He looked over then, as if he could feel my gaze. His smile didn't vanish, but it transformed. It became something private, something directed only at me. He raised his glass in a silent toast, his hazel eyes locking onto mine with a possessive heat that made my skin hum beneath the silk.
Anya nudged me. "See? He’s not all shadows and contracts."
"He’s more dangerous than that," I whispered. “Who is the other man?”
Roman had left the small circle, and it was just Alexei and the other man. It was clear that the man was close enough to Alexei to chat with him in such a relaxed manner.
“Oh, that’s Damian. He’s one of myseveralbrothers,” she disclosed, chuckling.
Right.
I looked at the ring on my finger, the platinum glowing under the chandeliers. I looked at the family surrounding me—the Lobanovs, the dynasty of shadows that now held my name. Ithought about my master’s degree, my quiet apartment, and the girl who liked to catch snowflakes on her fingertips.
She was gone. Or perhaps, she was just being reshaped into something that could survive the winter.
This was my life now. The deals, the blood, the silk, and the man who had claimed me. I wasn't just a student of psychology anymore; I was a living study in survival.
Anya remained beside me as thePakhanand his beautiful and surprisingly warm wife came to welcome me into the family. Then, Mikhail and Roman joined us with their outspoken and kind wives, who I realized were actually best friends who eventually married brothers. And then Konstantin and Alina joined us. As much as I would have loved to say their ‘welcome’ and support meant nothing, I knew it didn’t. Being around them, especially the wives, made me feel like being a member of the family might not be as bad as I was envisaging. Then they left to ‘let me enjoy the party,’ and it was just my best friend and me again.
I couldn’t not giggle and chuckle as she held my waist, forcing me to dance with her. As the music swelled and the night deepened, I realized that I didn't want to run anymore. If this was a war, then I would learn the rules. I would learn the strategy. And maybe, just maybe, I would find a way to make the marble man bleed—or at least, leave me alone.
“I’m getting another drink. Don’t move,” Anya rushed, her hands leaving my body.
“Wh… for who?” I inquired, but she had already left.
Why does she suddenly need a drink so bad?
"Would you like to dance, Mrs. Lobanov?"
I didn't have to turn around to know it was him. The air already felt different—thicker, warmer, more electric. I turned, looking up into Alexei’s hazel eyes. He held out his hand, the tattoos on his wrist disappearing into the white of his cuff.
Apparently, Anya had seen him approaching and had thought it wise to deliver me into his hands.
"I don't know the steps to this dance," I divulged.
"That's alright," he said, his fingers already closing over mine. "I'll lead."
The music changed, melted into a slow, sweeping waltz that felt more like a predatory circle than a celebration. Alexei didn’t ask again; he simply guided me toward the center of the marble floor. The crowd parted like a dark sea, leaving us in a circle of light and silence.
When he pulled me into his arms, the breath left my lungs. One hand settled on the small of my back, heavy and searing even through the thick cream silk of my gown. The other clasped my hand, his thumb tracing a slow, deliberate line over my knuckles, right over the cold weight of the new platinum band. He was so much taller than me, a wall of tailored wool and lethal intent that blocked out the rest of the world.
“You’re shaking, Mila,” he murmured, his voice a low vibration against my temple.
“It’s cold in here,” I lied, the words catching in the back of my throat.
“No. You’re vibrating with a need to run.” He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. The heat of his breath was a sharp, grounding contrast to the chilly air of the hall. “But there’s nowhere to go. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
He swung me into a turn, his movements effortless. He moved with the grace of someone who never had to wonder if the floor beneath him would hold. I looked up at him, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm. The ‘casual’ Alexei I’d seen laughing with his brothers moments ago was gone, replaced by the man who had systematically dismantled my life to rebuild it in his own way.
“Is this what you wanted?” I whispered, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his shoulder. “A trophy to parade in front of your family? Because it appears your cousins are all happily married. Even your younger sister is engaged. So you’re the only single one, the next in line so, you just make a convenient chance?”
The hand on my waist tightened, pulling me flush against him until I could feel the hard, steady thrum of his heart. His eyes darkened, hazel turning to the color of a storm-tossed sea.
“I don’t collect trophies, Mila,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, possessive growl. “And I wasn’t the only single one among my brothers. Marrying you isn’t just a convenient change; it’s about your safety.”
The tension between us was a live wire, a crackling energy of mutual defiance and a sudden, sharp desire I was terrified to name. He wasn’t just my shield. He was the fire I had walked into to escape the cold.
As the final notes of the cello faded, he didn’t let me go. He held me there, in the middle of the room, under the gaze of a hundred monsters. He leaned down, his forehead resting against mine for one agonizing second.
