Page 105 of Vendetta Vows

"It felt so real," I whisper. "He?—"

"He's not here," Ruslan says firmly, his arms tightening around me. "He can't touch you."

My breath comes in uneven gasps. "He killed everyone. You, Mikayla, Stella, Sofia... just like my parents."

Ruslan pulls back just enough to tip my chin up, forcing me to look at him. In the dim light, his golden eyes are fierce and determined.

"Look at me,zarechka. It's just a nightmare. I am here." His thumb brushes away a tear on my cheek. "And as long as I am here, he will never find you."

I clutch at Ruslan, forcing myself to take deep breaths as my heart still hammers against my ribs.

"It felt so real," I whisper. "The wallpaper, the furniture, even the pictures on the walls. It was like I was back home in Kansas City."

I glance up and freeze when I see Ruslan's expression. His eyes have sharpened, his jaw tightening and I realize what I've just said.

Kansas City.

The name hangs between us like a live grenade.

I'd never meant to reveal where I came from.

"I—" Panic surges through me. "I didn't?—"

"Zarechka." His voice is gentle but firm as he pulls me closer. "I don't need to know where you came from to know who you are now."

My breath hitches.

"Everyone has secrets." His hand cradles the back of my head, golden eyes steady on mine. "What matters is that you're here. You're safe."

The tightness in my chest begins to loosen.

"Are the girls okay?" I ask, needing to hear that my nightmare was just that.

"They're fine. Sleeping peacefully." His thumb brushes across my cheek, wiping away tears I hadn't realized were falling. "Not a peep from a single one of them."

That's when I finally register that Ruslan is shirtless, his tattooed chest and arms fully visible in the soft moonlight filtering through the window. The intricate designs seem to shift with each breath he takes and with each subtle movement.

I swallow hard, suddenly very aware of how little separates us.

Instead of pulling away, I find myself nestling closer, drawn to his warmth and strength. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my cheek feels like the safest sound in the world.

"Will you stay?" The question slips out before I can stop it, quiet and vulnerable. "Please?"

Ruslan studies my face for a long moment, then nods. "Of course."

He shifts, pulling back the covers to slip in beside me. He stretches his long frame alongside mine as he settles in. The massive bed suddenly feels so much smaller with his powerful body in it.

Without hesitation, he gathers me against him, one strong arm slipping beneath my neck while the other drapes across my waist. I nestle into the space between his shoulder and chest. A space that feels designed just for me.

"Better?" he murmurs.

I nod, letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my back chase away the last fragments of my nightmare. His skin is warm against mine, the heat of him seeping through my thin nightgown.

"Much better," I whisper.

His hand rests lightly on my hip, neither demanding nor retreating. Just... present. Like him. The contrast between this gentleness and the fierce, commanding man who strikes fear into others is breathtaking.

I find his free hand and lace my fingers through his, studying the intricate tattoos that wind around his fingers and knuckles. The tiny bird with broken wings seems to flutter in the moonlight.

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