Page 57 of Vendetta Vows

Not after everything I've seen.

But yet…

Ruslan opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. His brow furrows as he considers my suggestion more seriously.

"That's actually..." he begins slowly, stroking his chin. "That's not a bad idea."

"It's not?"

"No." He steps closer. "If we were to marry, it would throw both Semyon and Gregor completely off-balance."

My heart skips several beats, then races to catch up. "I—what?"

"Think about it." His voice drops lower. "As pakhan, I could bring my nieces under my direct protection. They're Lev's daughters, so it would be expected. TheVoricouldn't object because I'd be safeguarding the line of succession."

"And at the same time," I say, following his logic despite my thundering pulse, "you'd have a freer hand to take action against Semyon."

"Exactly." His eyes gleam.

I wrap my arms tighter around myself, trying to process what he's suggesting. Marriage. To Ruslan. The word feels both terrifying and intoxicating.

"And what do you want out of all this,zarechka?" His voice softens as he asks the question.

What do I want?

Freedom. To stop looking over my shoulder. To never again have to scan a crowd for Kristofer's face. To sleep without nightmares of blood-spattered walls.

But I can't say any of that.

"I just..." I shrug, feeling small. "I want to be able to go back to being a nobody again. Someone no one notices."

Ruslan's expression changes subtly. He steps closer, his eyes searching mine like he knows I'm not telling the whole truth.

But instead of pressing me for an answer, he says nothing.

His fingers tip my chin up, forcing me to look at him. "I can offer you many things, Aurora. Protection. Safety. A new life if you ask it of me. But there's one thing I cannot give you..." His thumb brushes my lower lip, sending shivers through me. "It's invisibility. Not once you enter this world."

I swallow hard. "What do you mean?"

"Once you're part of the bratva, you'll never be a nobody again." His eyes bore into mine. "You'll be my wife. Everyone will know your face. Your name. A target is painted on your back the moment you say 'I do.'"

The irony makes me want to laugh. I've spent seven years running from one man who wants to possess me, only to consider willingly tying myself to another.

I take a deep breath, studying Ruslan's face in the dim light of the foyer. The mansion feels too big around us, like we're standing in the eye of a hurricane while chaos swirls outside.

"If you can't offer me invisibility," I say, my voice steadier than I feel, "then I'll take the protection you offered me."

A flicker of surprise crosses his face.

"That's what you promised when you saved my life, right?" I continue. "Protection?"

Ruslan nods slowly. "Yes. That's exactly what I promised you."

"Then I'll take it." I push my shoulders back, standing taller. "If being visible next to you means being protected from the world, then that's what I'll choose."

His golden eyes search mine for a long moment. The intensity in them makes my stomach flutter with a mixture of fear and something else.

Something I haven't allowed myself to feel in seven years.

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