Page 17 of Deadly Vows

We talked about everything and nothing, the conversation flowing naturally. It was a side of Talia I hadn’t seen before, open and unguarded. She told me stories of her childhood, dreams, and fears, and I shared parts of my life that I had long buried.

As the night wore on, the space between us disappeared entirely. I reached out, my hand finding hers, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of peace. The hunt for Vic, the vendetta that had consumed me, faded into the background. At that moment, it was just Talia and me, two souls seeking solace in each other.

“Kiska,“ I said softly, breaking the comfortable silence. “There are things I haven’t told you. Things about my past, about why I am the way I am.”

She turned to face me, her eyes filled with understanding. “You don’t have to tell me anything, Aleksandr. But if you want to, I’m here to listen.”

I took a deep breath. “My father...losing him, it changed me. Made me into someone I barely recognize.”

Talia squeezed my hand, her touch grounding me. “I’m so sorry, Aleksandr. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.”

“It was,” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion. “I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t stop it. And then I had to become thepakhanthe family needed. And when Vic murdered Mikhail and took you and the children...it brought all those feelings back. The fear, the anger, the helplessness.”

“But we escaped,” Talia said, her voice steady. “You came to get us, and we’re safe now. And I know you’ll protect us.”

We sat in silence, the city lights twinkling around us. I leaned in and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, full of unspoken desire, and when we pulled apart, I saw the same feelings reflected in her eyes.

“I don’t know what this is,” I said quietly. “But I want to find out.”

Talia smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Me too.”

Chapter 10

Talia

Aleksandr stood near the windows, admiring the city’s twinkling lights with a glass of brandy. I hesitated for a moment, watching him. His back was to me, and I wondered what was going through his mind.

Placing my sparkling cider on the cocktail table, I walked forward, the marble floor cold against my bare feet. “Aleksandr,” I said softly. “I need to ask you something,” I continued, my heart beating faster. “About your past.”

He turned to face me, his blue eyes locking onto mine with that intense gaze that always commands my attention. He said nothing at first, just studied me in a way that made me feel seen and scrutinized all at once.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I added quickly, unsure how to approach this with him.

He leaned back against the window frame, the city’s distant lights flickering across his face. “What do you want to know?” His voice was low, guarded.

I swallowed. “About your relationships… before.”

The air between us stilled, and he stayed silent for a few minutes. “There were no relationships,” he said, his tone flat, detached. “Not in the way you’re thinking.”

I took a step closer. “What does that mean?”

He slowly raked his fingers through his hair as if trying to find the right words. “It means,” he began, “that I never stayed. I’d sleep with a woman one time, and that was it. I didn’t do… relationships.”

There was no shame in his voice, no hesitation. It was a simple fact for him, something that he had accepted long ago. But for me, it was a surprise. I had expected him to say something like that, but hearing it was different.

“Why?” I asked, even though I knew. His world, his life, wasn’t built for connection. But I needed to hear it from him.

Aleksandr’s gaze flicked away for a moment toward the city outside. His jaw tightened before he spoke again, the words heavy. “Because in my world, Talia, everyone dies eventually. You get too close to someone, and they either leave or they get killed. It’s just a matter of time.”

He paused, his eyes returning to mine, and I saw something I hadn’t seen before. Fear. Not the kind of fear thatcomes from enemies or danger but the kind that comes from losing someone.

“That’s why I don’t… why I can’t get close. Not to anyone. Not to you. It’s not safe for you, Talia.”

I stared at him, my heart breaking a little at the admission. Aleksandr was always the one in control, always the one with the answers. But now, I realized he wasn’t as invincible as I had thought. There was a vulnerability in him, a fragility he kept hidden under layers of cold detachment and power.

But here he was, opening up to me in a way I doubted he had ever done with anyone else. And it made me love him more.

“You don’t have to be afraid of that with me,” I said softly, taking another step closer. My hand reached out instinctively, my fingers brushing his arm. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, Aleksandr. Or the baby.”

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