Page 228 of Eternal
But tonight…No orders, and no shadows. It’s just me.
I almost asked him to stop the car, pull over, let me walk the rest, let me get close enough to hear the sea breathe.
I always thought the ocean was the only thing that ever felt truly free. It could rage, crash, pull things under and still be forgiven for it. It could be still, calm, glowing under the sun, and no one questioned its mood. It didn’t have to explain itself.
It felt the rain, took the snow, hid whole storms in its gut and stayed quiet about it.
Some days, I wonder if it ever gets tired of holding it all in.
Because I do, and I didn’t feel safe, but I didn’t feel hunted either, and for someone like me, that was the closest thing to peace I’d had in years.
The car didn’t stop at a hotel, it rolled into a quiet street, tucked behind tall gates that swallowed up the city noise. A towering penthouse building, guards stationed outside, two by the parking lot, two more by the entrance. It looked... expensive, too expensive for me to be visiting.
A man stood under the awning, smoking, white shirt, dark hair, phone in hand. Was he wearing gloves? Fuck, being drunk makes my eyesight lazy, but the closer I got, the clearer it became.
Nikolai Volkov, The Don.
He smiled when he saw me, charming and cold, but there was something disarmingly gentle about him. I knew he was dangerous, but somehow, just his eyes made me feel safe.
“I hope the flight wasn’t too rough,” he said, his voice low, smooth. Without waiting for an answer, he took my suitcase from the driver’s hands and nodded at him. “Get back to your position, Levi.”
The driver didn’t speak, just gave a brief salute before heading back to the car.
Nikolai turned back to me, gesturing toward the building. “Come on.”
I stepped out of the car, my legs unsteady, and followed him inside, the elevator doors sliding open with a soft ding.
“You didn’t tell me. How was your flight?”
“It was fine,” I said, too quickly.
His eyes flicked to me, just for a second, not judging, probably noticing how bad I was looking.
“I figured you wouldn’t want the noise of a hotel tonight,” he said, gesturing behind him. “So I arranged something quieter, safer. Didn’t know how long you’d be staying.”
I looked past him at the door, the clean steel and glass. “That’s… kind. But I could’ve found a place.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Probably. But for someone with your reputation, I thought comfort might come first this time.” A pause. “It’s temporary,” he added. “But private, no one knows you’re here except the ones who need to.”
There wasn’t much to say, I hated how grateful I felt. “I appreciate it,” I said, carefully. “Really.”
He nodded, then stepped aside, opening the door for me. “Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow, late morning, no rush. I’ll send you a text.”
I walked past him, the scent of clean linen and oak-wood hit first.
Before I stepped fully in, I paused and looked back.
“I’m sorry if I… showed upmessy.”
His eyes met mine, he didn’t smile this time, he simply had something softer than that in his eyes.
“You showed up alive,” he said. “That’s all that matters tonight.”
Before I could respond, his phone buzzed. “Excuse me, I have to take it.” He stepped slightly away, answered it with a dry, amused; “Yes?” A pause. He glanced at me briefly. “No, she just got in. Yeah. Still vertical and alive.”
His mouth twitched at whatever came through next. “No, I’m not saying that to her. Tell Z I’ll bring her favorite wine. If the Emira insists on dinner, then I’ll be here.”
Another beat, then, a quiet chuckle. “I promise, Z, I won’t be late.”
