Page 42 of Vows in Violence

“Ivan—”

He licks into me and murmurs something unintelligible, his tongue finding every secret and teasing it free.

“Ivan, I can’t so soon—”

He lifts his head. “You can, and you will.” Then he lowers his head and gives lie to my words, making me come not once, but twice, before he switches positions. He settles above me, sliding his cock between my lips with lazy intent before lowering his mouth to my pussy once again.

When we’re finished, I’m limp with exhaustion and satisfaction. Ivan tucks me into his side, dropping a kiss on my temple. “Sleep, love.”

I close my eyes and let a sigh shudder out. I’m safe. Safe enough to let my guard down, safe enough to let someone else take care of me.

I sleep.

Chapter 16

Ivan

I sleep until lateevening, wrapped around her, more exhausted than anything our world could ever accomplish. My arms tighten around her as I wake, squeezing her gently, and I kiss her cheek before slipping out of bed. She stirs but doesn't wake.

I am naked, and the air conditioning is cranked higher than I'm used to. The chill makes my skin tighten, goose pimples forming across my arms and legs. Grabbing my robe from the chair and wrapping it around myself, I savor the warmth and this small moment of peace.

I’m not running anywhere. Not hunting anyone. My wife is safe and here with me.

Then I sigh and reach for the new phone that I had delivered to my room earlier and send a text to one of my men.

More people made it out of the house than I expected. They scattered and waited for my commands, hiding out in dive bars or any motel that would give them a bed. Once they heard someone was going around lighting up safe houses, they sought refuge wherever they could.

Now, I have a good group of people around me again. They're so grateful for any kind of leadership, for someone to fight to restore the life they knew, that none of them balked at the mundane task of fetching clothing for Vivi and me.

A knock at the door signals that my text message was received and obeyed. I can't help but think Nikolai could have learned a thing or two from this. It would have saved us so much trouble.

I open the door to find one of my men holding several bags. "Good job," I say, taking the bags from him. "Prepare Angel to receive me."

He nods and hurries off, and I start getting dressed. My shoulder still burns, and I put fresh dressing on it before pulling on a white shirt. The black slacks fit as well as my normal tailored-made ones. When I’ve pulled my socks and shoes on, I pull the black suit jacket off the hanger and glance at Vivi. She’s still sleeping peacefully, and protectiveness surges. She needs this rest.

Once dressed, I grab the second bag and step out into the hallway before heading to the room next door and Angel. If he’s upset about being returned to his former status, he doesn't show it. When I enter, he's at the window, staring down at the streets far below.

“Go stay outside the door to my room. Vivi is still asleep,” I tell the man sitting with Angel.

"They are there now, you know. Watching," Angel says, his voice calm, almost nonchalant.

I don’t need him to clarify. The scene we caused at the restaurant would only further justify Azrael’s need to regain control over the Five Families. It made the news. Our world was supposed to remain secret.

The newscasters did their job, likely thanks to Luca Marzano and his connections to law enforcement. A personal disagreement gone wrong. Only a ninety-second story before they moved on to something else. But the Commission was watching. They wouldn’t be happy to see the blurred images of me chasing Nikolai away from the restaurant.

There were no reports on Nikolai’s body. Someone covered that up.

I walk deeper into the room and drop a bag on a side table. Angel turns away from the window, and there it is—that smirk. Such a punchable face.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself before I speak. "I need to know everything you know about Azrael."

Angel's smirk fades slightly, replaced by a curious tilt of his head. "Did you tell her yet?"

I shake my head. "No."

"You should do so soon," he replies, his tone almost gentle. "We don’t have much time left. Well, I don’t have much time left, I suppose." He pauses, his eyes locking onto mine. "Tell me, how are you going to explain to my sister that, after everything, you have been instructed to kill me?"

The weight of his words hits me hard. Angel had promised to bring the other families to the table and to make whatever arrangement possible for Nikolai to feel safe enough to meet with them. But the others still saw Angel's existence as the biggest liability. He had caused this war. He had called Azrael to clean it up.

---