Where’s he going? I don’t want him to go.
Chapter 61
Nikolai
The car ride is quiet except for the hum of the engine. I can feel the city moving past us, lights streaking against the black paint. Every turn, every stoplight, every second is calculated. One slip, one wrong look, and everything could go sideways. But they wouldn’t know it. They never would.
The building itself smelled of polished wood and old cigars, a tension that clung to the walls like dust. It’s Viktor’s office—the agreed meeting place Dante arranged for me to meet his boys. Hardwood floors echo our steps, Ivan and Maksim at my side.
Ivan has been my second-in-command for as long as I can remember, and ever since Aurelia bit a chunk of skin from Maksim’s hand I’ve enjoyed his company as well—serving as a reminder of her.
Elijah is pacing when we enter—short, hard steps that carry frustration and impatience. Enzo stands still, shoulders squared, jaw tight, fists loosely clenched at his sides.
“Where is she, Nikolai?” Elijah cuts through the room like a whip.
That was rude.
No greeting? No pleasantries?
“Hello, it’s good to see you as well.” I joke, finding it amusing how much they despise me.
I look to Enzo for a laugh but he stays serious so I smirk and resume the conversation, “She’s alive,” I say calmly. “But I’m not bringing her to you.”
Elijah’s eyes narrow. “You’re testing me. That’s why we’re fucking here.”
“I’m aware of what you were told,” I reply, taking a seat on the red satin chair to the right of the entry. “But, I will not hand her over. Not today.”
Enzo’s jaw flexes. “You realize what this means? My father ordered—”
“I know exactly what your father ordered,” I say, cutting him off. “And I don’t intend to follow it. She is not your property, Enzo, and she is certainly not Elijah’s.”
The room goes quiet for a moment, heavy with disbelief. They are used to power, to women being tools, pawns, objects to be maneuvered.
“You… you can’t just—” Elijah breathes out incredulously.
“I can.” My tone is firm. “She will have a choice—whether to return to the De Luca estate with you or stay with me. She will not be forced. She will not be anyone’s property. Ever.”
Enzo’s fingers brush his pockets as he processes my words. Respect flickers in his eyes—begrudging but real. He may hate me, but he understands what she means to me.
Elijah scoffs loudly. “Choice? She won’t choose you. Not after what you’ve done.”
I tilt my head. “She already has. Repeatedly.”
Elijah takes a step forward. “You think because she slept with you that she—”
“Please,” I interrupt. “If you’re going to embarrass yourself, at least make it entertaining.”
Elijah bristles like a dog ready to bite. “You son of a—”
Enzo snaps, stepping between us. “Both of you shut the hell up. I swear, she’s going to kill you both if you keep acting like idiots.”
Elijah jabs a finger at me. “Why is he even part of this conversation?”
“Because she likes me,” I answer.
“Likes you?” Elijah scoffs. “I can guarantee she’s tried to kill you already.”
I shrug. “Foreplay.”
