Dmitri stepped in front of me, blocking out everything else with his towering frame. He glared over my shoulder at the men surrounding me, and they moved away to give us privacy.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, brushing his finger across my cheek.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. He was about to end my existence, and he was worried if I was injured.
Fuck, I loved this man even if he was literally about to be the death of me.
His brows furrowed. I could sense a follow up question coming, but we didn’t have time for that. I wanted to forget allof this for just one more moment. Pretend that nothing existed except for us.
“I will be if you kiss me, Dmitri.”
Something rippled across his face, but then all I could focus on was the feel of his hands possessively grabbing my waist. He dragged my body into his tightly coiled frame and slammed his lips against my own. Dmitri’s pace was frantic, almost possessed as he owned my mouth in front of the entire room.
I ran my chained hands across his broad chest, savoring the feel of him one last time. All too soon he pulled away from me, and I couldn’t help the small whine that escaped my throat.
I just wanted more time. Just a little bit more.
“Stay still, kotenok,” he said into my ear, his tone brokering no room for questions.
“I will.”
He nodded. When he removed his hand, pain deep in my chest lanced me. I fought down the instinct to frantically grab for him.
“I love you, Dmitri,” I said, my voice breaking around the words. “And I promise I’m okay with this... I just want you to live.”
Emotion flickered over his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then the cold mask slipped back on, and he turned away.
“Once I take the knife, I become your heir,” Dmitri said to the Pakhan in a flat tone.
The Pakhan nodded his affirmation.
Slowly, Dmitri took the wicked-looking knife out of his hand, and raised it into the air. The Pakhan smiled at him, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
The room filled with cheers as Dmitri lowered it and flipped it over in his hand.
“Congratulations, my heir,” the Pakhan said, his sadistic smile growing wider. “Now, go ahead and kill that bitch-”
Dmitri plunged the knife straight into the Pakhan’s temple.
The Pakhan’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he collapsed into Dmitri’s arms, completely still.
“He’s dead,” Dmitri said, pressing his finger against the Pakhan’s throat before dumping him unceremoniously to the ground. “And now I’m your new Pakhan.”
Guns were immediately aimed in his direction, but he just raised an eyebrow.
“Betraying your new Pakhan? Lower your guns before I kill you all.” Dmitri’s voice was ice, and I spotted a few quivers from the hands holding the guns.
“Fuck you,” spit my guard with a long scar on his face. When his finger trailed towards his gun’s trigger, my body wanted to rush him before he could pull it.
Dmitri shot me a sharp glare before inclining his head. One of my guards plunged a knife into the scarred man’s throat.
“Anyone else in the mood to defy me?” Dmitri asked while the dead guard slumped to the ground.
The remaining men lowered their weapons.
“Good.”
Dmitri closed the space between us, and I collapsed into his arms. Tremors shot through my body, and my fingers gripped him hard. How was this real?
