Page 78 of Devil’s Reign

Done with the ground floor, we head up to the next level. The ballrooms are grand in a formal, empty way—polished and enormous, the kind of space that only comes alive with a crowd. The conference rooms are exactly what conference rooms always are: bright fluorescent lighting, tables and chairs waiting for people in stuffy suits. I glance at my bodyguards—they definitely fit right in here. I do not.

The next floor is much better. I take my time wandering through the lounge, which is mostly empty except for a few employees preparing for the evening opening.

From there, I step out onto the balcony where the pool sits under the open sky. The blue water glitters in the sunlight, and I dip my hand in briefly before moving on to the spa. Warm air scented with oils drifts through the space, quiet and soothing enough to tempt me into staying, but I keep going.

The gym looks like something straight out of a movie. Machines of every kind fill the massive room—it’s so big it takes up half the floor. Professional-looking trainers hover nearby, checking in on the few people working out.

We stop at the café on the fifth floor afterwards. The men grab coffee and a snack, while I order a smoothie before we continue up through the rest of the building.

By the time we finally get back to the penthouse level where the suite is, most of the day is gone. My legs ache from all the walking after weeks of barely moving, and I’m exhausted—but somehow I feel lighter too. Fulfilled.

I’m a little hungry again, but I don’t care. It was totally worth it. I had a great time, and I think the men did too. For a while, I even forgot my reality… and what’s waiting for me in my future. I head to my room, remembering to take my birth control pill before hopping into a quick shower. When I step out, fresh and dressed, food is waiting for me. I make my way to the dining table and eat quietly, replaying pieces of the day in my mind.

After eating, I wander into the kitchen and find that one of the men has already moved my roses from the pitcher to the vase. And just like I imagined, they look stunning.

Smiling, I pick up the vase and carry it back to my room. Then I head to the library and lose myself in an engaging novel. The door opening is the only thing that pulls me out of it, and when I peek through the blinds, I’m surprised at how dark it’s gotten outside.

“Should I bring your dinner here?” Boris asks from the doorway.

“Is Vanya back?” I get to my feet, rolling my neck and stretching.

“Not yet. He sent a message to let you know he’ll be back late and not to wait for him.”

My heart trips over itself. So they’ve been in contact. Which means Boris has had the opportunity to mention our excursion today. I study his face, searching for any sign that he knows I lied to him this morning about getting Vanya’s permission. But his expression gives me nothing. Did he not mention it to Vanya yet?

“I’ll have dinner in my room,” I say, slipping a bookmark between the pages of my book. Then I carry the novel out of the library with me.

I’ll continue reading it after dinner.

38

IVAN

Even though we didn’t get to the bottom of the attack on James like I had hoped we would today, we at least have a solid plan in place for the meeting this weekend. And I’m more than ready to finally catch this motherfucker and introduce him to my fist.

By the time we pull into Korona’s underground garage, exhaustion weighs on every muscle in my body. But the moment I think about seeing Melani, my pulse kicks up a notch. It’s two in the morning, so she’s probably asleep—I did tell her not to wait for me. Still, I don’t care. I can’t wait to have her in my arms and hear what she thought about her roses.

Luka and I step out of the car together and stride towards the elevator. “Linda Fontana is a wild card,” he says. “You need to keep her locked tight so she doesn’t interfere with our plans this weekend.”

It mirrors almost exactly what Aleksei said to me before I left the castle. He had found out about her snooping and thinks she might try to show up this weekend since she was sneaky enough to get her hands on the meeting details. He’s right.

“Good thing we have her as our guest then,” I reply as we step into the elevator. “I’ll talk to her about it.” In other words, I’ll handle her.

“And Melani?”

“What about Melani?”

“Will she be a problem? She probably knows about the meeting too, after that conversation she had with her mother last night.”

“She won’t be a problem.”

I’ll make sure of it.

We didn’t really resolve anything last night, but she knows better than to try something reckless like showing up at that meeting. Besides, how would she even get out of the suite? My men have eyes on her at all times. She won’t be a problem.

The rest of the elevator ride passes in silence. When the doors open, Luka and I part ways outside my suite. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” I tell him, stepping inside, and he nods.

Boris is waiting for me. Standing in the middle of the room at two in the morning, shoulders tight, his brows pulled together. The particular expression of a man preparing to deliver bad news and dreading the delivery. My gut knots. “Melani?”