Chapter 31
?
Roman
After visiting the destroyed warehouse and talking to Gant, the police chief, about ‘losing’ details from his report, my attention turns to the two guards who swear they saw nothing.
My hand goes to one's throat, and I start questioning him through gritted teeth.
"Look, buddy, I haven't had a good day and I can't wait to stick my knife in someone's spleen. HOW THE HELL DID YOU NOT SEE ANYTHING?" My shout is loud enough to shake the ground we’re standing on.
"I swear we didn't see anything. The cameras were working. Suddenly we found the whole warehouse in flames."
I search his face. One of the reasons I'm such an effective pakhan is because of my ability to detect when I'm being lied to or when I'm being told the truth. Something in what he said makes me pull back. When Niko told me earlier who the mole was, part of me refused to believe it. Now the pieces seem to fall into place. I just need one confirmation.
I release the guard from my grip, spinning around and stalking to the car where Niko waits. As I pull onto the street, heading toward our old barn storehouse on the outskirts of town, I look at him.
"Denis?" I ask for the tenth time.
"Ro, you know as well as I do that I wish the evidence didn't point to him, but Lev confirmed the transactions. That money for the driver came from his account. Plus this whole thing with the warehouse. Denis knows where all the cameras are."
Niko's jaw clenches, a muscle twitching beneath the skin as his eyes narrow to steel-gray slits. Until a few days ago, he was encouraging me to give our cousin more responsibility. The implications, had I followed through on that, are catastrophic. Something in his features changes, and I know what he wants to say.
"You couldn't have known, Niko. Stop blaming yourself for others' betrayal," I say, but I’m not convinced we have the whole story.
Denis has always been ambitious but never to this point. He always wanted to make us proud, to show that he could handle more work. Signing a deal with the Irish seems extreme. And for what? Money? I know how much money he makes with us—he's a multimillionaire. Power? I don't think Devin would trust him enough to give him any high position.
"Something doesn't add up here, Niko."
Anton has been notified, and I know he's already bringing Denis to the storehouse. Instinct tells me to study his face when I accuse him. If his look betrays him and I see even the slightest trace of guilt, I'll know instantly that he sold us out to the Irish.
?
When we arrive, we find Anton smoking outside, and he seems to have aged ten years in the last few days. He gives me a short nod, confirming Denis is inside. I asked him not to tie him up. I want to talk to him first.
When I open the door, I find him leaning against a table, arms crossed. The moment our eyes meet, I read surprise and frustration on his face but not a trace of guilt.
Maybe he enjoyed betraying us.
"Ro, is Luna okay?" he asks, and the mere fact that he says her name when there's a possibility that he's the one who sent Devin's cousin after her is enough to make me lose my calm.
"I'm going to ask you something, and you better look me in the eye when you answer." I spit the words through my teeth.
He frowns, looking confused, but I also know how well a man can hide what he feels.
"Did you transfer the money to the driver who was supposed to take the weapons to Cancun?" I ask and hold my breath, studying his reaction.
His eyes go wide and he instinctively puts his hand to his chest.
"What? Are you crazy? NO!"
And I read everything I need to know on his face, and although I don't know all the details, it's enough. I rush toward him, and he doesn't back away when my fists start hitting his face.
Niko jumps to stop me, but when I turn to him, I know exactly what he sees in my gaze. Roman isn't here now. It's time to let my demons loose.
"Prepare the chains," I order Niko.
Before lifting him from the floor, I tell him what I used to say to him and Niko when we were children.
"You can act like a man!"
I see the recognition on his face that, after a few seconds, turns to resignation.
Anton and Niko lift Denis and cuff him to the chains suspended from the ceiling. In a few seconds, I've cut his shirt off and then leave him hanging for a few minutes, during which time I know his muscles will already start feeling the stress they're under from the chains.
When it seems to me his arms are well numbed and I see the veins in his neck tensing, I start hitting him. All the frustration and betrayal, I pour out in each punch. I know I'll leave marks, but what matters now is showing my fury.
Niko comes up beside me, and I take a few steps back. He didn't see Denis’s face like I saw it, but I know he heard what I said.
"A few days ago I told Roman to give you more responsibilities. That's how much trust I had in you," he tells him, and his fist connects with Denis's ribs.
Our cousin's body crumples slightly, breath hissing between clenched teeth. His gaze grows unfocused, pupils dilating as pain blooms across his features—each wince, each shallow breath, each droplet of sweat forming at his temple telling its own story of betrayal and consequence.
My phone rings then and I see it's Kai. Who's at my home. With Luna. I don't even need to wonder if I should answer; in the next second, I have the phone to my ear.
"Talk to me!"
"She’ll need physical therapy for that shoulder, but otherwise nothing that some pain pills and rest won't heal."
But I sense something in his voice at the end. A hesitation.
"Kai…," I say, and he knows I'm losing patience.
"She received a message and went completely pale. I don't know what it means, but I think she had a panic episode," he tells me, and my vision turns white.
The bastard sent her another message, and I know too well how she reacted last time this happened.
"I’ll keep in touch," I tell Kai and hang up. I need to get home. "Leave him like that. I don't want anyone touching him except me!" I order, and Niko and Anton nod.
Both understand the plan.
"Luna had a panic attack," I tell Niko before he can ask, when I notice him following me outside.
"Love suits you, Ro!" he shouts after me, and his laugh is the last thing I register before getting in the car.
I'm certain I run at least three red lights, but all I want is to get to her faster. I disappointed her today when I allowed her to be taken. I won't leave her alone to suffer through this panic attack.
Kai wouldn't have mentioned anything if he didn't consider it serious, and that only intensifies my fury. I've stopped questioning what's so special about this woman that makes me drop everything to get to her. I would say she brings my weaknesses to the surface, but that's the problem.
She is my weakness.
When I park in front of the house, I practically jump out of the car. I already know who sent her that message that made her react like this. It's the same idiot who bothered her before when she was having lunch with Clara.
I breathe in and out several times. I need to calm down.
I open the bedroom door and see her curled up on the bed, although the room is dark. I realize she's not sleeping. I can hear her breathing and how accelerated it is. I feel her eyes on me, and without clearly seeing her face, I already know she's crying.
She rises to her knees on the bed, and I move toward her while throwing my jacket on the chairback. I'm overwhelmed by the need to hold her in my arms and ensure that no one will ever cause her even the slightest worry again.
"Luna," I say softly, and her name is all I manage to get out before her arms wrap around my neck.
I close my eyes and allow myself to breathe in her perfume. Cherries and something else sweet. Like her.
"I'll never escape him," she tells me, murmuring into my neck.
I know who that " him " is and I know his days are numbered, yet I need to calm her.
"Show me the message, love," I tell her, getting up and turning on a lamp.
I need to see her.
When she hands me the phone and I read the message, any trace of doubt disappears. I was right. That bastard really betrayed us. How the hell didn't I realize until now? He had access to the house, to storage facilities, to everything. And that's because I allowed him to have access to everything.
"I'm going to kill him," I declare, and the words are said with such venom that I see a shiver running through Luna's body.
"I don't understand how he knows where I am and what I'm doing," she says, looking at me in confusion.
The problem is that I know and it's all my fault. I put my trust in the wrong man.
"I know, and I swear, Luna, he'll pay in blood for every tear, every moment you couldn't breathe properly because of him."
Suddenly the need to lose myself in her is too great, and I lean down to kiss her. I feel her surprise, but then her whole body relaxes and she returns my kiss. Her lips are soft and I want nothing more than to bite every inch of them until they won't recognize any kiss but mine.
I lift the T-shirt she's wearing, and my mouth immediately goes to her neck. I try to control myself, but when I bite harder and hear her moaning under me, one of the chains I use to keep my beast in check breaks.
I promised I'd kiss every scar and imperfection because I want her to understand that she’s a work of art. That even the moon in the sky pales in comparison to her even though she bears its name.
Breaking the kiss, I position myself behind her. I know she's realized my intention, because her whole body tenses. So, without saying a word to her, I start tracing her scars with my fingers.
It's not a random pattern. It's like a tattoo someone made with a precision knife, and I know how much that must have hurt. But right now it's not about my fury and inability to help her then. It's about proving to her that nothing about her body is less precious to me.
My tongue touches the tip of a scar, and I feel her skin trembling. It makes me crazy when I see how sensitive she is to everything I do to her, to my touch. I continue traversing her skin, sprinkling kisses now and then, and in a few seconds, I hear her breathing becoming ragged. Good .
"Do you have any idea how much it turns me on thinking about how strong you were in that moment?"
A shiver runs through her body and she shakes her head left and right.
"It's precisely that strength and spark that attracted me to you, Luna. It's the resilience you hide in those eyes that fascinated me from the first night. Other women would have given up after such an experience, but you took it all as a bad hand dealt by fate and continued walking. And the fact that you continued walking brought you to me, my love."
I feel a slight trembling in her body, and I know that if I put my hand in her pants, she'd be perfectly wet for me, but I continue kissing her back from top to bottom while my hands settle on her hips.
"Don't ever be self-conscious in front of me again. Understood?"
After a moment, she nods slightly in understanding. I know I can't remove all her insecurities in one evening, but if I need to kiss her scars daily for her to understand, I'll do it gladly.
"I need you. Now!" I tell her while pulling down her pants.
Her breathing becomes heavier, and when I see her naked, I want nothing else but to devour her, mark her, so she can never run from me. I want anyone who looks at her to know she's mine.
Her hand moves to my pants, working them off, while my mouth instinctively goes to her breast. She doesn't have large ones, but they're perfect for me. Her nipple hardens in seconds, and I hear her whispering my name while her hands push my pants and boxers down.
When I feel her hand wrapping around my cock, I have to tense every muscle in order not to come.
"Luna, wait…," I growl, but of course this woman doesn't listen and starts moving her hand. "Luna," I warn and proceed to suck one of her nipples into my mouth.
Her entire body shivers, so I suck harder, digging my teeth in slightly, unable to control myself.
"I need to feel you inside me," she tells me with a whimper, and when my hand moves lower, she sighs softly.
"God, Luna. You're so wet for me, baby," I tell her proudly, without taking my mouth away from her skin.
My hand continues playing with her clit, and I know nothing can be more perfect than this.
She starts pushing against my hand and I know I won't last much longer, so I pull her hand away from my cock, which is about to explode, and align myself at her entrance.
The moment I push inside, her hands pull me down to kiss her. When all her warmth surrounds me and I feel every vein pulsing inside her, I stop with my mouth hovering above hers.
Her face is so relaxed, and I see an "O" forming on her lips when I push in another inch. Her body trembles beneath me, but I try to move slowly. I don't want to hurt her even though the demon in me screams to flip her over and release every frustration I've accumulated.
"Ro, can I be on top?"
It's a plea, and when I look at her, I see her eyes are hooded.
"You want to ride me, love?" I ask her, a grin involuntarily stretching across my face while I nip her neck. Her pussy grips my cock so hard I think I’ll pass out from how good it feels.
How can this woman be so sexy with her goddess body, and at the same time be shy? What sane man would refuse her?
"Ask me nicely," I tell her just because I want to play with her.
The next second, she's the one smiling and, with the most innocent tone, speaks the words that I know would make me kneel for her every time.
"Please, love. I need to be on top of you."
My hands dig into her hips, and in a second, our roles are reversed. If I ever thought the image of her beneath me was all I needed, Luna sitting above me, like a queen with that satisfied smile on her lips, is enough to make me lose my mind. I swallow hard when I see her rising and positioning herself in line with my erection, which is now painfully hard.
"Don't tease me, Luna," I plead in a hoarse voice.
"Just a little," she tells me, closing her eyes, and I feel her heat and wetness rubbing against the tip of my cock, making a mess all over me.
Hell. My eyes fix on the place where my cock slides through her slickness, the tip teasing her entry, and my throat tightens dryly. As she arches her back, I grip her hips tightly, trying to draw out this moment.
"This feels so good," she murmurs, biting her lip, and I'm caught up in her words.
Without hesitation, I take a nipple into my mouth, biting gently, my tongue swirling in slow, teasing circles around it. My hands map every inch of her waist and thighs, and every part of her feels like silk under my touch.
I don't deserve her. But nothing has ever looked better than my hands on her skin.
I feel my heart beating too fast, and like every time, I think I'm going to have a heart attack when I'm with this woman. But it's something more. There's complete silence in my head, and all I see, smell, touch, perceive is her.
"If you don't take me inside you in the next second…," I begin, but the words get stuck in my throat when I feel her lowering herself and my length disappears inside her warmth and… Fuck me. She feels too good, too tight, too damn mine that I’m about to come just like that.
"Yes?" she asks me with a mischievous look, and if I weren't too overwhelmed by how beautiful she is and how tight she's squeezing me, I'd redden that gorgeous ass until she learned not to play with me.
I see her trying to accommodate my length, but I've reached the limit of my patience, so I dig both hands into her hips and, pushing up, I set the rhythm. I need to see her lose control because if she continues at this pace, I'll go crazy.
I feel her thighs starting to tremble, a sign she's close. My senses are overwhelmed, and I know I won't last much longer either. I rise and kiss her neck, while my hands move down to that ass that looks too good in any pair of jeans she wears. My fingers press into her skin when I feel her walls clamping down on me.
"Ro..."
I barely hear the whisper, said with so much emotion, and I know what she needs to come. My hand finds her throat, and without taking my other hand off her ass, I apply slight pressure to the sides.
It's just enough to cause her pupils to dilate in excitement. The fact that I know how afraid she is of someone else putting their hand on her throat makes me pulse inside her because I understand she trusts me not to cause her pain, only pleasure.
She closes her eyes and braces her hands on my shoulders, her walls squeezing and pulsing around me. Her mouth drops open and then she screams... God, her voice is sexy as hell anyway, but if you add the inflections in it when every cell is satisfied, it's my favorite melody.
After a few seconds, I come with a sound that’s more like a hungry animal than a man. For several minutes we stay like this, with legs entwined, breathing heavily. My hand is still at her throat but without applying any pressure.
For a moment I think I'd like to put a choker on her neck. It would look damn good, so I save the idea to mention later.
Luna is soft in my arms, and as I gently turn her, she sighs contentedly.
"I think you've broken me," she tells me softly, and I burst out laughing.
"I'm sure we can fix you," I tell her, kissing her head gently.
I quickly go to the bathroom to get a wet towel to clean her, although the image of her stretched out in bed with the evidence of what we did on her thighs is something I’ll store forever in my mind.
As I clean her, she makes a hissing sound.
"Love, did I hurt you?" I ask, a hint of panic in my voice.
I know I don't have a small cock, and although no woman has ever complained before, the thought that I might have hurt her causes a spike of fear in my chest.
"Nooo, just...it's a very sensitive area right now," she tells me, and when I look at her, she has red cheeks, slightly tousled hair, and those green eyes sparkle as if all the stars had gathered in them.
Mine . There's something so primal in what I feel for this woman.
"You're looking at me strangely," she murmurs and blushes even more.
"You're perfect!"
She turns downright red in the face, and I can't help shaking my head and laughing.
This woman, who asked to ride me just twenty minutes ago, blushed because I gave her a compliment.
"You're the one who's perfect," she returns, and my expression must be one of downright shock, because now she's the one laughing. "I'm serious, Ro. Any woman could have an orgasm just looking at you in a suit. But naked? With those hands that know exactly how much pressure to apply and where? You're an orgasmic bomb," she tells me with increasing softness, and I feel myself blushing now.
What the hell is happening to me?
I chained my cousin to a ceiling and left him hanging there like a piece of meat, but I blush at a compliment?
Except I know it has nothing to do with the compliment but with the woman who gave it, who has so much sincerity and adoration in her voice that it makes my heart do strange jumps in my chest.
I really do need to check with Kai to see if I've been having heart attack episodes given how crazy my heart beats when I look at her.
"Did you and Niko resolve things?" she asks while getting up and heading to the shower.
"No, but that's next. I need to go back to handle the situation," I say, and I think she realizes now that I came home only because I knew she wasn't okay.
I don't want her to analyze this more than necessary, because I know her. I know that all the wheels in her head are turning, trying to understand why I dropped something extremely important for her.
"I couldn't stay there, knowing you weren't okay," I say, and she knows I can't discuss this more.
Not because I wouldn't want to but because I don't know how to articulate what the hell is happening with me. My priority has always been my family, the bratva. In the last twenty-four hours, something has changed. The possibility of losing her made me, for the first time in twenty years, feel fear. Pure fear that freezes the blood in your veins.
Luna turns toward me, and her hands rest on my chest.
"Tell me how I can help you. Give me something to do," she says with such a confident voice.
I didn’t want her involved in my organization, but I really need someone like her for what I have planned.
"Go shower, and after we sleep for a few hours, we'll talk. About Maksim, about what I learned from Niko. About everything. Okay?" I say and search in her gaze for a trace of hesitation but find only warmth.
"Agreed," she answers me and turns on the shower.
I need to rest for a few hours, and then it'll be time to break some bones.
?
The next day, I head to the office with Luna and Niko for the meeting with Maksim. With this whole complicated situation - Denis, the Irish, and Luna's ex - I feel like problems keep piling up. We had to keep quiet around Victoria and tell her nothing. Our sister would have been shocked and insisted on coming along today.
No chance. Maybe my internal alarms don't go off in Maksim's presence, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous.
When I arrive at the office, I warn Felix not to be shocked by the situation.
"If you think you're seeing a version of me that escaped from reform school, let him in," I tell him because Felix would probably take a selfie with him first and then call security.
"OMG. There's drama involved, isn't there?!" he responds ecstatically, and my face must clearly tell him that the pansy-covered shirt he's wearing will be in the trash in twenty seconds if he doesn't shut up.
Luna has a smile on her face, while Niko stoically looks out the window. Neither he nor I ever expected to have another brother. The implications of this are huge.
After some waiting, Maksim and Julia enter the office, followed by Felix, who I could swear would build Maksim a statue, judging by how he’s looking at him. There's a moment of silence where we all just analyze each other until Luna breaks it.
"Thank you for coming," she tells them in a gentle tone.
Maksim's eyes go to her, and I see him scanning her. This idiot thinks I would hurt the woman I...
"Are you okay?" he asks her, and what little calm I was trying to maintain evaporates.
"If she hadn't been kidnapped by you yesterday, she probably would be," I throw at him in a threatening tone, but I hear Luna answering at the same time.
"I'm okay."
Maksim looks at me as if he hadn't noticed me until now.
"She'd be dead if Julia and I hadn't been there," he answers in the same bored tone as yesterday, and although I'd like to tell him it's not true, I can't.
"Roman, I know you have questions, so let's answer them. We all have other crises to resolve," says the woman next to Maksim as she makes herself comfortable in an armchair.
"How long have you known about us?" Niko asks first and takes a few steps forward.
"Since I was fifteen," he answers, a small smirk appearing on his lips.
It feels like a punch to the chest. He's known about us for so many years and never contacted us. Niko must sense my shock because he's the one who continues the discussion.
"Why did you never reach out?"
It's clear he's carefully weighing his answers as I sense hesitation in every gesture.
"I didn't need you."
It's a simple answer. Cold. Impersonal. He can go to hell for all I care. Right now I'm glad I didn't bring Victoria here. It would have broken her heart to see what an ice block our new brother is. Because, although neither Niko nor I are saints, family is our priority. I would bleed for any of them.
"Until now," I declare because obviously something has changed.
"Bingo!" is all my carbon copy offers me.
"Maksim! Can't we be adults and talk normally?" Julia scolds him. When none of us say a word, she continues.
"You want to know everything? I'll tell you everything. Max was adopted at age six from an orphanage near Moscow. His new adoptive father was human garbage, a predator who abused Max for years."
I suspected that from what Luna told me, but hearing it and seeing Maksim at the same time puts a knot in my throat.
Calm, Roman.
Julia seems to seek permission to continue from Maksim, and a few seconds later he nods.
"But Ivan Rastovski didn't just want a new toy. He wanted an heir. A successor to take over all the family horrors and carry them forward. At fifteen, Max had his first mission in Atlanta. That's when he accidentally saw a picture of you and your family in the newspaper. It was obvious enough what had happened."
I look into Julia’s eyes and see such protectiveness in them. I don't know what they've been through together, but it's clear these people would die for each other.
"Alexei Borisov didn't want a defective child, and Ivan had too much influence for me, at fifteen, to do anything. That's why I never made contact. When you took the reins, I started implementing my plan," Maksim says, and all heads turn to him.
"What this monster did exceeds any limit of humanity. I went through it. Julia went through it. But if I get my hands on everything he has, I can finally end this chapter. That's why I needed Luna. I can't legally inherit his empire if there is suspicion surrounding his death. The bastard fortified his will well."
The heavy atmosphere in the room presses down on us, and when I look at Niko, I know what he’s thinking. Maksim is telling the truth. You can feel it in his wording.
"Do you need help with anything?" Luna's voice is the one to break the silence, and although her volume is low, we all hear her.
"Ivan died last night. We need to go back to Russia to attend the funeral, but after we'll return here," Julia answers after looking at Maksim for approval.
He doesn't need to tell me more. It will take time before we trust each other, but he's letting me know he plans to stay here. That he'll be around.
"Why involve Tim?" It’s something I haven't understood about his plan.
"The guy drugged young women in clubs to take advantage of them. We needed someone to facilitate a meeting with Luna. The plan was to have Tim bring Luna to a meeting point and resolve everything then," Julia answers again, and by 'everything' I understand Tim wouldn't have left there alive.
"How the hell do you know all these things?" Niko asks, examining them both.
"We're pretty good with a keyboard and computer," Maksim answers, and I see the pride in his eyes.
An idea forms in my head. I look at Luna, whom I've told about the traitor, and I know she understands what I want to do.
"When will you return here?" I ask, and it hits me again how much we look alike, despite the obvious differences.
His gaze narrows, analyzing me.
"You need something," he guesses, pinning me with his stare.
The small scars on his face only give him a more dangerous aura, but I don't feel threat in his tone, just curiosity.
"We have a mole, as you already know. I might need assistance in this area that you and Julia excel at. Luna won't be able to handle it alone."
They exchange a look, and Julia is the one who answers for both of them.
"We need to leave now for the airport if we want to reach Moscow tonight. If you need anything, you have our numbers here. We'll be back in two days," she says as they rise to leave, handing me a note with their phone numbers.
Before they exit the door, I need to know why Ivan's company would affiliate with the Irish.
"Any idea why your company would line the Irish's pockets to push us out?" I ask, speaking directly to Maksim.
I put my hands in my pockets, and I know I look exactly like a corporate director trying to extract information from a rival.
His gaze turns dark gray when he answers after several moments of thought.
"As you know, Ivan has connections with the Russian bratva. Aleksandr is his nephew, and he handles everything that happens here. My suspicion is he wanted to steal the territory to impress Ivan."
Clearly this Aleksandr isn't someone my brother tolerates, judging by how he sneers his name. They have a shared past, and if I were to bet, I'd say it's bloody.
"I'll clean up with the Irish after the funeral," he tells me, and it still bothers me that of all the cities on this continent, Aleksandr chose this one.
"Does he know about your connection to us?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
It's the only explanation for why this Aleksandr would choose Chicago, exactly where we operate.
"It's a possibility," Julia answers, and I see a trace of worry on her face. Maksim notices Julia's reaction too and takes her hand.
"If you need anything, message me at the numbers Julia gave you. If Aleksandr knows about the connection, you should watch yourself on the street, Roman," he tells me, and I see he's serious.
For some reason, he sees this individual as a major threat.
"Same goes for everyone else. Aleksandr would rather go after a woman he considers weak than attack you directly," Julia says while looking at Luna.
I nod to show I understand and watch them head for the door.
"If you need help in Russia, call us."
I don't know what makes me say that, and I know they probably won't need it. Still, when an oligarch dies and there’s a shift in power, it always ends in blood. I saw their men at that house in the forest where he took Luna. They're military men and seem loyal, but you never know where a viper hides.
Before closing the door, Maksim turns to us.
"I'll remember that," he answers, with a smile on his lips.
The door's click is the last sound I hear before silence falls in the office.
Luna looks worriedly at Niko and me, and after a few minutes, my brother breaks the silence.
"Well, Ro, he's a bit more handsome than you."
Luna bursts into laughter, and even I have to suppress a smile. Leave it to Niko to turn a serious atmosphere into a joke.
"Do you think they'll be okay in Russia? I know we covered our tracks, but what if they suspect them?" Luna's words make me frown, sowing the seeds of doubt.
Normally I wouldn't care about someone I've just met. Maybe it's all this bullshit about him being my twin brother, but now that I know he exists, I can't deny I worry about him.
"Want me to call Ilya?" Niko asks.
I know the Moscow mafia pakhan categorically opposes human trafficking, so the fact that he allowed a predator like Ivan into his inner circle is cause enough for concern.
"I'll call him. Let's hope Maksim won't need help."
Niko leaves to handle other business, and I know we need to start cleaning house.
Luna's hand touches my face, and an electric shiver runs through my body. She's wearing those round glasses that make her eyes even bigger and greener. Each freckle seems to dance in harmony with her rebellious curls, and I lean down to kiss her forehead.
With my lips still pressed to her skin, I whisper, "It's time for the games to begin."