Page 36 of Twisted Vows

Malachi tightened his arms around me, his warmth enveloping me like a protective cocoon. I leaned into his embrace as Rurik knelt beside us, putting his arms around me too. I had never felt so safe or cherished.

Chapter Sixteen – Malachi

I watched with a mix of pride and concern as Nika unleashed her fury upon Levon, her fists pummeling his flesh with savage intensity. Each strike echoed through the dimly lit room, the thud of knuckles colliding with flesh and bone reverberating in my ears. Levon’s grunts of pain mingled with Nika’s ragged breaths, created a haunting symphony of violence and retribution.

Her silvery hair whipped wildly, framing a face twisted into a mask of rage and anguish. Sweat glistened on her brow, and her knuckles grew raw and bloody, but she persisted, obviously driven by a primal need for vengeance against the man who had tormented her.

For a few minutes, I allowed her to vent her anger, understanding the catharsis she sought, but as the seconds ticked by, her blows grew more erratic, and I had to intervene before she crossed a line from which there was no return.

Stepping forward, I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pressing my chest against her back as I enveloped her in a firm embrace. Her body trembled with exertion, and she fought against my restraint, her fists still lashing out at Levon’s battered form. Rurik put his arms around her too, and we held her as she breathed raggedly before making a halfhearted attempt to break away and hit him again.

“Enough, Nika,” I said, my lips grazing her ear. “You’ve made your point. Let it go.”

She shook her head defiantly, gasping with exertion. “No, not yet. He has to pay.”

Rurik hugged her once more before stepping back. His footsteps echoed across the concrete floor as he approached Levon, his gun drawn and leveled at the prone figure. The metallic click of the safety disengaging cut through the silence around us like a knife, and she stilled in my arms, her gaze locked on the weapon.

“I’ll manage it from here,” he said, his voice laced with a cold, calculated edge.

Nika tensed, coiling like a spring as she prepared to lunge forward. “No, I want to do it. He’s mine.”

Tightening my hold, I pulled her closer, keeping her back flush against my chest. “Nika, you’ve done enough. Let Rurik finish this.”

She thrashed in my grasp, her nails digging into my forearms as she fought to break free. “No. I need to be the one. He needs my face to be the last thing he ever sees.”

The raw anguish in her voice tore at my heart, but I couldn’t let her cross that line. As much as Levon deserved death, I couldn’t bear to see the light in Nika’s eyes extinguished by the weight of taking a life, even one as wretched as his.

“Do it, Rurik.”

Nika let out a guttural cry of protest, her body contorting as she strained against my iron grip. With a brisk nod, he returned his attention to Levon, his finger tightening on the trigger. The deafening roar of the gunshot echoed through the room, and the Armenian’s body jerked violently before falling still, crimson blooming across his chest. Nika went limp in my arms, her strength sapped by the intensity of her emotions.

Holstering his weapon, Rurik approached us, his expression unreadable. “It’s done.”

I nodded, my hold on Nika loosening as I turned her to face me. Her eyes were haunted, the fire that had burned so fiercely moments ago now reduced to smoldering embers. Cupping her face in my hands, I brushed away the tears that streaked her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs. “It’s over, Nika,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You’re safe now.”

Her lips parted, but no words came, her gaze drifting to the lifeless form of her tormentor. Pulling her into a fierce embrace, I cradled her against my chest, shielding her from the grim reality that lay at our feet.

Nika suddenly ripped herself from my arms, eyes blazing with a fury I had never witnessed from her before. “You had no right to make that choice for me.”

The venom in her words stung like a slap to the face, and I recoiled slightly, taken aback by the intensity of her reaction. Her chest heaved with each ragged breath, and her fists were clenched at her sides as she glared at me.

“Nika, I—”

“No,” she snapped, cutting me off with a sharp gesture of her hand. “Don’t try to justify it. You took away my chance for closure and vengeance.”

Rurik stepped forward, his expression one of grim determination. “We did what had to be done. Allowing you to take a life would have stained your soul in a way that can never be undone.”

Nika whirled on him, her hair whipping around her face. “Who are you to decide what I can or can’t handle? You think you’re protecting me, but all you’ve done is rob me of my agency.”

The muscles in Rurik’s jaw tightened, but he held his ground, unflinching in the face of her wrath. “We’re trying to spare you from a burden that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

“That’s not your decision to make.” Nika’s voice rose to a shrill pitch, her words laced with an angry desperation that tugged at my heart. “You don’t get to choose what burdens I carry.”

I stepped forward, hands raised in a placating gesture. “Please try to understand. We never meant to diminish you or take away your power. We only wanted to protect you from the darkness that comes with taking a life.”

Her gaze snapped back to me, and I was struck by the depth of pain and betrayal that swirled in those azure depths. “Protect me? Or protect yourselves from the guilt of dragging me into your world?”

The accusation hung between us, and I was at a loss for words. A part of me knew she was right, but I couldn't regret what had happened. I couldn’t bear the thought of her innocence being tarnished by committing murder.

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