Page 68 of Heritage of Fire

“Luna, I’m so glad you’re here! Come on, it’s beautiful out. Let’s sit on the terrace.” She promptly closes each book and shoves the jar of pickles away before hopping out of her seat.

After she grabs two bottles of water from the fridge, I follow her outside, and I’m blown away. It’ssucha beautiful escape up here.

Flagstone pavers line most of the space. Several lounge chairs sit around a fire pit, and there’s more shrubs and greenery than I’ve seen in most of New York.

Handing me a water, Kate smiles. “So how has life at the warehouse been? Luka mentioned you had an issue with a raccoon?”

I laugh, the feeling foreign, but satisfying. “It was my fault. Darn thing got in while I was out for a walk. Luckily Nik didn’t kill it.”

“And … how are you feeling about everything? Is that okay to ask?” She gnaws at her lip. We don’t know each other, but there’s a comfortable quality to Kate. Like she isn’t asking purely for gossip or in a disingenuous way; she sincerely cares to know.

“I’m okay. Just trying to figure out what I should be doing. I didn’t go to college, and I don’t have much to do. To be honest, I’m not even sure what Nik thinks about the whole situation—besides feeling trapped.” The glimmer of my gaudy ring catches my attention.

“Trust me, Nik doesnotfeel trapped. I was smack dab in the front row at your wedding when he first laid eyes on you. Despite his grouchy exterior, he was mesmerized by you.”

I fidget with my water bottle.

“From what I understand, Nik normally doesn’t do relationships,” Kate continues on. “I know he carries plenty ofpain from his mother leaving him and his father when he was young.

“Luka explained to me once that, after she left, when they were growing up, he never talked about his mother. He said Nik wouldn’t even talk with the female housekeepers or nannies his father would hire. It wasn’t until he was older that he finally started engaging women but it’s like the pendulum swung too far in that direction.” Kate smiles at me. “I keep hoping he’ll come around.”

I press my lips together at the thought of all the other women and try to focus on the resentment festering toward his mother. I don’t know all the details of his father and mother’s relationship. And I’m not going to pretend to know what his mother was going through when she decided to leave, but I’m angry for Nik.

He’s buried by decades of hurt, but I don’t know how to help him.

You practically told him you wanted to leave and travel.

And Idowant to travel, but that would prove to him I’m no different from his mother. Leaving because I want something different. Using his loyalty to the Bratva as an excuse to leave. That isn’t the wife I want to be.

Unmistakable longing for him floods my bloodstream, and my seemingly minor interactions with Nik barrel to the forefront of my mind. How he showed grace over my disaster in the kitchen, his witty comments to cheer me up, or the way he took the time to text me on his work trip—I’m falling for him. Hard.

Even his obsessive nature in the gym makes me smile.

“How is school going for you?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.

Kate smiles. “Oh, so good. Luka barely lets me get any studying done when he’s around, so most of it takes place when he’s at work, but it’s great.”

Her smile says it all—I can tell she is happy. I can only hope that one day I’ll find a similar happiness.

We chat more about her studies, as well as some summer plans she’s itching to scratch off her to-do list. She mentions having Nik and I come to Luka’s house in Turks and Caicos. We both laugh at the idea of Luka and Nik taking a week off work, but it’s fun to plan anyway.

By the time I leave, I’m feeling rejuvenated. My heart is full, and this new connection with Kate gives me a smidge of hope.

Although, it’s difficult to have too much hope when your heart is on the line.

When Lev pulls into the warehouse garage, my heart gallops at the sight of Nik’s car already here. He’s home early. It’s been a few days since the library, and I can’t stop thinking about kissing him again.

I’m aching to feel him against me, hands in my hair, pushing me up against the?—

“Luna?”

Lev jolts me from my daydream, and I realize I’ve been staring at Nik’s BMW.

“Huh?” I ask.

“Did you hear what I said?”

Shoot, no I hadn’t. Did he ask me something?

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