Page 7 of Watched and Bred By the Bratva
Nikolai steps to my side as if summoned. His gaze lingers, then softens. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks. “Thank you… and thank you for coming to the party.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” he says, corner of his mouth quirking. “Not just because Dimitri threatened anyone who refused his wife’s invitation”—we laugh—“but because I’m proud of you. I had to celebrate my favorite teacher.”
I raise a brow. “You know many teachers?”
“No,” he admits easily. “Never much cared for them… but they’re growing on me.”
My pulse skips, leaving me flustered.
“Ready to go?” he asks after a beat. “Can I offer you a ride home?”
“I’ll call a rideshare.”
“Absolutely not. My driver will be with us. If you’re afraid to be alone with me, he’ll be right there. Nothing to worry about.”
I study his face. “I’m not afraid of you, Nikolai.”
His expression warms but he only gives a short nod before I move to thank our hosts.
Amani hugs me hard, her expression tight. Dimitri pulls her back into his embrace as I follow Nikolai outside.
The early summer night is cooling, air brushing bare arms. He drapes his jacket over my shoulders, his scent wrapping around me like silk. His expression flickers—heat flashing before smoothing. Did I imagine it?
He opens the car door and I slide inside, feeling like prey stepping into a spider’s web. Champagne waits in a silver bucket of ice.
“You had this waiting?”
“I believe in being prepared.”
I shouldn’t, but he insists, leaning in with that patient intensity that makes refusal feel ridiculous. He lifts the flute toward me, his fingers brushing mine, sending a shiver through me. The crisp scent teases my nose before I take a cautious sip,bubbles prickling my tongue. One sip becomes another, his gaze never leaving my face.
When I finish the glass, I notice he hasn’t touched his. “None for you?”
He gives a small shrug. “I’m not much of a drinker, but you should enjoy it. After all, this is your night.”
Encouraged, I let him pour me another. Warmth floods me, laughter bubbling. The fizz coils through me like quick fire, softening edges, blurring my focus around the gleam of his eyes.
“You… you…” My brain works to accuse him of something, but my tongue is too thick.
His mouth is a grim line.
My last thought before darkness takes me: Oh, no.
Nikolai
Her eyelids twitch. Tiny jumps under her lashes, like her body is telling her mind it’s time. I lean forward on the edge of the chair, elbows on my knees, watching. Waiting. The room holds its breath with me.
Come on, Zara. Wake up.
Her eyes fly open and she drags in a gasp that scrapes her throat. She jerks upright. Only then do my lungs unlock. I knew she’d be all right, but knowing is not the same as seeing. Until she sat up, all I could do was what I’ve done since the first time I saw her—watch and wait.
Her hand trembles as it finds her forehead. She scans the room, then lands on me. The blanket yanks to her chest. Her spine hits the headboard.
“Where am I? What did you do to me? What’s going on?”
I gesture to the tray. “I’ll answer everything. First, drink some tea.”
