Page 131 of Inked in Devotion

“Why are we slowing down?” I shrieked.

“We’re safe.” Kolya’s words were calm.

His calmness in the face of tension usually annoyed me, but I realized in the face of real danger, it loosened the panic that had me in a frightening chokehold since we’d been attacked. A cacophony of voices and more yelling surrounded us, and I finally felt safe enough to raise my head. Relief whooshed through a glaze of tears; I made out the architecture of Irina and Ivan’s mansion.

Kolya stopped the vehicle and got out.

The door to the passenger seat flew open. “Are you all right?”

Fingers clasped my shoulders, but the terror hadn’t freed me from its clutches.

“Chloe.”

It was only when I heard Kolya say my name again that my limbs unlocked enough for me to move.

He helped me let go of my death grip on Sebastian, whose face was red from his pissed-off crying. I handed our son to him, who he transferred to his right arm, and with his left, he aided me in getting out of the vehicle.

I stumbled into him and dove into the safety of his arms. This man, the father of my child, was my safe haven. I couldn’t feel safer at the moment.

“You’re okay, Chloshka.” Fierceness imbued Kolya’s calm tone. People surrounded us, asked questions, crowded us. But all I needed was the sanctuary that Kolya had been all along. Sebastian had stopped crying and leaned over and patted my cheek as if reassuring me too.

“Mama,” he said simply. His cerulean irises, still bright from his tears, strengthened my resolve.

I could easily have dissolved in tears; I could retreat into a room with my baby and let the bratva handle the situation, but I wanted to be a part of the solution. I needed answers to my questions.

“I’m fine.” I gazed up into Kolya’s eyes. “Please tell me you know who’s after us.”

It would be another hour before everyone assembled in the great room, full of high-level bratva. I recognized the man Kolya was talking to earlier, and I finally connected him—Rurik Sokolov—as the younger brother of Pavel, the man who’d abused Dora. Dimitri, despite not belonging to the Zahkarov bratva, was also present.

The elusive Ilya, who was their intel guy, was showing Kolya and Kirill something on his laptop.

Lucy rushed in, phone to her ear. “Something is happening at Marriage Ink.”

“What?” Baffled, I stood up. What was happening? Was there some kind of coordinated attack? “Who would⁠—”

“The Winthrop Blood Covenant,” she answered. “Margo had been calling just when you guys left. To execute the blood covenant, she had to inform all parties who may have their claim to Kolya or you.”

“She had to inform the Vozhokari?” Ivan asked.

“Yes.”

“She’s pissed. But her security sealed the building. She’s operating from the archive room and getting the ceremony ready.”

“Ceremony? What ceremony?”

“The blood covenant. It has to happen before the sun rises this morning.”

“What. The. Hell?” I locked eyes with Kolya. “Did you know this?”

He shook his head.

“It was an ultimatum from the head of the Vozhokari,” Lucy said. “They will honor the dissolution of all claims to Kolya if it happens before sunrise.”

Kirill chuckled darkly. “But in the meantime, they will exhaust all means necessary to thwart that from happening.”

“What exactly does that mean?” I whispered.

“We can ignore that ultimatum,” Kolya said. “Or let the Vozhokari hunt us forever.”