Page 71 of The Watcher's Bride

“It could be any one of them, they’ve all got reason to want Leonid dead,” Nikolai says grimly. “Now Leonid is older and married, he could soon have a son and a stronger claim to become Pakhan, especially if the men are tired of Dimitri. I know people aren’t happy about the alliance with Quinn. Despite the fact it’s been twenty years, he’s still the enemy who killed a beloved Pakhan. Dimitri may want to eliminate him to avoid the risk of a coup. Equally, both Quinn and the Chos would want Leodead. It would leave us weaker and without an heir, and with an aging leader,” Nikolai explains.

He’s right, I’m on the proverbial chopping block.

Nora squeezes my hand tightly, hugging me close as if she could somehow protect me with her presence. I plant a reassuring kiss on the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” I whisper to her.

“It’s about time you took down that old bastard and took your rightful place as Pakhan,” Tatiana says, her eyes lighting up as she grins at me. She’s been eager to take Dimitri down her whole life.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Nora asks.

We begin planning our next moves. I will have my revenge. One way or another, I’m going to punish them for what they’ve taken from me.

I’m going to tear them all down and burn them to the ground.

Chapter 42

Nora

Nadya’s revelations leave me reeling, so I can only imagine how Leo must feel. Part of me wants to beg Leo for us to simply leave it all behind, to run and never look back. All I need is him. I don’t need for us to be rich and powerful, for Leo to be Pakhan, I just want us to be safe. But I know he would never agree to it. He wants to avenge his family, and if I’m being honest, I want revenge too.

Besides, no matter where we ran, we’d always be looking over our shoulders, wondering when they would catch up to us. We won’t find peace as long as Dimitri and my father live. This isn’t a fight we can run from.

No matter how afraid I might be, I will stand by my husband’s side.

The hours draw on as we all discuss our plan, sharing a bottle of Russian vodka, the alcohol taking away the sting of our grim reality. Currently, we’ve got five people against an entire army, so our odds aren’t great. However, Nikolai and Tatiana are confident they can raise support for Leonid from within and when the time is right, the men will be prepared to turn against their Pakhan.

“We should be getting Nadya back soon, we can’t risk Dimitri getting suspicious,” Nikolai says apologetically as he looks at Nadya.

She nods back bravely, willing to return to the lion’s den for us. Despite my arguments to the contrary, it’s been decided that Nadya will go back and feed false information to both Dimitri and my father. We’re going to play them at their own games.

“Stay safe,” I tell her, grabbing my friend and hugging her tight, not wanting to let go.

“You too,” she replies. “I’m so glad you’ve found happiness with Leo.” During the course of the evening, I’ve been able to fill her in on the whole story while the others discussed parts of the plan that didn’t involve us.

“Protect her,” I say to Nikolai and Tatiana, who both promise to do so. “I’ll see you soon,” I say to Nadya one last time before they leave.

“Are you okay?” I tentatively ask Leo.

“I’m fine,” he replies wearily.

“We can talk about it if you want,” I say gently.

He shakes his head. “We will, but I’m not ready. Not yet. Right now, I want to forget, to think about anything other than what we’ve discussed tonight.”

I nod, understanding. “Okay, let’s go home.”

“Actually, I think I’ve got a better idea, the perfect distraction, and the best part is we don’t need to go anywhere,” he says suggestively.

I’d almost forgotten that we’re in a room designed for people to have sex in and that I’m dressed up like a life-sized sex doll. I can see the need in Leo’s eyes. He needs this to fightaway the demons, to forget the past, and not worry about our uncertain future, if only for a little while.

“Go sit in the swing over there,” Leo commands, pointing to the sex swing over in the corner that we’d studiously ignored during the meeting.

I do as I’m told while he dims the lights and pulls the mask from his pocket. My pussy twitches in surprised arousal as he puts it on. Tonight, Leo doesn’t need to be my loving husband, he needs to be my watcher. The dark, dangerous presence that will do anything it takes to keep me safe while also fulfilling my darkest desires.

He walks over to me slowly, confidently. His eyes don’t leave mine, holding me there, entranced. Tonight, he needs to be the one in control. He unzips the top of my catsuit, revealing my pink nipples. He tweaks and plays with them, watching me all the while. They harden under his touch, which walks the tightrope of pleasure and pain. My pussy throbs with arousal.

I didn’t expect this to be how the night ended, but now, like Leo, I want to lose myself for a while, to think about nothing else but the pleasure of the moment.

He unzips the bottom half of my suit and I’m grateful for the fact that it zips all the way down under my ass, something that had felt exposing and a little uncomfortable before now becomes a handy access option. He rubs my clit, pushing his fingers inside me, the suddenness of the movement making me gasp. He fucks me with his fingers, the movement urgent yet controlled. Neither of us can wait tonight.

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