Page 16 of BRATVA'S Killer Bride
He smiles against my skin. “You were.”
We watch as Aleksei lifts his daughter into the air, her laughter piercing the sunlight. The Vasiliev wives are gathered nearby, a tangle of pretty summer dresses and soft smiles.
“They’re happy you invited them,” Daniil says quietly. “They’ve missed you.”
“I didn’t think anyone could miss me,” I whisper.
He turns me toward him, eyes serious now. “You’re changing lives, Sienna. You think they don’t see that?”
My throat tightens. It’s been almost a year since Daniil brought me to the house, since he handed me a future I never believed I’d have. I took the money Andrey left me and turned it into something that matters; shelters, counseling programs, lawyers for women who have no one left to fight for them.The Lighthouse Foundation.
Every time I open a letter from a woman who’s found her freedom, it feels like a piece of the world is healing.
Daniil’s hand finds mine. “You’re changing the world,” he says simply. “And you’re still humble enough not to notice.”
Before I can answer, the sound of tires on gravel cuts through the air. Heads turn. A dark car pulls up the drive, and when the Judge steps out, silver hair gleaming, suit immaculate, everyone stills.
Maksim raises an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Sienna? Daniil? What’s going on?”
I glance at Daniil, my pulse quickening. He squeezes my hand, his expression unreadable except for the smallest curve of his mouth.
“Stay,” he tells them, voice low and steady. “You’ll want to see this.”
Chairs scrape as the Vasilievs gather beneath the old oak tree, curiosity turning to surprise as the Judge opens his briefcase. I catch glimpses of gold bands glinting in the sunlight, the soft smiles passing between the wives, the quiet murmur of children being hushed.
My heart feels too big for my chest.
Daniil takes my hand again and leads me to the center of the circle. The air smells of cut grass and roses, and I think of every dark thing we’ve lived through to get here.
When the Judge begins to speak, my hands tremble, but Daniil steadies them in his. His gaze never wavers.
“I didn’t think I’d ever belong anywhere,” I say softly when it’s my turn. “But then you walked into that room, and everything fell into place exactly as it was meant to. You’re my home, Daniil.”
He smiles, that rare, quiet smile that still breaks me open. “And you’re my reason for peace.”
The words blur as the ceremony unfolds, sunlight turning everything to gold. When he slips the ring onto my finger, I feel the world shift. Not dramatically, but gently, as if it’s been waiting for this moment to settle into place.
The Judge signs the papers, the children cheer, and Maksim raises his glass. “To the killer bride,” he says with a grin. “May she never have to kill again.”
Laughter ripples through the garden. Daniil pulls me close, his lips brushing my ear. “You’re mine now,” he murmurs. “In every way I could ever hope for.”
“I already was,” I whisper back.
As the music starts and the sun dips low behind the trees, I look around, at the family we never expected to have, at the life that grew from ruin. The shadows are still there, always will be, but they no longer own me.
I reach for Daniil’s hand and squeeze. “You ever think we deserve this?”
He glances at me, smiling. “Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt.”
And under the warm light of our secret wedding, surrounded by the people who understand what it costs to love and live freely, I finally believe him.
Daniil
Once everyone has left and we help the staff clear up the gardens, I take Sienna up to our room.
She's mine now, truly, and the thought ignites something primal in me, a fire that's been smoldering since the moment I walked into that blood-soaked hotel suite. I lean in and capture her mouth again, deeper this time, tasting the sweetness of her mingled with the faint hint of our lemon wedding cake from earlier. Her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me in, and I groan against her lips, my cock already hardening at the press of her curves against me.
We stumble back a step, her legs hitting the edge of the bed with a soft thud, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she arches into me, her breath hitching as my hands roam lower, gripping her hips and lifting her slightly so she wraps her legs around my waist.
