Page 83 of Poisoned Vows

Nikolai

I’m woken in the morning by a heavy knocking on the door.

I can’t move quickly, but I get out of bed as fast as I can, not wanting it to wake Lilliana. She’s sleeping peacefully, and she needs all the rest that she can get.

I’m still shocked at what happened between us yesterday. I hadn’t expected her to even kiss me again, let alone—

It makes me think that there might still be a chance for us. That I might get to earn her forgiveness after all.

When I crack the door, I see Adrik on the other side—the guard who helped get Marika out of the compound. “I have something for you,” he says quietly, and I step out to meet him in the hallway, closing the door carefully behind me.

“What is it?” I can hear the touch of impatience in my voice, but I’d been sleeping well for the first time in days, and next to Lilliana. I’d rather still be there than talking to him right now.

“We have Narokov,” Adrik says simply, and that’s all I needed to hear.

“Where is he?”

“We have him in one of the warehouses down by the docks. He’s not going anywhere.”

“Good.” I glance back at the door. “I’m going to see if Lilliana is able to come with me. Give me a few minutes.”

“I serve at your pleasure,” he says formally, stepping back as I turn away to go back into the bedroom.

Lilliana is still asleep. I don’t like waking her, especially not when she needs the rest, but I know she’ll want to be there to see what becomes of her father. And I want her to have the chance to take her vengeance herself, if she wants it.

Gently, I reach down, brushing her hair away from her face. “Krolik,” I murmur, touching her cheek. “Lilliana. Can you wake up?”

It takes her a minute to stir. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes, looking up at me with an expression that makes my heart briefly beat faster in my chest. I’ve never had a woman make me feel that way with only a look. Hell, I’m not sure one has ever made me feel that way at all.

“Nikolai?” It’s the second time in two days that she’s said my name without rancor or acid on her tongue. It sounds the way I think I’d like to hear her say it every morning, and it makes me ache. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“We have your father,” I tell her quietly. “I thought you might want to be there, to see what happens.”

Her eyes open immediately, and she pushes herself up halfway, wincing as she does. “What do you mean—you found him?”

I nod. “My men did. I thought you should have the choice, if you want to come with us. Or if you want me to—take care of it, without you having to see him again.”

She shakes her head, swallowing hard. “No—no, I do want to be there. I need to see him before—”

Lilliana can’t finish the sentence, and I understand. It’s not an easy thing to think about, when you’ve never faced death so closely before—especially not the death of someone close to you.

I reach for her, helping her sit up. Her teeth sink into her lower lip, and I can tell she’s fighting back the pain. “You don’t have to go,” I tell her again, hating the sight of her hurting like this. I’m going to revisit every one of these bruises on his body. “It won’t be pretty.”

“I know,” she whispers. She holds the sheet to her chest as she sits up fully, breathing slowly to manage the pain. “Can you help me get dressed?”

Something about the way she says it, the vulnerability that I’ve never heard from her before, breaks my heart. At this moment, we’re not adversaries, the way we’ve been since that night she was led into my father’s study. We’re husband and wife, and my wife is in need of my help.

I find a soft, loose cotton dress in the closet and bring it to her, helping her pull it over her head. She smiles wanly at me as it falls around her hips, her eyes tired and sad.

“I can’t imagine you find me very attractive like this.” She gestures at the loose black dress, the bruises littering her arms, her pale face, and my chest aches all over again.

Gently, I reach out, my fingers brushing the edge of her jaw. Her face is the only part of her that’s unmarked, except for a bruise on her left cheek where he struck her. A cold rage fills me again when I see it, and I remind myself that he’s in our custody now. He will pay for all of this, but I need to make sure Lilliana is taken care of first.

“I find you every bit as beautiful as the night I met you,” I tell her gently. “I want you every bit as much. The only reason you’re not on that bed right now with me between your legs is because there are other things we have to do right now—and because I don’t feel certain that you want me there.”

There’s an expression on her face that I can’t quite read. She looks at me as if she’s not quite sure what to make of me, and I wish I had time to find out what she’s thinking. But we need to go.

“Can you make it to the elevator?” I ask her. “I’ll help you.”

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