Lyov
I watched her sleep, her breathing even in her deep slumber. Her chest rose with each intake of breath, and I was almost mesmerized by the sight.
My eyes were only on her—she was all I could see.
Instinctively, my arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. I needed her as close as she could be. In her sleep, she made a little soft sound in the back of the throat. Almost like she enjoyed being closer to me.
Wanting to feel her skin against mine, I slowly hitched her nightdress up. My hand found its way underneath the dress, and I pressed my palm against her bare stomach, holding her firmly to me.
Her skin felt warm and soft as I caressed her stomach, loving the feel of her under my hand. Maria turned around in her sleep, her body now facing me.
She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and her face soft with sleep. My heart felt a little lighter knowing that she was safe now, safe with me and away from those who had hurt her.
Whatever happened tonight—it fucked my head up.
Her actions, her words, everything was based on what they imprinted in her mind. They forced her to believe that she was less and only for our pleasure.
It was going to be fucking hard to change her. To make her human again. But I was going to make sure she had all the broken pieces again. I would glue her broken soul together so she was whole again.
Nobody was going to hurt her. Never again. No fucker was going to lay his dirty hands on her again.
I will be a good slave to you, Master.
I was almost so fucking tempted to march back into The Royalist and rip his head off. Solonik broke her before I could even have her. And now all I had left were the pieces. Some gone, some scattered, some broken.
I had focused on my instincts when I took her out of there. In the car, it took everything in me not to take her, claim her exactly like I wanted.
Fuck her deep, so she could feel me days after. So she knew that I was the only one she should ever concern herself about.
It is hard for a man not to take what is his, when it’s only an arm away.
When Maria moved in my arms, getting restless in her sleep, she brought me back into the present.
My gaze whispered over her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, her black hair so shiny and beautiful, her skin white, so soft that it almost felt like velvet. Her lips were pink and ripped, like she had bitten on them for too long.
I placed a kiss on her forehead when a whimper escaped past her lips. Her eyebrows furrowed like she was in pain, and I soothed it out with my lips.
She burrowed deeper into my embrace and let out a sleepy sigh. Her distress was gone, replaced with an almost content look. She was…safe. And she knew that.
In my arms, she would always be safe. Even in her sleep, I would keep the demons away.
Whatever I was feeling in my heart, none of it made sense. All I knew was that Maria was mine now. My little Angel.
And I needed her close to me. By my side.
I didn’t care what it meant and what I had to fight with—she was mine. The minute I saw her, she lost her soul to the Devil.
Solonik might have let her go, but she had fallen into my trap. If she thought she was free—she wasn’t.
I was going to steal her away from the rest of the world.
She escaped a monster only to end up in the hands of the Devil—who controlled hell. The king of the underworld. And she was going to be my Queen, whether she liked it or not.
I was going to give Maria back her wings and then trap her again. Make her human so she could give me what I needed—what I craved. Her heart and her soul.
I began to lose track of time as I imagined what it would be like to have her by my side. Having her in my arms, holding her close to my body, it only amplified my feelings—or whatever the fuck you call it—for her.
The darker part inside of me, the one that wanted to lose control so bad, seemed to be satiated with just watching her. For now. Until I would lose control and claim her.
When that happened, it was going to be a moment she would never forget. She was going to beg me for more, just like in that room at The Royalist. She was going to beg, and I was going to give it to her, gladly.
I wanted her passion and everything else that came with her. The fire and the burning.
I wanted her to look at me as if I were her world, the only one that mattered. My selfish needs were going to corrupt her, but I didn’t mind at all. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to mind either.
“Lyov.”
My name snapped me out of my reverie, and I glanced down at Maria to see her staring at me. “What is it, Angel?” I tucked her hair behind her ear. This way her whole face was visible to me.
“Are you not sleepy?” she asked softly, her hand going to my chest. She didn’t seem to mind that I was naked except for my boxers.
Instead, Maria chose to touch me, voluntarily. She glided her fingers up my chest until they rested against my neck.
A small smile appeared on her lips, like she enjoyed touching me. I knew I damn well loved it.
Her fingers moved over my cheek, palming my face gently. “Are you okay, Mas—Lyov?”
Her sweet question was my undoing. Here she was, trapped by me, yet she was asking if I were okay.
“I am okay, Angel—just thinking. You should be sleeping,” I whispered back. Our foreheads touched, and I kissed the tip of her nose.
She moved closer, her legs pressed against mine. Without thinking, I grabbed her thigh and hiked her leg over my hips, molding her body against mine. Maria let out a small gasp in surprise and licked her lips nervously.
Her eyes moved down, but our bodies were covered with the bedsheet. I knew she could feel my hard bulge between her legs, and I could feel how fucking warm she was.
My fingers bit into her hips, resisting the sudden urge to thrust against her heat. She swallowed nervously before burrowing her head into my chest…but not before I could see her cheeks reddening with a beautiful blush.
I smiled at her innocence, craving more of it. Slow, Lyov. Take it slow. Woo the fuck out of her. Make love to her. And then you can fuck her.
“Good night, Master.”
“Maria,” I growled dangerously.
Her arm went around my waist, holding me tightly. I didn’t know if it was in fright or if she was trying to hide into me, her way of escaping my wrath.
“I am sorry, Lyov,” she whispered.
I took a deep breath, trying to control myself before I completely fucking lost it. “I will not repeat myself again, little Angel. This is your last warning. Never call me Master again. It’s Lyov to you. Always.”
What she didn’t realize was that her soft whisper—when she called me Master, the beast inside of me loved it and wanted to claim her right there. I wanted to wrap my hand around her throat and fuck her tight pussy until she was screaming her orgasm.
My cock jerked at the thought, and I hissed. She froze in my arms, and I wanted to smack my head into a wall.
I had to rein myself in or I was going to lose her before I even had to chance to have her.
I took in a deep breath while my palm caressed her back in a soothing manner. After a few seconds, she finally relaxed, only to wiggle in my arms, trying to get herself comfortable.
My cock rubbed between her legs, and I internally swore.
“Stop moving,” I snapped loudly.
She flinched, and I swore again.
Ah, for fuck’s sake.
“Go to sleep, Maria. We have a long day tomorrow,” I finally breathed out.
My little Angel nodded silently before closing her eyes. “Good night.”
“Good night, Angel.”
I stayed still, just breathing. I was scared to move, scared that I was going to come right there like a horny teenager losing his virginity.
Maria was long asleep by the time I finally relaxed and talked Junior Lyov down. It was the hardest fucking thing I had ever done in my life.
When my eyes started drooping and sleep was beginning to claim me, I placed another kiss on Maria’s forehead. There was this primal need inside of me, just to touch her and hold her. Just to feel the softness of her skin against mine.
My last thought before darkness took over was how badly I wanted to see my little Angel smile again. Not just a small smile on her lips. I wanted to see her smiling from her beautiful blue eyes.
I wanted to watch her soul smile.
Never had I thought about love or soulmates. A day ago, I didn’t fucking care about it. I didn’t even know what love meant, and I sure as hell didn’t want it.
Love was a weakness.
But holding Maria in my arms, it didn’t feel like a weakness anymore.
I felt powerful. In control. I felt alive.
It felt like I had found a new purpose in life.
My Angel.
***
“Did you miss me? Is that why you’re calling?” the voice answered on the first ring.
“Good morning to you, too.”
“It’s actually still night here,” she replied drily.
“Whatever, Lena.”
“Well, what are you calling for? You do realize that you just disturbed my sleep?” she smarted off.
“You do realize that I am your boss, right?” I replied tiredly.
“Oops, sorry. I forgot. What can I do for you then, Mr. Ivanshov?” Lena continued. It was impossible to miss the sarcasm in her voice.
“I am bringing someone home.”
I waited as my words were received with silence.
And then the screeching started. I took my phone away from my ear, only to hear Isaak chuckling from his seat across the room.
“Oh. My. God! Is it a puppy? Please tell me it’s a puppy! You know I always wanted a puppy.”
Hit her, Isaak mouthed while smiling.
My own smirk appeared. Lena was about to have a heart attack. But it was going to be worth it.
“No. It’s a girl,” I drawled.
Silence. Complete utter silence.
“So I need you to prepare one of the bedrooms. Preferably the one across from mine if you can. Order some clothes. She’s going to need them. Small size. And other accessories, whatever the fuck females need,” I continued.
Silence again.
“We will see you later. Have a good night, Lena. Enjoy your sleep.”
I cut off the call before busting out laughing. Isaak joined me, and I wheezed, my stomach hurting.
“Did we actually get her speechless?” Isaak said through his laughter.
I nodded before taking a seat beside him. “I think so. She really needed to shut her fucking mouth. It looks like I finally found a way.”
“Priceless!”
We were still chuckling when the bathroom door opened. Maria walked out, now freshly showered. Her hair was in a bun, and she was wearing a dress that came down to her knees.
I had made Isaak order it the night before, knowing she was going to need some clothes to travel back home.
The dress was plain and simple, with only a small black belt around the waist. Tight around her chest but flowy from her waist. The color was a soft pink and perfect for Maria.
It really made her look breathtaking.
My beautiful little Angel.
“Are you ready, Maria?” I asked before standing up.
Without even asking her, she walked closer. My arms were still by my sides, fighting the urge to just pull her in my arms. But this was her choice. Her moment.
And she didn’t disappoint me.
With a gentle smile, her cheeks blushing beautifully, she almost glided toward me. Maria stood in front of me, her head tilted back, her eyes boring into mine.
“I am ready,” she said.
Her hand reached forward, and she grabbed mine. Instinctively, my fingers grasped hers.
“I am ready,” she repeated again, more confident.
My lips stretched in a smile, finding it so hard to hide my happiness. Good choice, Angel.
I pulled her forward, and she fell into my arms, giggling. “Let’s go home, then.”
She nodded without saying a word, laying her trust in the palms of my hands.
Our hands were clasped together as we walked out of the hotel, Isaak and my other men using their bodies as our shields.
The drive to the airport was silent. Maria’s eyes were wide as she stared outside. I saw a hint of fear in the depth of her eyes, but every time I squeezed her hand in support, she would relax.
I loved her reaction to me. I knew she felt it, our connection. She felt it just as deeply as I did.
She spent her time looking at the clouds during the plane ride. We talked very little, only because we found the silence between us more comforting.
We reveled in it and fell deeper into each other during the silence.
When the plane touched down, I gently shook her awake. She smiled sleepily and held on to my arm as we walked out.
It didn’t take us long to be back into the car, this time to my estate. Maria’s new home. Now her sanctuary.
When the car came to its final destination, I helped her out of the car. She was mesmerized by the sight, like I knew she would be.
She stared for a long moment before I brought her out of her reverie.
“This is your new home,” I said, bringing her attention back to me, where it should be.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, glancing back at the stone mansion.
“Do you like it?” I asked, my thumb rubbing over her cheek.
Maria nodded before smiling. “I like it very much.”
Her gaze found mine again, her blue eyes looking so bright in the morning sun. She pressed her cheek against my touch, like she wanted more.
“Before we step inside, do you remember the rules?” I asked, holding her gaze firmly.
She swallowed nervously before nodding.
“What are the rules, Angel?” I demanded.
“I will never address myself as a slave. I will never kneel, not unless you ask me to. I will always eat three meals a day, including snacks in between. I will always sleep on the bed. And never call you Master. I will always call you by your name, Lyov.” She repeated the rules quickly, looking desperate to please me.
My heart felt light, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good girl,” I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. She melted in my embrace, and I held her to me. “Remember those rules, Maria. If you break any of them, I will be very displeased.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to displease you.”
My lips made contact with her right temple. “Good.”
I held her, both of us completely lost in each other, before Isaak cleared his throat.
Slightly pulling away, I held her hand in mine. “Let’s go inside, then.”
We took a step forward, together. I saw my men; most of their eyes were on us. I saw the look they gave Maria.
The way I held her as she walked on my right, they just knew.
Their back straightened, their heads almost bowing in respect as we walked closer.
Behold your Queen.