LOGINNatalia’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
Natalia’s POVWaking up the second time was so much worse than the first time.The first time I’d woken in this cell, at least I had had the brief mercy of not knowing where I was, even if it was over quickly.That feeling was gone now.I opened my eyes to the same black ceiling and knew exactly whe
Andrei’s POVThe interrogation chamber was in the lowest level of the castle, two floors below the cells.It was a practical room that I’d designed myself. It had a stone floor, stone walls, and a single drain in the center of the floor that served an obvious purpose. Just above the drain, a chair w
Natalia’s POV By afternoon, most of the debris had been cleared from the courtyard and the damaged walls were partially rebuilt. My back was aching even worse than before and my hands were scraped raw from moving stones and lumber all day, but seeing the progress we’d made in just one day lifted my
Natalia’s POV The small family dining room was filled with pink and blue balloons and streamers. A banner that read “Congrats, Mom and Dad!” hung from the rafters, and the table was laden with all kinds of foods—saucy pasta dishes, fresh bread, even a cake. And Grace was standing at the center of
“I need you,” I finally murmured, my voice muffled by his neck. He didn’t hesitate. We moved slower than we had started, savoring each touch as we helped each other out of our clothes. Andrei’s hands traced every curve of my body, his lips following the path his fingers made. When he kissed the h
Unbidden, my mind went back to the day I’d defeated Greta in the sparring ring—the sudden burst of energy that the healers believed to be potentially connected to my pregnancy. The thought made me smile and pat my stomach. “We’re not as breakable as everyone thinks, little one,” I whispered. “In f







