Page 51 of Code of Captivity

I smelled her hair again, inhaling her unique baby scent. When I traced my finger down her cheek, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of a smile on her rosebud mouth. Bunny said she had my lips and nose, which I denied, but the more I looked, themore I could see it. Her eyes were greyish-blue, but they could change. I stroked her soft brown hair, smiling when she yawned. She had a long journey coming out of her mother.

They gave her gas and air, but she refused any other pain relief. I shouldn't have been surprised, but when I saw Alya’s head crown, I could only admire my wife’s strength. I finally understood why that self-righteous bastard, Rurik, was trying to repopulate Russia.

“My Bratva Princess, you will have an army of men to protect you, my love. No one will ever touch a single hair on your head, or Daddy will chop their arms off before he decapitates them,” I hummed to her.

“Wow. Pakhan, she is only a few hours old, and you're singing about chopping arms and decapitation.”

I smiled at Viktor’s voice.

“You took your time,” I said, turning to face him before nodding to leave the room. Bunny needed to sleep.

He was rubbing his neck with a sheepish expression, and I knew exactly why he was late.

“I didn't see the message until later,” he said before his face softened as he looked at Alya.

“Meet your goddaughter, Ayla,” I said proudly, not wanting to let her go, but this man was one who would swallow a bullet for my daughter.

He swallowed but pushed his hands up. “I don't think I should hold her.”

I placed her in his outstretched arms and watched my friend curl his arm around her and hold her against his chest as I had.

“How can she be so small?”

“I wouldn't say that to Bunny. She didn't think that when she was pushing her out,” I said dryly.

“I am happy they are both okay, Pakhan,” he said, gently swaying Alya. “I can see why you were threatening random people.”

“Let’s go inside. I don't want Bunny to wake up alone.”

He nodded and walked ahead while I glanced around to see the three armed men close to our door. I had far more to lose than my position now. Pyotr smiled at me, and my countenance softened, knowing I did have some good soldiers on my side. I nodded at him and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind me.

Viktor sat close to Bunny’s bed, but for once, I didn't feel jealousy claw its way through me. His eyes were glued to Ayla, but his homage was toward the Queen who birthed her. I studied him as he cautiously touched Ayla’s cheek. We were broken, sadistic men, but the ties of unspoken trauma that bound us together were more durable than most superficial connections.

My eyes lingered on Ania’s sleeping features. Without my Bunny, none of this would have been possible. The demons that once raged inside of me were silenced. Without her resilience and grace, I might never have found peace.

My new world was not earned or deserved, but it was one that I would protect and keep. After a lifetime of emptiness, I would commit unspeakable acts to keep what was mine. With a smile, I sat beside Ania, finally comfortable in my obsession with my wife and now our daughter.

Ania

Two Months Later

From the first fateful day that I met Adrik till today, the man kept me on my toes. It had been almost fifteen months since that day, and our first wedding anniversary was when he presented me with a gold locket. The oval ten-point star reminded me of the Bratva tattoos he had. Each point had a diamond set in it, and in the middle was an enamel sapphire that matched the shade of his and Ayla’s eyes. Inside the locket was a picture of us and our daughter. The inscription on the back was simple.

Bunny, Property of Adrik.

He removed the collar and replaced it with something far more binding—a reminder of our family. My wedding ring wasn't enough for him. Hell, his wedding ring wasn't enough when he uncovered his new tattoo. There were inked black wired thorns from his heart to his neck, but within the thorns on the side of his neck, he had our names inscribed. Ayla’s arrival changed everything.

I thought he was obsessed before, but instead of diminishing through time, it steadily crept up and engulfed our daughter. Our home became a military-styled fortress with countless cameras, reinforced walls and razor-sharp wire. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was to keep us in or others out. The only aspectthat I was certain about was that no one would ever hurt Ayla the way we were, and that was enough for me. I could handle Adrik’s level of crazy—I think.

The man, who was disgusted with dirt and foul smells, didn't hesitate to change Ayla’s nappies or bathe her. For the first month, she lived on his arm or chest. If his nipples were functional, he probably would have tried to feed her too. I shivered, thinking of the switch in him, from looking at Ayla breastfeeding with love and fascination to me with dark, hungry eyes full of a monster’s promise of pain to come one day soon.

Viktor was more subtle, but he was another one who claimed Ayla as his. I winced, thinking that if Ayla ever managed to date, the safety of her beau would not be guaranteed. I thought of Vadik and his creative ways of making people suffer.

“Why do you look as if you're sucking on a lemon, Bunny?”

There was no better time to test out my theory.

“I was just thinking how children grow up so quickly these days that before we know it, she will be off marrying someone and—”

---