Chapter 38 NIKOLAI
Ani has been perched beside Alek’s bed for the past three days.
She holds his hand, like she’s worried if she lets go, he might just slip away.
She isn’t sleeping properly, and it’s been a struggle to get more than a bite or two of food into her.
Every attempt to pull her from his bedside is met with the same stubborn glare and desperate plea, “He needs me.”
It’s fucking killing me.
Seeing Ani like this—drained of everything except clinging to the need to keep him alive—it’s breaking me in ways I can’t put into words.
Walking down the hall slowly, my shoes quiet against the hardwood, every step calculated so I don’t wake Ani if she is sleeping.
I pause in the doorway. She grips Alek’s hand with her own, and her thumb strokes his knuckles in a rhythm that’s slow and rhythmic.
Her head rests against the side of the mattress, her blonde hair cascading around her like a veil.
Tears well along the lashes of her closed eyes.
I would do anything to take it away. Every pang of her fear.
Every minute she imagines the worst and forces herself to sit with him anyway.
I’d take on every ounce of her pain if I could.
But I can’t. All I can do is stand here, silent and useless, and watch my wife bear the weight of her brother’s fragility.
Carefully, I step closer, not to make a sound that might startle her. My chest tightens when I hear her murmuring under her breath, “Please be okay.” Reaching over her, I drape a thin blanket around her shoulders. It’s lightweight, just enough to take the chill from her arms.
I press a gentle kiss to her temple. “He’s going to be okay, Ani,” I whisper softly, forcing confidence into my tone. “You’re going to see him wake up, and you’re going to be the one holding his hand when it happens. Trust me.” My lips linger , unable to pull myself from her.
Stepping back, I quietly exit the room, and close the door behind me, careful not to make a sound. The click of the latch is loud in the otherwise silent apartment. I exhale slowly, releasing some of the tension lodged in my chest as I turn down the hall.
I bump into Hawk in the kitchen. He’s leaning against the counter, arms crossed, a half-smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “I never thought I’d see the day,” he muses, his eyes tracking me as I pour myself a shot of vodka.
My brows furrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Hawk chuckles, shaking his head. “I thought we were in the same club… bachelors for life.”
I lean against the counter opposite him and throw back the shot.
For as long as I have known him, Hawk has been single as hell.
He’s not celibate, but he doesn’t see anyone enough to develop the slightest hint of feelings.
I have a strong suspicion some woman broke his heart long before I met him, but I also know him well enough to know it’s not something he would ever admit outright.
Shrugging, I finally meeting his gaze. “I blame her brother. He didn’t exactly give either of us a choice in the matter.”
Hawk raises an eyebrow, tilting his head and inviting an explanation. I run a hand over my face and take a breath. “Remember the bodies we laid out on the tarmac?” Hawk nods. “The asshole who masterminded trying to take Eavan was Alek and Ani’s father.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Deadly. The little shit found all the proof and forced our hands. I married her to keep us all out of prison.”
Hawk crosses his arms slowly, the corners of his mouth twitching into something like a smile. “But clearly, regardless of how you wound up with her, you love her.”
Fuck…
I do…
I fucking do…
I love her.
I love her in ways that make no sense at all, but in ways I can’t ignore. I love her, and I’d go to hell and back to make sure she never loses her brother. And while I’m at it, I’ll make damn sure she knows she is never losing me, either.
Hawk smirks faintly, apparently satisfied with the unspoken truth. “I’d say you’re screwed.” He sighs, a mixture of teasing with a hint of seriousness. “But I think you already know that.”