Page 129 of Untamed

Zoya’s eyes shine bright. “It’s not thesame,Ember. Plus, I’m not the only one who wants to hear from you.”

She’s right. I look down at my hands, suddenly bashful. I still get messages and emails from my friends, and the truth is… I miss it. I think I’d see the book world in a whole new light now.

Like my photography, my love of all things romance is a part of who I am, an extension of my hopes and dreams. I livethrough the pages of my books in a way that’s hard to explain. I love romance because it’s a constant reminder that even normal people deserve to be loved, that it’s healthy to want to dream, and that everyone deserves a happy ending.

“Maybe this is Rafail’s version of a local gala,” Rodion whispers in my ear. “Charming the locals and all that.”

I turn toward Rafail. “I don’t know if my unhinged book reviews will… butter up the locals.”

He shrugs. “We’ll see.”

For a moment, I don’t respond. They’ve offered an olive branch. It’s not just the suggestion but the knowledge that I belong here. This family that I expected to keep me at arm’s length is drawing me in. It’s the underlying acceptance beneath it.

Rodion presses a kiss to my temple. The book world had one thing right: it is the very sweetest thing to be kissed that way. I stifle the need to ask him to do it again.

“See?” he whispers in my ear. “Told you they like you.”

I nudge him playfully. “Careful, I might start believing I belong here.”

“Woman,” Rodion growls in my ear. I shiver and lean in closer.

“God, get a room,” Semyon says, but his eyes twinkle at us.

I don’t know what I expected from them, but it wasn’t this.

I settle deeper into Rodion’s side, appreciating the warmth of him beside me. It’s hard to imagine that only a few months ago, I only dreamed of a Bratva boyfriend, and now… here I am. His family—ourfamily—keeps talking, laughing, filling the space with a comfort I didn’t know I craved. Because even though theylive by a code of ethics I never knew, the undying loyalty that weaves them all together makes me feel part of something so much bigger.

Polina looks over at me. As I’ve come to get to know her better, I’ve been drawn to her resilience and down-to-earth nature. “So? What’s your first review going to be, Ember?”

“Ooh, I don’t know. But definitely somethingBratva,no?”

Zoya gasps, sitting up straighter. “You must have at least ten books waiting for you by now!”

“Minimum,” I say with a laugh.

Rodion’s hand tightens at my waist. “Careful, little queen. You’ll start giving them ideas.”

“Sorry, not sorry,” I mutter, which gets me a vicious tickle. “Hey!”

But the question lingers in the back of my mind long after the laughter dies down.CanI go back to the way things were before? It seems like the old Ember is a different person. She’s not gone… but changed.

I used to sit in my apartment alone, making sure the spider cracks in the walls and the peeling paint didn’t make it into the videos. I hid behind a string of fairy lights, glowing about the latest book boyfriend… and now that I have a book boyfriend of my very own, the fairy tale doesn’t hold the same appeal.

Or does it?

Just because this is my life now doesn’t mean I can’t still live a thousand other lives in the pages of my books. Isn’t that what it’sall about? Not just finding the most perfect book boyfriend but… finding friends. Being understood. Feeling heard.

Findingloveof all different kinds. Romantic, yes, but so much more—I look around the room at sweet Zoya and Polina, Semyon and Rafail.

Zoya throws a pillow at Semyon when he teases her again, and Rafail calmly palms the pillow and gives them both a warning look. Polina tugs on his shirt sleeve and whispers something in his ear that makes him soften a bit.

I take in a slow breath and release it.

Thisismy life now.

“Maybe I’ll start with that latest book they’re all talking about? The one about the girl who felt like she didn’t belong anywhere… but found her home in the most unexpected place.”

Polina grins. “Sounds like a bestseller to me.”

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