Page 128 of Vendetta Crown

"I want to destroy him. Completely."

Ruslan takes my hand in his.

"I want to destroy him too," he says, his voice low and dangerous.

I feel his calloused fingers intertwine with mine. The touch grounds me, anchors me to this moment while everything inside me is burning with rage.

His golden eyes hold mine, unwavering in their intensity. In them, I see the same fury that's coursing through me—but also something else. A deadly calm, born from years of living in this brutal world.

"And we will," he continues. "Together."

"Together," I repeat, the word strengthening me.

I take a deep breath, my hand still in Ruslan's, feeling the twins shift inside me. Our children. Andrei and Nadia. Everything crystallizes in that moment.

Every decision, every sacrifice, every step that led us here.

"When morning comes," I tell him, my voice surprisingly steady. "Convene theVori. All the pakhans."

Ruslan's eyebrow raises slightly, but he doesn't interrupt.

"It's time, Ruslan. Time for you to crown yourself pakhan of pakhans." I step closer to him, the heat of his body calling to mine. "It's time to take vengeance against everyone who dared to harm our families."

A slow smile spreads across his face, fierce and admiring. His free hand reaches up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing lightly across my skin.

"Look at you," he murmurs. "My fiercezarechka. Burning so fiercely against the darkness."

"That fire has always been there," I breathe. "Waiting for the right reason to burn."

His eyes darken, and suddenly the air between us feels charged with something more than anger. His grip tightens on my hand, and he pulls me against him, our bodies flush against each other.

"Tomorrow we take back control," he whispers. "But tonight..."

My heart flutters in my chest as his eyes drop to my lips. The fury coursing through me transforms into something else.

Something just as powerful, just as consuming. My hands slide up his chest, feeling the solid warmth of him through his shirt.

His lips crash onto mine, stealing the rest of my words, his kiss hungry and demanding. I match his intensity, pouring all my rage and determination into the kiss.

33

RUSLAN

Aurora kissesme with an intensity that drains the breath from my lungs.

Her lips crush against mine, demanding and fierce in a way I've never felt from her before. There's something different this time.

A wildness in her touch that speaks of determination and control.

"Zarechka," I whisper against her mouth, but she silences me with another kiss, harder and more consuming than the last.

Her hands grasp at my shirt, fingers trembling with urgency as she works at the buttons. When she grows impatient, she simply yanks, sending buttons scattering across the floor. The sound they make pinging against the hardwood is drowned by her needy moan.

"I want you," she breathes, her hazel eyes dark with desire. "Now."

My body responds instantly to her command, cock hardening painfully against my pants. This new Aurora—commanding, assertive—is intoxicating.

She pushes me back against the bed until I'm sitting at the edge, looking up at her.

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