“Razvan,” I croak. My voice sounds like I’ve been swallowing glass.
He flinches, his head snapping up so fast I hear his neck crack. The look in his eyes…I’ve never seen it before. It’s raw. It’s wide-open and bleeding. For a second, he just stares at me, his chest heaving as if he’s forgotten how to breathe.
“Lena,” he whispers. He doesn’t move at first, as if he’s afraid I’m a hallucination. Then, he leans down and presses his forehead against the back of my hand. I feel a hot, wet drop hit my skin.
The Great Pakhan is crying. He reaches out with his free hand, his fingers trembling as he brushes a stray hair away from my forehead. His touch is so soft, so tentative.
“I saw the knife,” I say, the words coming out in a slow, painful crawl. “I couldn’t let him… I couldn’t let him take you.”
He looks up, his eyes bloodshot and haunted. “You saved me,” he says, the realization sounding like a confession. “After everything I did to you. After the dungeon…the threats…you stepped in front of a blade for me. Why?”
I look at him, really look at him. I see the scars on his knuckles and the devastating love he’s been trying to hide. I think of Theo calling himDad.
“Because you’re my family, Razvan,” I whisper. “And we don’t let family stand alone.”
He closes his eyes, a broken sound escaping his throat. Before he can respond, the heavy door to the room creaks open. Dmitri and Lyosha step inside. Both of them look exhausted, their suits rumpled and their faces grim.
Dmitri clears his throat, holding a tablet. “Razvan. The council is losing their minds. The other families have been waiting at the estate for six hours. They need orders. They need to know the Pakhan is still in control.”
Razvan doesn’t even look at them. He doesn’t let go of my hand. “Let them wait,” he growls, his voice low and dangerous.
“They’ve been waiting since yesterday, boss,” Lyosha adds, a small, tired smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looks at me. “He hasn’t moved an inch, Lena. We tried to bring him food, but he threatened to break Dmitri’s arm if he touched thedoor handle again. He hasn’t even let the nurses in to check his own shoulder.”
“Shut up,” Razvan snaps, though there’s no real heat in it. His grip on my hand tightens just a fraction.
“He told us the world could burn down for all he cared as long as you opened your eyes,” Dmitri says, ignoring Razvan’s glare. He looks at me with a nod of genuine respect. “It’s good to see you awake, Lena. Maybe now he’ll finally let the doctor look at that graze on his arm.”
“Out,” Razvan rumbles, his eyes finally flicking toward them. “Both of you. Now.”
Lyosha chuckles, shaking his head. “He’s a romantic when he’s terrified. Who knew?”
The two of them slip out of the room, leaving us in the quiet blue light again. Razvan settles back into the chair, but he doesn’t let go of my hand. He pulls it up and rests it on his chest, right over his heart. I can feel the rhythm of it—strong, steady, and entirely mine.
“Is it true?” I ask softly. “You haven’t left?”
He looks down, a faint trace of color hitting his cheekbones. “I couldn’t. Every time I thought about standing up, I felt like the floor was going to open up. I needed to hear your heart beating, Lena. I needed to know I hadn’t lost the only good thing I ever found.”
I see it then. The change in him. He isn’t playing the part of the brooding king anymore. He’s just my husband.
“Theo?” I ask after a moment.
“He’s safe,” Razvan says quickly. “He’s at the secondary estate with Lyosha’s best men. He thinks you’re just sleeping. He wants to show you a drawing he made of ‘The Queen.’”
I smile, though it hurts my side. “The Queen?”
“His words,” Razvan says. He reaches for a cup of water, holding the straw to my lips with a steady hand. He watches me drink, his eyes never leaving mine. Every movement is deliberate, focused entirely on me.
“I’m going to take you home,” he says, his voice low and solemn. “Not to a cage. We’re going to bury the ghosts, Lena. Mike, your father, they’ll have their peace. And Viktor…he will never hurt anyone again.”
“I saw what you did to him,” I say.
“He deserved worse,” Razvan growls, his eyes darkening for a split second before the softness returns. “But he is gone. From now on, it’s just us. I’m going to spend the rest of my life earning that look you gave me before you fell.”
“You already are,” I whisper.
I feel the exhaustion creeping back in. But the fear is gone. Razvan is here. He’s the shield now.
He notices my eyes drooping and leans in, kissing my knuckles one more time. “Sleep,zayka. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
