72. -71-
Dorian
“I’m still pissed at you,” Nina mumbled when she walked past me to take Aryna’s towel and the yellow pajamas I’d found in the suitcase.
“Noted.” I nodded, leaning against the chest of drawers in our walk-in closet with my arms crossed, watching her every elegant move. “Do you need help?”
“With bathing?” She lifted a brow, shuffling through the colorful socks.
“With anything.” I moved to the side, suppressing a grin when she cursed under her breath. “I’m not a professional in parenting, but I know a thing or two.”
“I’ll manage.” She straightened, casting me a cold look. “Thanks.”
I pursed my lips, following her inside the spacious bathroom. My designer had a list of special requirements for my house, and one of them was an enormous bathtub, now full of menthol green bubbles and foam.
Aryna giggled and splashed water everywhere, on the floor, on the wall, even on the mirror. I glanced down at my wet feet, grimacing, but Nina didn’t seem to mind. She blew bubbles right into Aryna’s face, and they both laughed.
“You two know we don’t have a housekeeper yet, right?” I pointed out, stepping over a puddle, but my socks were already drenched.
“You don’t know how to wipe a floor?” Aryna asked bluntly.
“Of course not,” Nina answered before I could even open my mouth. “He’s a prince. Princes don’t wipe floors.”
“Says the princess who doesn’t know how to make fried eggs,” I countered, shrugging nonchalantly when she flashed me a murderous glare. I held her look, absurdly relieved she had enough energy to argue with me.
“Are you really?” Aryna interrupted our staring contest, and we both turned to her. “Prince and princess?”
“No.” I shook my head with a wide grin stretching across my face. “And I actually know how to wipe a floor. I just didn’t think I’d be doing it tonight.”
“Sorry.” Aryna looked at me so innocently that I couldn’t be angry at her, even if I wanted to.
“You’re forgiven, little angel.” I poked her adorable nose with my index finger and turned to leave, but before I reached the door, Nina’s words reached me.
“You’re not,” she ground out, her stunning dark eyes narrowing at the edges.
My lips twitched despite myself. She was still furious, but at least she didn’t ignore me. I quietly retreated before she found another reason to murder me, mentally adding a mop and a handful of rags to the list of things I needed tonight.
An hour and a half later, Aryna slept in our bed because she simply refused to leave, claiming there was enough space for the three of us.
Nina tried to get her to another bedroom, but the girl won on every front.
And when she told Nina, with all the innocence in the world, that if she didn’t like her idea, she could sleep elsewhere, I almost died laughing at my wife’s expression.
She looked at Aryna as if she’d just been out-negotiated by a seasoned lawyer. Still, Nina's battle for our bed was heartwarming. She didn’t plan to rip my head off if she wanted us to sleep together, right?
Maybe she’ll sleep with your corpse, the demon snickered in my head. She’d probably cuddle it.
“It’s one of her best traits,” I mumbled, laughing at that irrational thought, but deep down, I knew my gorgeous wife would surely do that with a wide smile on her face.
Anyway, after wiping down the bathroom, I took a quick shower and tiptoed out of the bedroom, where Aryna was quietly snoring.
I found Nina in the living room, her feet on the coffee table, scrolling through her phone.
Her hair fell into her face, covering much of it, but I still noticed her focused expression.
She didn’t even notice me approaching her until I was about three feet from her.
“Everything okay?” I asked, glancing between her and an open bottle of expensive red wine. Nina lifted her gaze from the screen, her brows furrowing.
“You think?” She put the phone away, looking at me expectantly.
With a sigh, I grabbed the glass of wine and plopped beside her, throwing it back in one generous gulp.
The wine rolled over my tongue, rich and velvety, carrying notes of black cherries, dark chocolate, and oak.
Under different circumstances, I would’ve appreciated every layer.
Tonight, it barely registered. It took the edge off just enough to remind me I needed something much stronger if I wanted to survive whatever conversation was about to happen. Preferably whiskey.
“I don’t want to argue, Nina,” I said after a long pause, setting the empty glass on the coffee table beside her feet. “Your father is alive, and he promised to tell us everything about Giovanni and the debt.”
“And the gunshot wound?”
“Stitched up.” I leaned into the couch. “We’re meeting him tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She put her feet down and turned to me. Her eyes were darker than usual, anger mixing with relief in them. But her usually expressive face remained painfully stoic. “How about explaining the execution of my father’s men?”
I bit the corner of my mouth.
“Don’t look at me like I didn’t have every right to do that,” I said, angling my body toward her. “They kidnapped you.”
“Dino Monteverde kidnapped me,” she corrected exasperatedly, shaking her head in disapproval.
“I’m keeping my knives sharp for his throat, too.”
Nina rolled her eyes, her fists clenching, but she kept her temper under perfect control.
“Just tell me what the fuck happened to you back there.” Her shoulders slumped a little. “That wasn’t you.”
I held her gaze for a long moment, searching for accusation, disgust… anything that would’ve been easier to answer. Instead, I found worry. My wife was worried about me despite the fact that I murdered people right in front of her. I didn’t know if I should be grateful or terrified.
“Maybe you don’t know me that well,” I whispered, my heart climbing somewhere into my throat.
She sucked her lower lip between her teeth, searching my face before she spoke.
“I know you enough to know how out of character that was.” Her hand gently brushed against mine, her long fingernails grazing my skin and leaving tingles in their wake.
“I looked into everything,” she admitted.
“Every article. Every interview. Every rumor. Every report I could get my hands on. There is nothing. No bar fights. No assaults. No vandalism. No arrests. Your biggest offense is a speeding ticket.” She shook her head slowly.
“Not to mention, Grandpa never mentioned you in the same sentence as Malin and Zyon. He warned me daily about them. He even mentioned Ramzan a couple of times, but not you. Never you.” She let go of my hand, her eyes reflecting the chaos inside her.
“You were always the one who saved lives.”
“My reputation is impeccable,” I agreed with a slight nod, a tiny smile lifting the corner of my mouth when she rolled her eyes exasperatedly.
She was doing it a lot tonight. “What?” I playfully poked her arm with my index finger, trying to ease the tension.
It was too serious for my liking. I just couldn’t relax and talk to her when she threw all my files at me.
“It’s not my fault Malin is a better hacker than Lucas. ”
“So, you went on killing sprees and your brothers wiped the evidence?” Nina grumbled. “That’s what you’re saying? That all I know about you is a lie? A public image you keep to be celebrated like a saint?”
“Nooooo.” I shook my head once. “I am the saint.” I grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving because she wanted to stand up. “Listen, ma vilaine. I told you about the fucker in my head who messes with my brain.”
She nodded, leaning back into her seat.
“What you witnessed… has happened four times in my life.” I exhaled heavily, preparing to face my past once more for her. Even though I already hated every word about to come out of my mouth.
“First, when I was abducted for the first time.” Nina turned her upper body to me, listening intently.
“Second, when I was thirteen, and I found Malin surrounded by four boys who almost kicked the living daylights out of him. Two of them died in the hospital; the third and fourth are heavily traumatized.” I shrugged when her eyes widened.
“The third was the darkest week of my life, and I’ll tell you about it later.
And fourth,” my fingers clutched her wrists tighter, “was yesterday, when I saw the video of your kidnapping.”
“I was the trigger?” She sounded genuinely shocked.
“Not exactly.” I moved closer to her, my fingertips touching her cheek. “A threat to the people I love is the trigger.”
My stomach knotted when I realized what I’d just said.
“Love?” she whispered, incredulity flashing through her face. “You love me?”
The words clogged my throat, and my heart almost burst out of my ribcage.
“I…” My mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“Dorian.” Nina placed her open palm on my cheek, her thumb brushing my skin soothingly. “Don’t shut me out.” The plea in her voice made my throat tighten. “I need to know how you feel about me, about Aryna, about everything.”
“I’m just so fucked up,” I breathed. “You’ll run away if I tell you what I’d done, what I’m responsible for.”
“I won’t.” She took my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Just talk to me.”
“Be careful what you wish for, ma vilaine,” I whispered. “You may not recognize the man you kidnapped to marry you.”
“You think you can scare me?” A small laugh escaped her. “My obsession with you is rooted so deep I’d need a full brain replacement to forget about you.”
“Cute.” An involuntary smile grazed my lips. “But save that confidence for after I tell you what only my mother and my brothers know.”