Page 38 of Beautiful Agony

Until she's claimed me as much as I've claimed her.

I collapse against her, my heart thundering as we both try to catch our breath. Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my sweat-slicked skin, soothing and gentle.

Our lips meet in a soft, unhurried kiss. No urgency now, just the pure connection of two souls finding peace in each other, sated and spent.

I gather her closer, savoring the feeling of her curves pressed against me. Her head finds its place on my chest, right above my heart. The gentle puff of her breath against my skin grows steadier as sleep slowly claims her.

My fingers move through her silken hair as she drifts off. The peaceful expression on her face fills me with a profound sense of rightness. This is where we belong.

12

LACEY

I’m still curledagainst Vadim's chest when I wake up, my body still boneless and soft from our shared release. His heart thunders beneath my ear, strong and steady. My fingers trace idle patterns on his skin, following the paths of tattoos and scars.

"I have something for you," he murmurs, his voice still husky.

Before I can respond, he reaches into his nightstand drawer. My breath hitches when he withdraws a familiar glint of silver and diamond.

"My Mom's necklace..." The words barely escape my throat.

The delicate chain that had once been broken when Sayanaa yanked it from my neck is whole again. The three small diamonds shimmer in the weak light.

Fresh tears well in my eyes as I touch it with trembling fingers.

"How?" I whisper.

"Demyon found it at the docks and brought it to me..." His voice trails off, and I feel his arms tighten around me. "I had it fixed."

I cradle the necklace in my palm, remembering how it used to rest against Laura's throat, how she'd touch it whenever she smiled. The middle diamond catches a ray of moonlight streaming through the window, sending prismatic sparkles across my skin.

"Thank you," I breathe, unable to say more past the lump in my throat. When Sayanaa destroyed it, it felt like losing Mom all over again.

But here it is, whole again.

Just like me.

Vadim's fingers brush against my neck as he fastens the clasp, sending shivers down my spine. The familiar weight of Mom's necklace settles against my collarbone, and for a moment, I feel a sense of normality returning.

"Look," he whispers, turning me toward the mirror.

My reflection shows me wrapped in nothing but sheets, the three diamonds catching the moonlight. Vadim's large frame towers behind me, his gray eyes intense as they drink in the sight. His hands rest possessively on my shoulders, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin near my throat.

"Right where it should be," he murmurs, bending to press a kiss on my shoulder. "Right where you should be."

I lean back against his chest, watching his expression in the mirror. There's something different in the way he looks at me now—not just desire or possession, but a tenderness that makes my heart ache. His hand drifts down to rest protectively over belly.

The diamonds shimmer as I breathe, three perfect points of light against my skin. They're exactly as I remember them.

Our eyes meet mine in the mirror, and I see the same emotions etched on both our faces. Vadim's fingers trace along the chain, following its path across my skin.

My hand drifts to meet him, and our fingers intertwine where Mom's necklace rests against my throat.

So much has changed since that first day at Mrs. Klossner's when I struggled with Nathan's ring. The woman I was then feels like a stranger now—naïve, uncertain, desperate to belong somewhere.

Now I belong here, with Vadim. With our child growing inside me.

But even as his warmth seeps into my skin, dark thoughts creep in. Olga is still out there, probably plotting her next move against us. The memory of her leading me into Sayanaa's trap makes my stomach clench. And Sayanaa... that twisted, obsessed woman who crushed Mom's necklace under her heel while telling me I was nothing but merchandise.

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