LOGINI straightened up. My heart was pounding. I looked around the room and for a single, disorienting moment, I had no idea where I was. The black stone walls, the red sky beyond the window, the dead air of this place—none of it felt right. None of it felt like mine. I felt like a man who had woken up m
Andrei’s POVThe collar of my shirt was pissing me off.I had fastened it twice already and it still insisted on sitting crooked, pulling too tight on the left side. I undid it a third time and redid it, slower, watching my hands in the mirror rather than my own face. My reflection had been botherin
Natalia’s POVHe didn’t hesitate.The moment I swung the rod toward him, his hand shot out and closed around my wrist like a vise. My arm wrenched sideways, and I felt the bones grind together under his grip, and the rod fell. It clattered somewhere on the stone floor, rolling away into the darkness
Andrei’s POVThe room was warm. The bed was soft and plush, the pillows made of feathers and velvet. Everything smelled familiar, the kind of scent that you recognize from a past life but can never put a finger on its source.Home.The woman was laying next to me, just as she always did. Amber hair
But I would do it, because the alternative was my children going through whatever came next, and that was not something I was willing to consider.I wasn’t certain yet. That was the only reason I was still trying so hard now. Because there was still a small part of me that thought that there must be
Natalia’s POVThey came for me after what felt like a full day. I say felt like because it really could have been any amount of time, or none at all. But someone did bring me some slop to eat at some point, so that had to have meant that at least a full cycle had passed.I was on my feet before the
NataliaThe kiss was soft, desperate, and filled with every apology I couldn’t put into words. My lips pressed firmly against his, and I could taste the metallic hint of blood, could feel how cold his skin still was.And for a terrifying moment, nothing changed.Tears dripped from my cheeks onto his
“And?”“While I was searching, I came across these preliminary custody documents.” She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small folded-up bundle of paper, which she handed it to me. “Someone had been laying groundwork to establish paternal rights, and the timing matched when you found o
NataliaThe room went dead silent. Every single person in the auditorium was staring at Lilith, who wast standing at the bottom of the stage covered in blood and pointing at my children like they were criminals.I felt Andrei’s hand tighten around mine for just a second before he dropped it complete
We undressed each other slowly, carefully, fumbling a bit around the bandages covering his wound. When I accidentally brushed against the gauze, he winced, and I immediately pulled my hand back.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, running my finger gently over the edge of the bandage. “Does it hurt?”“Not whe







