Page 90 of Vendetta Crown

"What's that?" he asks, his breath warm against my face.

"You."

The fear is still there, lurking beneath the surface—it always will be—but it doesn't control me anymore. Not like it used to.

"I want our children to have a mother who faces her fears, not one who runs from them."

Ruslan's eyes soften as he covers my hand with his and turns his face to kiss my palm.

"You are the strongest woman I know,zarechka," he says, his voice a low rumble that I feel more than hear. "Stronger than any of myboeviki."

I laugh at that. "I don't know about that."

"You are, trust me," he insists, and the conviction in his voice leaves no room for argument.

"And what about you? I know you haven't just been watching me film. All those closed door meetings with the other pakhans every time their wives come over. What've you been up to?"

Ruslan's lips quirk into a smile as we start walking toward the door. "I've been solidifying our position with the other pakhans. The groundwork we laid at Alexei's through your brilliant idea of bringing the other wives together is bearing fruit."

I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. "That network of wives has been particularly useful, hasn't it?"

Ruslan chuckles, a deep sound that vibrates through his chest. "To hear Alexei Voronin tell it, it's almost like there's a secret spy network operating at the heart of their business. They don't know whether to be impressed or terrified."

"Good," I say with a smirk. "It's time those women take back some of that power after everything they've endured with their husbands."

"I owe it all to you." Ruslan nods, his expression growing more serious. "The pakhans are starting to understand that change is coming. That the old ways of doing things won't stand for much longer."

I think about Eleonora and the others. Women who've spent years as decorative accessories to powerful men. Now they're finding their voices, finding each other.

"Look at you, Aurora," Ruslan murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Look at all the amazing things you can do."

"All the things that you're helping me do," I correct him.

"You're giving me too much credit." Ruslan shakes his head. "With my help or not, this strength was always in you. This ability to rally people to your side, to adapt to new situations, to face what looks like impossible odds and emerge on the other side in one piece. That was always there in you."

"I don't think?—"

"It's true," he says, cutting me off gently. "You survived Kristofer when you were just nineteen. You built an entire new identity for yourself. You hid yourself so successfully for seven years that most of theVoricouldn't find anything on you."

My throat tightens as I absorb his words.

"And now? You've given power to the powerless. You negotiated with one of the most ruthless men in Vegas. You've looked your darkest trauma in the face." His voice drops lower. "You've done all this while carrying our children."

I blink back the tears that are threatening to spill. "Because I knew you'd be here to catch me if I fell."

"Maybe. But your strength wasn't something I could give you," he insists, his thumb brushing my cheek. "The only thing I did was create the space for you to reclaim your unbreakable spirit and your defiant will."

Before I can argue, he leans forward and captures my lips against his. I melt into his kiss, the warmth of it spreading through my body and chasing away my doubts.

As he deepens the kiss, his hand cradling the nape of my neck just the way I love, I feel it again—that flutter in my belly. But this time, it's stronger than before. More defined.

I freeze mid-kiss, my eyes flying open.

That's not from any kind of emotion. I press my hand against the curve of my belly, holding my breath.

There—it happens again. A distinct ripple under my palm.

My babies…I realize.I'm feeling my babies kick for the very first time.

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