Page 134 of Voracious

As though she can hear my internal thoughts, my hellion murmurs and her heart rate changes as the drugs work their way out of her system. Standing so I have something to do, I grip her hand tighter while her dad opposite me strokes her hair.

“Open your eyes, solnyshkuh.”

The cunt doesn’t move away from her face, monopolizing all of her while I can only hold on to her hand.He can havethis moment to reunite with the daughter no one knew he had because as soon as she’s ready, we’re leaving and I’m going to glue myself to her side.

It’s enough to feel her pulse and I nearly fall on my ass when she slowly blinks, waking up with those beautiful eyes opening and fluttering closed straight away. I don’t know how long it takes for my woman to fully come back but when she does the croak scrapes my gut.

“Dima?”

I can’t speak as relief courses through me and squeeze her hand. She slowly turns her head towards me and sinks into the cushions.Slow-motion relief spreads across her face and I help her sit up so I can feel her against me. Vlad makes himself useful, pouring her a glass of water, but he’s a prick, making her sit up in the bed rather than against me.

“Take small sips, solnyshkuh.”

He increases the incline of the bed and I know he did it to make me move. Fucking petty asshole. The croak lessens but it’s still present in her voice as she looks at me and asks, “Can I go home? I don’t like hospitals.”

Her father walks out on a mission to go bully whoever he needs and we’re finally alone.

I gently sit beside her, and my entire body relaxes, having my woman back in my arms.Kissing the top of her head, I repeat the words she screamed over when she refused to hear my selfishness.

“I love you more than life.”

Her head is resting on my shoulder, the dressing on her neck is exposed to the room, and there’s no response as she drifts off back to sleep. She doesn’t know that she was born into the most overbearing, needy family in existence, and she misses it as the room fills back up with every Vartanov.

No one tries to take her from me, and I keep my lips pressed to her crown. When she slowly wakes up again, she stares around the room, surprised at the faces. Tali is the first to speak and asks, “What do you want us to call you?”

When she doesn’t answer, I whisper into her hair. “Vanya or Ana?”

She nuzzles into my chest, ignoring the way Vlad stares me out, and groggily says, “Not Ana, that was Yulia’s name.”

Everyone fills with rage at the mention of the cunt, I’m not telling Vanya that she’s alive and it’s the one thing that Vlad and I both agree on. Until she’s back to fighting fit, Yulia will stay locked in the warehouse with nothing but her own piss and shit for company.

Inessa is the only normal person as she grabs Vlad’s arm and winks at me before she looks up at him and softly asks, “I’m tired, can you take me home?”

His hand automatically goes to her bump, and he looks at Vanya in my arms as he issues his threat.

“If anything happens to her?—”

My hellion cuts him off despite her throat being sore as she hugs me tighter. “Go away, and don’t talk to Dima.”

Her eyes are closed so she doesn’t see the reactions around the room and Inessa pulls her raging husband away.

Val and Tali don’t leave, they wait until she’s asleep to bitch in front of me like they’re children again. The youngest starts and he just stares at his niece.

“Did you know he had a kid? She’s only a few years younger than me.”

Val shakes his head and then they both look at me. I keep my voice low, so I don’t disturb my beauty as I say, “No one knew, don’t ask too many questions.”

It’s not my place to tell them about the shit their parents made Vlad do and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that’s thereason he had a daughter when he was a child. I won’t let the truth hurt my woman or mess with her head. As much as Vlad’s a prick, he’ll never do anything to hurt her either, unless Vanya tells me to kill him he’s still family.

Val and Tali both nod and I gesture to the doors. “Make sure no one comes on this floor, they were talking to someone when they thought I couldn’t hear them.”

They both stand, losing the confused expressions, and without a dumb joke they leave to stand directly outside of the doors. As soon as the doors close, my hellion snaps her head up and stares around the room wide eyed. She relaxes when she sees me and drops back down to my chest, her cheek pressed against me as she mumbles, “You’re not on Venus.”

I pull the sheets tighter around her as I press my lips to her crown and hug her closer, careful to make sure there’s no strain on her neck.

“No, lisichka. Neither are you.”

She nods and gently strokes the tips of her fingers down my chest as she mutters, “Fixed you, not open.” A small smile lifts her lips as she continues rubbing my chest. “Not melted, just mine.”

---