Page 87 of Owned By Shadows

When Nik releases me, Hunt makes me sit down, and we all eat together, Andrei, Dima, and Bubby joining us and wishing me a happy birthday too.

“Now can she open presents?” Ro whines once I declare I can’t fit another bite inside my very full stomach. I can’t suppress my giggle. He’s like a child, so excited even though all the presents are for me.

“Fine.” Hunt manages to just get the words out as Ro leaps to his feet and grabs one of the smaller boxes, rushing over and presenting it to me.

“Open mine first,” he urges, and I laugh, his excitement infectious.

I indulge him, taking the gift and carefully opening it so as not to destroy the beautiful paper. I can’t suppress the grin when I see Ro practically hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. My grin grows when I finally set the paper aside to find a Kindle box inside.

Opening that, I see a beautiful pink cover with a tarot card print of The Lovers on the front. My mouth drops open when I open it to find what must be hundreds of books already on the device.

“I searched all the dark romance why choose books and got them for you, as you clearly like more than one love interest,” he says, a shit-eating grin tugging his lips upwards. “There’s a genre called Omegaverse, where they’re kinda like shifters with alphas and heightened senses but no actual shifting. It’s wild, but apparently it’s super hot right now.” I pause at a book titledHavoc Killed Her Alphaby an author called Marie Mackay. “Yeah, I got you all her books. They look kinda brutal. The guys are arseholes, but then I figured you liked arseholes too.”

I look up at him, lost for words. “Ro, this is…thank you.”

I pull him down to me, because getting up takes about five fucking minutes, and kiss him silly, telling him with my lips that his thoughtful gift means the world to me. I’ve missed reading so much, and this way, it’s easy for me to read whenever I like, which I think I’ll be doing a lot of once the little one arrives and I’m feeding him at all hours.

We part, panting, and heat fills my cheeks when I remember that it’s not just us here.

“Cringe,” Bubby states from his seat, and it dispels any embarrassment, especially when Hunt smacks him upside the back of his head, but Bubby just laughs. He’s like the little brother I never had but kind of always wanted.

Nik brings a large box over to me next, kneeling in front of me and presenting it to me. My heart flutters as I open it, the brand name Kneed glinting gold on the teal box. My gaze darts to his, my pulse racing.

He smiles at me, and I look back down, opening the lid. “Oh, Nik.” My voice is thick as I look at the beautiful handbag, the same leather one as the one I wore that day all those months ago when I arrived home to find my life irrevocably changed.

“I figured I owed you a new one,” he breathes out, and I look up with tears in my eyes. “After your other one was ruined.”

I place the box on the table and pull Nik against me, tears falling down my cheeks. “I don’t regret it, any of it,” I tell him, his arms wrapping around me and holding me close. “Because if none of it happened, then I might not be here now, and that would be worse than any of the shit I’ve been through.”

“You’re too good for us,Solnishko,” he rasps, his own voice thick with emotion. “I will never forgive myself for what he’s taken from you.”

I’m shaking my head as I pull back so I can see his eyes. They’re tortured, the skin around them tight as his jaw works. Taking his hand in mine, I place it over my rounded stomach, our son kicking Nik’s hand as if to remind him of all that we’ve gained. “But look what he gave us. You and him. There’s nothing to forgive, my love.”

Roman hugs Nik’s head to his stomach. “We’d be lost without you, Love. So for that, and our son, I can thank your cunt of a sperm donor.”

A tear makes its way down Nik’s cheek, and I reach over to wipe it away, cupping his cheek in my hand.

“I love you, Nikolai Petrov.”

“Ya tebia Lyublu, Iris Anderson,” he replies, placing a kiss on my palm before he gets up. Ro wraps his arms around him and hugs him tight.

“Happy birthday, Lamb,” Rowan says as Nik makes room for him, presenting me with a slim box.

Quirking my brow at him, I undo the rainbow wrapping to find a beautiful wooden box underneath. I open the gold metal closure, and what I find has my lips parting. Inside, nestled against navy blue velvet, are two objects.

One is a stunning flick knife, like the one I see him use, but this one has a rainbow metal effect on the handle, the name ‘Lamb’ etched into it in stunning cursive. Around the knife is a necklace, which is a delicate gold chain with a red jewel hanging from it.

“I had them take my blood and make it into the jewel,” he tells me as the light glints from it. “I want you to never take it off, so I’m always with you.”

The initial he carved into my skin pulses, reminding me he’s always with me, even now. My lips part, but honestly, I’m not sure what to say. It’s so fucking romantic I can hardly breathe.

“It’s beautiful,” I finally manage to croak out. “Will you put it on me now, Roo?”

“Of course, Lamb,” he replies, taking the necklace out of its velvet box and coming up behind me.

I hold my breath as I lift my hair out of the way so he can fasten the clasp, and it’s a comforting weight as it settles against my collarbone.

“That’s some next-level shit,” Bubby states, and we all chuckle, because well, he’s not wrong. It’s a gift only Rowan would give, his own blood made into something so stunning and just for me.

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