Page 38 of Owned By Shadows

The rest of the journey frankly went by in a bit of a blur. After the plane, we boarded a stunning yacht, and once we arrived in the sea surrounding the island, the guys drove jet skis with me clinging to Hunter and feeling the warm night air caressing my skin.

It’s hot here, like beautifully hot, with the nights cooler but still far in excess of what it was in Russia or the UK.

After we’d made it to the island, we promptly fell asleep. Well, I did, with Hunt curled around me from behind and Roman in front of me. I’m not sure if Nik and Rowan joined us, but I find myself blinking my eyes open to an empty bed, thesound of the waves kissing the shore caressing my ears, and the smell of tropical flowers teasing my nose.

Stretching, I take stock, noticing the ache in my body has eased, and I feel more alive than I have in the past...well, however the fuck long it’s taken to get here. Pulling back the light blanket, I get out of bed, once again wearing only Hunt’s shirt and nothing else.

I spot the en-suite and head there, doing my business and then washing my hands in the marble sink. Like the plane, this place is beautiful, elegant, and full of colourful furnishings and warm wood. It’s paradise, and my chest twinges with the knowledge that this is a reprieve. We won’t be able to stay here forever, perhaps not even that long if Sergi discovers our location. And I will not underestimate that man.

“Just enjoy it for now, Iris,” I whisper to my reflection, taking in my appearance. My hair is a mess, there are dark shadows under my eyes, and my skin is pale. “Well, hopefully some tropical sun and sea will help sort that out.”

I head back into the bedroom, still no sign of the guys or Bubby and Nik’s men, but then I hear low voices talking from the direction of the main room, so I decide to head there and hopefully get something to eat. The open-plan living area is as stunning as the rest of this island home, and I find all my guys around the large dining table, a feast set before them.

“Morning,” I say softly, and all my guys’ eyes lock onto me, the looks intense and heating me up all at once.

“Morning, Peaches,” Hunt says, getting up and coming over to me. He gets right into my personal space, which I absolutely love, and pulls me against him for a hug. My body melts into his, and I take a deep inhale, resting my cheek on his chest which is only covered with a black tank. He’s also wearing shorts, black of course, and I can’t stop the chuckle that falls from my lips. “Something funny, baby?”

“Just that you can take the gang leader out of the estate, but can’t take the estate out of the gang leader,” I answer, pulling back just enough to find his emerald green eyes twinkling at me. “I guess black is a life choice, huh?”

His lips twitch, fighting the smile that I know he is holding back while trying to keep his stern Daddy look. “You want me to wear something other than black?”

I tilt my head to the side, considering for a moment. “I think maybe a tropical print shirt, given the current situation, would be appropriate.” My lips spilt into a grin, his hand coming up and cupping my cheek, his thumb rubbing along my lower lip.

“If it makes you smile like that, Peaches, I’ll wear whatever you want.” His voice is soft and brings a lump to my throat. I don’t want to change him, or any of them really, but to know that he’d do anything just to see me smile, including deviating from his usual wardrobe choices to make my soul sing.

“I love you, Daddy,” I whisper, leaning up on my tiptoes and placing my lips against his.

He pulls me closer, using his touch on my face to angle my head so he can devour me in true Daddy Hunt fashion. Our kiss is equal parts sweet and devastating. He kisses me like it’s the first and last thing he wants to do every day for the rest of his life. Like he will never get enough of the taste of me, and I feel exactly the same. Yet knowing that someday it might be the last has my heart skipping a beat, my stomach dropping as I cling to him all the harder, willing that desolate future not to come to pass.

We reluctantly pull apart, both breathing heavily, his forehead resting against mine.

“I love you, Peaches, so fucking much sometimes I can’t breathe,” he confesses, just holding me for a moment.

“If the PDA is done with, I think Iris could probably do with something to eat.” Bubby’s sarcastic voice sounds behind Hunt,and I giggle. I also melt a little that this teenager is taking care of me, just like he promised when we departed for Russia.

“Daddy Hunt called out by a teen.” Roman chuckles, and Hunt growls, but I feel the smile playing around his lips as he pulls away from me.

“I swear to god you were all sent to test me,” he states, eliciting more chuckles and laughter from everyone in the room as he takes my hand and leads me to the table.

“We just like to keep you on your toes, keeps you young,” Bubby adds, and Roman barks another laugh, holding out his fist for Bubby to bump.

“Keep laughing, Baby Boy. Your punishment just keeps getting worse,” Hunt casually says, taking me to the empty chair next to the one he vacated at the head of the table.

I’m halted as we pass Nik, who’s sitting at the other end, his fingers wrapping around my free wrist.

“Morning,Malyshka,” he greets, and I dip down, placing a light kiss on his lips. He doesn’t try to deepen it, though his fingers flex against my skin, brushing my pulse point.

“Morning, Nik.”

The twins are next to greet me as we pass them, both giving me a quick kiss that Bubby makes gagging sounds to. In retaliation, I swoop down and plant a smacking kiss on his cheek, laughing when his face goes beet red. He’s not hiding behind a hoodie for once, in a vest similar to Hunt’s, though his has some graffiti style artwork on it.

“You best have factor fifty,” I tell him, noticing how pale his skin colour is. “We don’t want you burning out there.”

“Yes, Mum,” he sasses, a smile making his lips twitch.

Shaking my head, I take my seat, looking at Dima and Andrei across from me. “Morning.”

“Morning,Zaya,” Dima says in that deep voice of his before resuming eating the massive plate of food he has in front of him.

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