Page 76 of Ruthless Bonds

The priest paled as the room filled with laughter. “Of course, Pakhan. My sincerest apologies.”

Sasha barked, as if agreeing with Kreos, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with the others.

Kreos’ hand tightened around mine, his thumb brushing over my pulse. Heat spread through my body like wildfire.

“Do you, Kreos, take Alora—”

“I do.” Kreos’ voice was silky smooth and commanding, and I shivered as he stared deep into my eyes, as if trying to see deep into my soul.

“And do you, Alora, take Kreos to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

It was so quiet in the room I was sure everyone could hear my heart beating out of my chest. Timeseemed to stand still at that moment. I was about to leave my past behind and accept my new future as a Pakhan’s wife.

“I do.”

I said the words with a certainty that surprised me. Why did it feel—right? All of this did.

Kreos’ eyes darkened with satisfaction as we exchanged rings. Without waiting for permission from the priest, he pulled me close to his chest. His lips pressed against mine softly, as if he was trying to be gentle, but within seconds it turned into something hungrier.

I pulled back, gasping for air. His gaze held mine, a promise in his eyes.

He was everything I should have feared, yet it was as if his darkness called to something equally dark inside of me. I belonged to him now. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind. I was his, just as he was mine.

The room roared with applause as we turned, holding our joined hands above our heads.

*** ***

The reception was held in a grand ballroom across the street from the cathedral, which had been transformed into a romantic paradise with ice sculptures and twinkling white lights everywhere. A string quartet played in the background as guests mingled. Security was just as tight, but more discreet. Grig and Tash were always close by, looking around the room and making sure no one got too close to me. I hadn’t missed the snipers on the roof as we’d walked over.

I could understand why. Kreos had said that every major family and organization had sentrepresentatives to our wedding. Apparently weddings were the time to make deals and settle negotiations. I’d scowled at him, but he’d assured me he would do no business tonight.

He held me close as we made our rounds, his arm wrapped possessively around my waist. I was glad I’d listened to Bela and broken in my heels, because my feet were killing me after an hour of mingling.

We ran into Ivan, Kreos’ creepy cousin who had tried to touch me at the engagement party. His hand was now a prosthetic. Damn, he must have pissed off the wrong person. I could feel eyes on me, and I scanned the room, finding Katia giving me a death stare. I smiled from ear to ear. Her eyes widened, and she turned and faced the other direction.

I was starving by the time dinner was served, a combination of traditional Russian dishes and American. There were blini with caviar, smoked fish platters, and roasted chicken along with several different side dishes.

As the night went on, all I could think about was what was going to happen when we got home. Nervous didn’t even begin to describe it. I knew it was stupid. I’d already had sex with him once before. But this was different. We were married now.

The crowd gathered around when it was time to cut the cake, a sea of people parting to reveal not one, but two huge ones. Besides the traditional white cake stood a chocolate one.

Kreos’ hand covered mine as we cut through the white cake together. Then he guided me to the chocolate one, his eyes burning into mine, making my heart flutter.

“Try this one,kotic,” he murmured, lifting a bite to my lips.

The moment the cake touched my tongue, time seemed to stop. Memories flooded back of me with my mom and Jameson, to us laughing and fighting over the last bite of the chocolatey goodness.

My eyes flew open to find Kreos watching me intently, a look of satisfaction on his face.

“How?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “This is… impossible. The diner’s been closed for over fifteen years.”

“Nothing is impossible for me, Alora.” His thumb brushed away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen. “I found the owner’s granddaughter. She still had her grandmother’s old recipes, and when I told her what this would mean to you…” He trailed off. “She made this cake especially for you, and now Vlad has the recipe as well. You can have it whenever you desire.”

I became a crying mess, tears freely falling. This man who struck fear into the hearts of his rivals had just done the sweetest thing in the whole entire world. He hadn’t just given me chocolate cake. He’d given me a connection to my mom. It was like she was in the room with us at that moment.

“Kreos,” I breathed, reaching up to touch his face. I traced my finger along his bottom lip, and he bit down gently, making me gasp.

“I’m here to make you happy,kotic. All your tears, all your smiles, they all belong to me now. Just like you do. Forever.” His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, tugging me closer. “And when we get home, I’ll show you exactly how I belong to you, too.” There was a wicked glint in his eye, and suddenly I wanted nothingmore than to get the hell out of there.

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