“Hush or I’ll be using my fork for something else. ”
He laughs again. His eyes are filled with mirth, it softens his face.
And my chest.
It, it does something funny to my heart.
He brings his wrist comm towards himself. “Someone is expecting a call from us.”
I straighten in my chair. “Who?”
An image projects in front of us.
“Pen?” Roman’s strong voice rings out.
He looks good. And alive. The complete opposite of what I saw the last time I saw him in Solna.
My chest expands. “Roman,” I choke out. “You’re ok,” I say above a whisper. A tear falls down from my face and before I could swipe it away, Nikolai does. The touch is tender yet searing. The burn remaining even when he moves his hand away.
When did he get to my side?
“Who is that?” Roman’s voice is low, menacing. “Where are you?”
The hair on my arms rises. “He’s a friend—”
“I’m her husband,” Nikolai interjects firmly making me squirm a little in my seat.
My head slowly turns to face him before it slowly turns back to my brother. This can only end in one of two ways— bad or worse. Either way I’m screwed and once Roman has me within his grasp I can already hear the lectures he will inevitably stuff down my ears.
“Pen, the truth.”
“You know me,” I chuckle nervously. “I’ve been on a hunt to find a husband and I, um, found one.” I gesture my hands in an ‘I present to you’ motion. “Him. ”
“You’ve been on a hunt?” Nikolai growls.
“Please not right now, Niko—”
“Pen what the fuck is going on? Why aren’t you here with me?”
“She’s where she needs to be.” Nikolai wraps his arm across my shoulder.
Chuckling awkwardly, I move to shrug his arm off me.
He doesn’t budge.
“Pen. My patience is running out.”
“I eloped!” I shout out in panic. I don’t even know why I’m lying to him and protecting Nikolai. “You know how spontaneous and obnoxious I can be.”
Roman’s eyes turn into slits. “Where are you, Pen? This will be the last time I ask.”
He moves his body towards the darkened area of his hospital room. I subtly shake my head no. If he drifts through the shadows, my identity will be blown. Only one family in the entire underground world has Obsidian Drift.
The Saint-Claires.
Nikolai didn’t notice the gesture.
Good.
I don’t even want to think what that could mean if the Volkovs knew this piece of information. For the most part I’m safe . But if they knew who my mother is, I may be sent to my parents in pieces. My mother has a long list of enemies and the Russian Bratva is one of them.
“Moscow,” Nikolai answers for me.
My brother turns his brown contact-lensed eyes towards Nikolai, thankfully hiding the silver flecks in his irises. “What’s your name?” Roman’s voice may sound calm but he’s raging underneath. His pulse point flutters fast in his neck.
“People who tend to know my name usually end up dead. But seeing that we are now brothers , I’ll tell you.” He smirks. “Nikolai Volkov.”
“Pen, he’s the fucking Russian Bratva Heir.”
Duh, I know that.
“Tell me where you are exactly.”
“No can do. You see my family and I are very private. As you just stated, we’re the Bratva. Seeing that Pen is my wife now, I’m sure we can meet in the middle and schedule time to visit New York.”
“Let my fucking sister speak for herself.”
Nikolai sighs heavily and turns to me with a look that says, tell him what I just said so we can be done with it .
“Roman, I’m glad to see you’re ok.” I drop my eyes to the empty plate in front of me. “I thought I lost you. I was so scared.”
Nikolai’s hold across my shoulders tightens. As if this asshole cares.
“Pen, look at me.”
I do.
“I’m ok. I just need to see you.”
“You can when we visit New York. How about in two months?”
“Two months?” Roman and I both say at the same time.
“I can’t have my new bride running away from me. We need to,” he waves between us. “Cultivate our marriage first. My soldiers will take you to the private plane that’s waiting for you that will take you back home. You have my number, call me if you need something.”
“Why would I call you when I can call my sister? Pen, where’s your phone? I tried calling and it kept going to voicemail. ”
“It broke in the accident,” I reply.
“We’re not going to talk about that?”
“Let’s save the small talk for when we see each other.” Nikolai says, straightening his dress shirt. “All you need to know right now is that we’re married, she’s well taken care of, and I don’t need you interfering with my morning. Understand that she doesn’t need you anymore since she has me now.”
What the hell?
This man is completely psycho, and I’ve had psycho boyfriends before. Like the football player in college that tattooed my face on his chest after our first date.
There wasn’t a second date.
Looking at Roman’s eyes, I know he’s about to lose it, calculating on how to get to me.
Good.
“Maybe we can order Cajun seafood boil from our favorite spot when we meet up? I want mine extra spicy, too.” I chuckle, trying to steer the conversation into clearer waters but Roman knows what I meant. Our family code words: Make sure everyone is there, it’s a family emergency.
“Call me if you need anything. If not, we’ll see you in two months.” Nikolai smirks then disconnects the call before I could tell my brother bye. Before I could tell him I love him.
“You’ve been hunting around for a husband?” he sneers, glaring down at me.
I punch him in the face.