Page 158 of Unhinged

Truth. Alliance. Hope.

“Atta boy,” Grandfather whispers, pumping his fist.

I nod, whispering, I won’t give this a second thought. I know my answer. “Of course I will.”

Matvei lifts my hand to his lips, his gaze locked on mine, and brushes his lips over my knuckles. Possession disguised as chivalry, and I fucking adore it.

“Oh my god.” Yana chokes up, dabbing at her eyes. “You two are killing me.”

Matvei pulls me to him and kisses my forehead so fiercely that I feel it in my chest. My eyes flutter closed, and tears fall.

“I love you,” he whispers. “I love you so damn much.”

Six months.

Maybe Rafail can buy us six months of peace. But what happens after that?

Matvei catches my hand and laces his fingers through mine. His mouth finds my ear.

“A ring’s not enough for you, is it, my little witch?” he murmurs.

“No?” I tease. “What do you have in mind? You can’t cage me for life.”

“But I can,” he growls softly. “And I will. Any other motherfucker touches you, I’ll skin them alive.”

“And if I run?”

Sometimes I like to say shit just to hear him growl.

* * *

Chapter33

ANISSA

I gritmy teeth as the hot weld bites. It’s not over, not really. But I breathe through it.

Yana taught me how to breathe through tattoos. Polina explained that in natural childbirth, bracing against the pain makes it worse, so you have to relax and breathe through it. Accept that fear is natural. Pain is only pain. Fear is the killer.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Matvei watches, curious. “Did you even feel that?” he asks, shaking his head and staring at me in disbelief. “When they branded me, I thought I was going to die.”

I blow out a breath and wipe my brow. “It hurt.” I laugh under my breath. “Honey, I say this with love, and I hope it doesn’t sound condescending, but if men were the ones going through childbirth, the human race would’ve gone extinct centuries ago.”

My back throbs. My skin sears. But I breathe through it.

And I’m here.

I’m fine.

I wink at him. “Try keeping up, big guy.”

He doesn’t try to hide the way his gaze drops to my raw, red skin seared across my lower back. His breathing shifts. Slower. Heavier.

His voice lowers, intimate and rough. “You let me mark you. I’ll never forget this, Anissa. Thank you.”

I turn to face him, the heat between us already thick and coiled. He’s close enough that I feel his breath on my cheek.

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