Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” he murmurs.
I nod as I press closer to him, then I look at Alek as the doctor stitches him up. He doesn’t even flinch, and there’s only anger on his face.
“Are you okay, Alek?” I ask with concern for him lacing my words.
His eyes flick to me before he takes a deep breath as if he’s trying to calm himself. “I’ll be fine.”
No, he isn’t.
Pulling away from Misha, I walk to the bed and sit down beside Alek.
Emotion pushes up my throat, and I can’t stop the tears as I turn my head to look at him.
Alek lets out a deep breath before he meets my eyes.
With my whole heart, I say, “You’re important to Misha, which means you’re important to me.” Taking a risk, I place my hand on top of his that’s resting on his thigh. “I care about you, and I’m so freaking thankful to you for taking the bullet that was meant for Misha.”
Alek looks uncomfortable as he pulls his hand away from mine. “I’d die for Misha. It’s not a secret.”
Slipping off the bed, the corner of my mouth lifts in a sad smile. “I just wanted you to know that I care about what happens to you, as well.”
Misha takes hold of my hand and pulls me back to his side. “Alek doesn’t do emotional moments.”
I stare at the man who means the world to Misha and wonder what horrible thing happened to him.
Alek surprises me by saying, “Thanks, Aurora.” As soon as the doctor is done patching him up, he gets up. Sighing, he mutters, “I won’t kill your friend.” He takes a step, then adds, “Unless she keeps annoying the fuck out of me. Then all bets are off.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I promise.
Misha’s eyes scan over his friend. “Will you be okay, or do I need to baby your ass?”
“Fuck off,” Alek chuckles. “I’m just going to grab something to eat, then I’m going to sleep until tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Armani says. “Spend some time with Aurora. The two of you have a lot to talk about.”
We leave the infirmary, and where Armani and Alek head into the dining hall, we keep walking toward one of the side exits of the castle.
Only when we reach a bench near the path that leads to the waterfall does Misha stop. He gestures for me to sit down before getting comfortable next to me.
Taking a deep breath, I turn my body toward his and patiently wait for him to start talking.
“We disobeyed an order from Viktor when we stopped the hit on Abbie.” Misha leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He shakes his head in disbelief. “The punishment is death.”
I blink a couple of times as the realization sours my blood. “But…that’s not going to happen? Right?”
Slowly, he nods. “Viktor showed us mercy. He shot Alek to punish me.”
“I thought…wasn’t it for Abbie?”
“No, one of us had to take the bullet, and Viktor chose Alek because he knew it would hurt me.” Misha turns his head to look at me. “But up until that moment, I thought I was going to die. There was no doubt in my mind.”
I inhale sharply as all the pieces fall into place. That’s why Misha was so different yesterday. He was saying goodbye to me.
God.
I suck in another breath before I launch myself at him. I hold him so tight, my heart breaking for what could’ve happened.
I almost lost Misha.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whisper.
“I didn’t want you to worry until it was done.” He pulls me onto his lap, his arms steel bands around me. “I just wanted to love you as much as I could before my time was up.”
Pulling back so I can see his face, I frame his jaw with my palms and crash my mouth to his. I kiss him with every ounce of the unconditional love I feel for him. It’s desperate and emotional, and in this moment between us, something clicks into place. It carries the strength of a million men, the brightness of a thousand stars, and the depth of the deepest ocean.
I break the kiss, and staring deep into his eyes, I say, “I choose you, Misha.”
His features grow tense. “I choose you, Aurora.” Tenderly he tucks strands of hair behind my ear. “When I faced death, I thought only of you.” He shakes his head. “I can’t lose you, so I need you to prepare yourself for the worst. If your father doesn’t submit, I will kill him because if I don’t, it means you die, and that cannot happen.”
As much as it hurts to think of my father dying, I also understand it’s how our world works. My father knows that by defying the bratva and Italian mafia, he’s putting all our lives at risk.