登入Liora’s POV The medical wing felt colder than I remembered. The steady beep of monitors filled the air like a cruel countdown, each sound a painful reminder that my baby was still hurting. Alora lay in the reinforced hospital bed, her small body looking heartbreakingly fragile under the crisp white sheets. An IV dripped steadily into her arm, pain medication keeping her comfortable while the doctors monitored her concussion and the swelling in her broken arm.I hadn’t left her side for hours. My hand wrapped gently around her uninjured fingers, thumb stroking slow circles over her soft skin. Every shallow breath she took sent fresh waves of fear through me. The fall kept replaying in my mind, that terrible moment when her little foot slipped, her cry as she tumbled, the sickening sound when she hit the bottom.Nikolai sat on the other side of the bed, his massive frame hunched forward, elbows on his knees. His stormy gray eyes never left Alora’s face. The powerful Pakhan who had
Liora’s POVThe afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows of the family wing, casting warm golden patterns across the polished floors. Everything felt peaceful, almost too peaceful after the intensity of the past weeks. Alora was a bundle of pure joy, her little legs stronger every day since the poison had been purged from her body. She’d been running circles around the sitting room, giggling as Nikolai pretended to chase her on all fours like a big, clumsy bear.“Catch me, Daddy!” she squealed, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.I watched from the doorway, heart so full it ached. Nikolai’s deep laughter echoed through the space — that rare, unrestrained sound I’d come to cherish since the island. He let her “escape” again and again, scooping her up only to tickle her until she shrieked with delight. Maria stood nearby, smiling softly as she folded laundry.“Be careful on the stairs, baby,” I called gently as Alora darted toward the grand staircase that connected the famil
Liora’s POVThe days after our return settled into a beautiful, careful rhythm. Mornings belonged to Alora, her giggles filling the dining room as she demanded Nikolai carry her on his shoulders around the table. Afternoons often pulled him into the war room, but evenings were ours again. Soft. Intentional. A quiet rebellion against the shadows that still lingered at the edges of our world.This morning, I found him in the study earlier than usual, staring at a tablet with that familiar crease between his brows. The Reaper was hovering close again. I could see it in the set of his shoulders, the way his jaw tightened as he read the latest report on Elias’s remaining fragments.I didn’t knock. I simply walked in, slipped behind his chair, and wrapped my arms around his neck from behind. My cheek pressed to his temple.“Come back to me, baby,” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss just below his ear.He exhaled slowly, the tension easing as he set the tablet down and pulled me around into
Liora’s POVThe moment the wheels touched down on familiar ground, my heart began racing with a beautiful mix of excitement and nerves. The island had felt like a dream — endless blue skies, soft kisses, and a version of Nikolai I’d fallen impossibly deeper in love with. But home meant Alora. It meant reality. And after everything we’d healed on that island, I was terrified and thrilled to see how our new light would hold up in the world that had tried so hard to break us.Nikolai’s hand never left mine during the drive back to the mansion. His thumb stroked slow, reassuring circles over my knuckles, and every few minutes he’d lift my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss there like he needed the constant reminder that I was real.“You’re quiet,” he murmured, gray eyes searching my face in the dim interior of the armored SUV.“I’m just… happy,” I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder. “And a little scared that the shadows will feel heavier after tasting so much sun.”He tilte
Liora’s POVThe last morning on the island felt like a gentle sigh from the universe — soft golden light spilling through the curtains, the distant sound of waves whispering goodbye. I woke slowly to the heavenly aroma of fresh coffee and warm pastries, and the feeling of warm, reverent lips brushing across my forehead, my cheeks, the tip of my nose.“Wake up, moya koroleva,” Nikolai murmured, his deep voice wrapped around me like a blanket. “I couldn’t let our last day start without spoiling you one more time.”I opened my eyes to find our bedroom transformed into something out of a fairytale. Rose petals in soft pinks and creams were scattered across the sheets and floor. A beautiful rolling cart stood beside the bed, loaded with all my favorites — ripe strawberries glistening with dew, warm croissants, yogurt drizzled with golden honey, fresh fruit salad, and perfectly brewed coffee steaming in elegant cups.Nikolai sat propped against the headboard, shirtless and breathtaking, ho
Liora’s POVWe decided to stay one extra day.The minor call from home had been handled efficiently the night before, and neither of us was ready to leave this bubble of sunlight and healing just yet. Nikolai had looked at me over breakfast, gray eyes soft with quiet longing, and simply said, “One more day. Just us.”I had kissed him in answer. One more day of freedom. One more day of falling impossibly deeper.The morning began with sunrise yoga on the wide terrace overlooking the sea. I had convinced him to try it with me, spreading two mats on the warm stone as the sky painted itself in soft pinks and golds. I moved through the gentle poses with ease, breathing in the salty air. Nikolai, however…“My strong, powerful king,” I teased, biting back laughter as he attempted downward dog and nearly toppled sideways. His powerful frame, all broad shoulders and corded muscle, looked comically out of place trying to balance. “You’re supposed to breathe, not grunt like you’re interrogatin
Liora's POVThe phone felt like a bomb in my pocket.All morning I kept touching it, half expecting it to burn me. Nikolai’s words wouldn’t leave my head —every inch of you belongs to me.The way his breath had brushed my ear. The way my body had responded like a traitor.I hated how wet I still wa
Liora's POVMy eyes snapped open before the sun even fully rose.The silk sheets clung to my skin like a lover's hands I didn't want. My lips still burned. That kiss, his mouth crashing down on mine, demanding, punishing, claiming, replayed in my head on an endless loop. My thighs pressed together
Liora's POV I barely made it back to the suite before my legs gave out.The door clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, chest heaving. My fingers rose unconsciously to my lips, tracing the ghost of his thumb where it had brushed my cheekbone. The skin still burned.What the hell was that
Liora's POV Sunlight pierced the heavy velvet curtains like it had no right to be there. I hadn’t slept. Not really. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt that icy gray gaze dragging over my body in the study. The silk robe still lay draped over the chair where I’d dropped it last night, a silen







