Page 44 of Zafira

No one stood witness as the mighty Matriarch brushed her hand over his hair, then leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips. Only the dust particles shimmering in the sun that shone through the wood slats heard the softly whispered words.

“I love you, Bogdan Rusu. I always have. I always will.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Two months later, Senza?ii de Club, Rose Valley Park, Chisinau, Moldova...

“Now look at that. Master Slayer finally decided to show his face again,” Alin Sava said with a pleased grin as Bogdan sat down beside him at the bar. “I began wondering if you had already moved to Russia without saying goodbye.”

“I’ve been recuperating after an incident.” Bogdan didn’t elaborate. Alin knew better than to ask.

“So, when are you leaving for Russia?”

“I might not be moving permanently after all. I’ll definitely be there to help my son get the nursery set up and for the twins’ birth, but Moldova is where I’ll stay.” He smiled wryly. “That is if my plans work out as I hope.”

“Since when do you place your future in the hands of hope? You always go after what you want. Why not this time?”

“It’s... complicated.”

“Ah... the mighty Comare, I imagine. Yeah, she’s a tough one. I don’t envy you trying to win her over.” He glanced toward the dungeon. “That’s why you’re here? To whip her into admitting how she feels about you?”

“She’s here?”

“Strange, isn’t it? Coincidently, like you, it’s the first time she came back after that scene you had with her. Must be fate.”

“I don’t believe in celestial nonsense, Alin. Every man is responsible for his own destiny and the path he chooses to make it happen.”

“You do you, and I’ll do me. I say it’s fate that brought you both here tonight. Mark my words. This is going to be the first day of the rest of your lives.”

“Te rog opreste-te, Alin. You’re starting to sound like a telenovela series.”

“I’ll stop, but just wait and see. I must remember to have my tux dry-cleaned for the wedding.”

Bogdan was hard-pressed not to roll his eyes. Instead, he just shook his head, grunted, and walked toward the dungeon. Now was as good a time as any to seal his own fate. After tonight, he would either be the happiest man ever, or he would finally close the chapter on Zafira Guzun once and for all.

It was well past time he moved on with his life.

Zafira had visited him regularly while he was in hospital, but as soon as he was discharged, she stopped checking in on him. Typically, and in usual Bogdan fashion, he didn’t pursue her. He had learned his lesson and refused to be rebuffed yet another time. Instead, he had refamiliarized himself with his grand ducal estate to ensure it was well managed should he decide to permanently move to Russia and live with Andrei and Vanya.

He found Zafira perched on the edge of a large wingback chair in the vast reception area of the dungeon that served a double purpose for aftercare. It appeared as if she had been waiting for him. Like the previous time, she wasn’t dressed in full kink but rather selected a sheer, black lace dress that enticed as much as it seduced his mind. Underneath, she only wore silver bikini panties that hugged her hips like a lover’s hands. Barefoot and with her tresses tumbling like a silky curtain over her shoulders, she was the epitome of femininity. The black lace mask lent a mysteriousness to her appeal that was punctuated by the challenging look in her azure eyes.

The beast inside him reacted to the provocation. With a growl, he was in front of her and yanked her out of the chair. Within moments, he pinned her to the wall with his huge hand clamped around her throat.

“You are teetering on dangerous territory, sub,” Master Slayer’s dark Dom voice crawled from deep within his soul.

“I laugh in the face of danger, Sir. You, of all people, should know that.” Zafira was completely relaxed. Although she was on her toes and struggling to breathe, she didn’t claw at the hand tightening around her throat.

“There are times when even the most daring should tread with caution. This is one of them.”

“It seems here is the only place where the man deep inside is reachable, so what other choice do I have?” Her eyes widened as his fingers threatened to completely cut off her ability to draw enough oxygen into her lungs.

“I came to you with my heart on my sleeve a year ago, Zafira. You chased me off like a lame dog. Ever since you found out I wasn’t the bastard you were made to believe I was all those years ago, you’ve been avoiding me. So, who is the emotionally unattainable one, really? Be honest for once in your fucking life.”

“Me! I am the one.” She finally clawed at his hand when her chest started burning, and her lips turned blue. “Please, let go, Master Slayer.”

“Why? Viktor has been dead for over twenty years. Why did you keep me at a distance all these years?”

“Because I believed you never loved me. I had no reason to doubt my mother. She had never lied to me, and when she told me you had taken the money, something died inside me. When you didn’t show up at the wedding, it was all the proof I needed.”

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