Epilogue - Artyom
Three months after leaving the hospital, I called a meeting with everyone.
I apologized for widening the fracture between our factions, owning my part in the chaos.
I told Lev that I wanted to be truly united with them, no schemes and no tricks up my sleeves, and I hoped that one day we truly can be.
The women forgave me openly, but the Safin men were reserved, their expressions hard and unforgiving.
Then I turned to my siblings, including Katya, and apologized for how I had mistreated them over the years.
I told them that, while my childhood shaped me, I had to own my mistakes as an adult.
I thanked them for having my back all these years, for never giving up on me. One by one, they forgave me.
After the meeting, when Ninel told me that she was proud of me my heart damn near exploded. No one had ever said those words to me before.
That night, we didn’t sleep. I gave her orgasm after orgasm until she lay limp in my arms as the sunlight began spilling into our bedroom window.
The ghost enemy had gone completely silent. None of the pictures of the men killed at the warehouse matched the two bastards who’d trailed Ninel to the art gallery. Those two bastards were the ones who got away.
Still, neither the Rykovs nor the Safins let their guard down. Intel trickled in, fragmented and disjointed, but enough to keep us alert.
Then Jaroslav remembered the gun he’d confiscated from one of the Bratva mercenaries hired by the ghost enemy, the ones who’d attacked their faction. He’d tossed it in his safe, and with everything else happening, it had slipped his mind. There were no hits on it yet, but we were still hopeful.
Over the next few months, I worked on building a relationship with my sisters, taking each of them on dinners to get to know them better. With Katya, one of the Safin men usually sat a few tables away, silent and watchful.
With my brothers, I gave them more responsibilities and invited more input into the faction’s affairs. Without Vera at home, Kira spent her days helping Mariya at the Hearth, which she genuinely enjoyed.
I spent time with Alexi and Evie too, but only under the watchful eyes of their fathers. Annoying? Absofuckinglotely. But understandable.
With every passing month, as Ninel’s stomach rounded and her breasts grew fuller, my grip on her and our unborn child tightened. I caught myself glaring at anyone who got too close or watched her for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Our sex life had shifted with her pregnancy.
At eight months pregnant, it was too painful for her to take my cock, but she rode my fingers like it was the only thing keeping her sane.
Ninel was a blessing with no gag reflex, she took me down her throat until I came undone, and I spilled onto her breasts and belly marking my territory.
And she fucking loved it always choosing to sleep with me on her skin.
Her nipples had become so sensitive I only needed to brush them a few times before she was trembling, and crying out as she toppled over the edge.
Today we were in Lev’s backyard. Lev and Pyotr took turns at the grill, smoke curling into the warm air. Mariya, Kira, and Vera watched Alexi and Evie, two and one years old, splashing in the kiddie pool.
Lawn chairs sat under umbrellas, the women talking while the kids squealed.
At the card table, Avit and Katya had teamed up, winning every Spades game.
We were convinced they were cheating, but no one knew how.
Jaroslav and Marten were their new prey, while Zahkar and Yegor went to hang out with Lev and Pyotr at the grill.
The tension between me and the Safin men still hadn’t eased, although I saw a positive change with how they treated Kira and my brothers. For that I was fucking grateful. But, every time I took Ninel inside to use the bathroom, which was often now, one of her brothers shadowed us.
I wasn’t sure if Ninel noticed, and I didn’t plan to tell her. I didn't want to spoil her mood. Besides our bedroom, she was happiest when everyone was together, and I’d protect that.
The women kept her company in shifts while I grabbed a seat at the card table, then slipped away to spend time with Alexi and Evie.
After my last turn at the card table, when Yegor and I finally ended Avit’s and Katya’s winning streak, I went to check on Ninel.
“She’s fast asleep,” Mariya chuckled as she rose from the chair beside her.
I crouched next to Ninel and stroked the side of her face with my hand.
Her nipples tightened beneath the sundress she wore, and I had to bite back the low growl threatening to escape.
Instead of Ninel’s eyes fluttering open, her lips parted on a soft moan that went straight to my cock. Her hand slid from her belly, crawling lower, until I caught it and pressed it flat against my chest.
“Open your eyes, printsessa!” I commanded softly.
Her eyes shot open. They were glazed and unfocused at first.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi.” A lazy smile curved her mouth as her gaze sharpened on me.
“It’s time to leave. You’re sleeping. You need to go home and rest.”
Ninel licked her lips, watching me through hooded eyes. “Are we really going home to rest?”
I smirked. “Eventually.”
Her cheeks flushed, and fuck if that wasn’t hotter than anything else. After everything, every filthy thing I’ve done to her, every crude word I’ve used that makes her fly over the edge, Ninel still blushes. And it drives me insane. I pray she never loses it.
“Come on, printsessa. Let’s get you up so you can say your goodbyes.”
After twenty minutes of saying goodbye, and one bathroom break later, Ninel was comfortably seated next to me as I drove out of Lev’s compound. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep.
I didn’t head home. Once we crossed into Rykov territory, I steered us toward the docks. My men were already stationed and undercover, ready if anything went south.
I’d hired a photographer, Kimberly Frazier, to do a maternity shoot for Ninel. The yacht was dressed in roses, petals, and candlelight. Waiting inside were diamond necklaces, bracelets, and rings for her to wear during the shoot, along with dresses, lingerie and bikinis I’d chosen myself.
When we pulled into the dock, I kissed her awake.
“We’re here.”
She blinked, looking around. “Here where?”
“I set up a photoshoot for you.” I stepped out, rounded the car, and helped her gently to her feet.
We walked towards the yacht, Ruslan trailing us. When we got there Kimberly stood waiting, a bag slung on her shoulder.
“Mr. and Mrs. Rykov, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she greeted.
We shook her hand.
“Shall we?”
Kimberly stepped onto the yacht first, followed by Ruslan. I guided Ninel aboard and came in behind her.
While Ruslan remained on the main floor, Kimberly, Ninel, and I went up.
“Artyom, this is gorgeous,” she whispered, taking in the flowers, candlelight, and gifts set out in the bedroom.
I lifted her hand to my lips. “Anything for you. Shall we get started?”
For the next two hours, I watched Kimberly guide Ninel through her poses.
She was a natural, slipping easily between sweet and sultry to smoking and fucking hot.
Some shots were teasing, others far more seductive, showing just enough skin to toe the line.
Photos were taken by the railing, on the deck, and in the bedroom.
The bedroom shots were my undoing. My cock stayed hard the entire time, every pose she did feeding the hunger I barely kept in check.
I joined her for a few frames. My favorite was taken in the bedroom: Ninel sat on the bed in nothing but her panties, legs bent and tucked to the side.
I was shirtless, chest pressed against her back, one arm loosely draped around her to cover her breasts, the other hand braced on the mattress.
My chin rested on her shoulder, her head leaned into mine.
Her right hand cradled my face while the other curved below her belly.
Her hair was pulled into a high, messy bun, stray strands falling across her cheek. She looked like a fucking goddess.
For shots like that, Kimberly always waited outside until we’d taken our positions. Only then did she step in to capture the moment, because even though she was a woman, she would not live to tell a soul if she ever saw more of my wife’s body than I allowed.
After the photoshoot, I tucked Ninel into bed and told her to rest while I escorted Kimberly to the makeshift developing room on the yacht. Every piece of equipment she brought to take and print the photos would remain with me. I’d be damned if a single picture of my wife ever leaked to the public.
I sat behind Kimberly as she slipped on her headphones and worked, swaying lightly to the beat of her music while the images came to life. Different sizes. Different angles. My favorite shot I demanded in the largest size to hang above our bed, where I could see it every night.
When the last photo was finished, I paid Kimberly and told her that once the baby was born, I’d be in touch. Ruslan escorted her off the yacht while I made my way back to the bedroom.
I stripped out of my clothes and crawled between Ninel’s legs, parting her pussy lips with my tongue. It didn’t take long before her body arched with need, and throaty, breathless moans filled the cabin.
“Artyom…”
Her hand fisted in my hair, pulling rough, and I growled in response.
Sliding two fingers inside her, her hips leapt off the bed.
My tongue and lips stayed locked on her clit, teasing, sucking, nibbling…
while my fingers drove into her, relentless.
Her cries grew louder, rawer, each one fueling me.
Good thing I’d soundproofed the cabin, because every scream, every moan belonged to me.
“Artyom!” she cried out, shattering in my hands. And even though the only part of me inside her had been my fingers and tongue, I came undone right with her.
I moved up her body, pressing my forehead to hers.
“I love you, Mrs. Rykov. Thank you for wanting forever with me.”
Her lips brushed mine, softly. “I love you more, Mr. Rykov. Thank you for choosing me to do forever with.”
I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as her breathing slowed, and her eyes fluttered shut. I closed mine too, knowing with absolute certainty that I was the luckiest Bratva bastard on the face of the earth.
*****
THE END