My body was limp and relaxed as my eyes fluttered open. I could hear the birds singing from far away. A sense of serenity went through me as I woke up.
I was warm. Really warm. Like I was wrapped in a safe cocoon.
Alessio’s arm was wrapped protectively—almost possessively around my waist. My back was to his front as we spooned. My hand went over his as I smiled.
His fingers caressed my bare stomach under the soft blanket. He must have covered us up when I fell asleep. That made me smile wider.
I shifted around in his embrace and turned to face him. His eyes were already on me, his face peaceful.
“Hey,” he muttered, pulling me as close as I could get with my stomach.
“How long was I sleeping?” I asked, my hand going to his face. I touched his rough stubble, my fingers slightly scratching his chin.
“About an hour and half. I see I have worn you out. And here I thought we could go for hours,” Alessio teased with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.
I poked his cheek. “I’m hungry, though.”
He sighed and got up. I shivered from the cold air when the blanket was pulled away from my chest. I quickly wrapped it tightly around myself again.
Alessio winked before handing me my dress. I noticed that he already had his pants and shirt on.
Now that was a sorrowful sight. Or not. He looked really delicious in a suit.
Alessio pulled the blanket away. He palmed my rounded stomach and bent down, placing a kiss right above my belly button. As soon as his lips made contact with my bare skin, Princess kicked.
Alessio chuckled. “You are a fighter,” he whispered against my belly.
After another kiss, he pulled back and helped me with my dress. When I was comfortable against the pillows, Alessio brought the basket to me.
“Lena prepared some sandwiches for us. I think they might be a little cold by now,” Alessio explained.
I shrugged and practically dove into the basket. I had a bite in five seconds flat. “I’m really starving,” I mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
Alessio raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. “Okay then.”
We cuddled close as we ate in silence. When the basket was empty and all the food was gone, I closed my eyes. “I think I ate too much.”
“You did,” Alessio agreed with a laugh. “I guess Princess was really hungry.”
I nodded before pulling away. “Let’s go. I’m sure everyone is waiting for us.”
Alessio helped me stand up. His arms instinctively went around my hips. His lips found mine in a hard, bruising kiss.
“You make me lose control, Ayla,” he said against my lips. “I see you and all I want to do is kiss you. Make love to you. Fuck you so hard that all you can see, think, and remember is me.”
I melted into his embrace, his words making my heart flutter. “I can’t decide if that’s really sweet.”
He kissed me again. And again. Alessio kissed me until we were both breathless.
He looked down at me lovingly. “I want to be your first thought when you wake up and your last thought before you sleep. Hell, I want to be in your thoughts all the time.”
I placed my hand over his heart. The heart he had given me so trustingly and with so much love. “You have nothing to worry about. Because you are always in my thoughts, Alessio. Even in my dreams. You are with me all the time,” I replied.
“Good.”
And then he smiled a breathtaking smile. It stole my breath away.
In that moment, I realized that I always wanted to see that smile. I would do anything to see that beautiful, joyous smile over and over again.
Alessio entwined our fingers together, and we walked back to the house as a married couple.
It may have not been official, but we didn’t need to be official. The vows were made, and we accepted each other. We were married. No one could deny us that.
When we reached the front door, Alessio paused and smiled. “Well, I have to do this. Don’t want Maddie to kill me in my sleep,” he said with a small laugh.
My eyes widened, and I let out a giggle as he cradled me in his arms. My hands went around his neck, holding him tight.
With me in his arms, he walked us into the house. There was a loud cheer as we stepped inside. Alessio didn’t let me down until we were in the living room.
Everyone was standing there, surrounding us with laughter, smiles, and so much love.
I needed this. I needed this family. My daughter needed them.
I didn’t know what I would have done without all of these people.
As soon as Alessio placed me on my feet, Maddie was on me. She hugged me tight before pulling away. Her eyes held tears, but they didn’t fall. “Congratulations, babe.”
Lena and Evaline hugged me next. Their happiness made my heart overflow with love. “Thank you,” I whispered when they pulled away too.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw the guys hugging Alessio. There were a few punches and then laughter.
Alessio came back to my side. We stood together watching everyone celebrating our love. I even saw Isaak and Lyov standing in a corner watching us from afar. I waved, and they smiled back.
When calm finally settled around us, I saw Viktor, Phoenix, and Nikolay walking toward me.
They stopped just a few feet away, facing me as they stood in a line. Behind them, I saw several of Alessio’s men crowding closer.
I hadn’t noticed Nina before. She was standing far away, hidden in the shadows. But now she walked forward.
She came to stand beside Nikolay, taking the front with Alessio’s most trusted men.
The atmosphere suddenly shifted, the air feeling somewhat deadly and cold. The look of determination on their faces confused me.
A shiver ran down my spine when I saw them take out a small knife. Each held one in their hands.
I looked up at Alessio, but he only looked proud. His eyes held mine for a moment before he leaned down for a kiss.
“You are their Queen,” he whispered in my ear before pulling away.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously.
The four of them took a step forward without a word.
I licked my lips nervously, waiting. My heart hammered in my chest when they took their next step.
And then they knelt down on one knee.
The men behind followed suit, bowing the heads. In respect.
“Oh no! What are you doing? Please stand up,” I quickly said. I looked at Alessio for help, but he shook his head.
“Let them do this, Ayla. It’s a ritual they all hold very close,” he explained, nodding toward the kneeling men.
Even Nina was kneeling down, her head bowed in respect.
I saw Maddie smiling. Lena had tears in her eyes.
Viktor held the dagger to his right palm. I could see it wasn’t a normal dagger. There were red crystals around the handle. An emblem was on the blade.
His head came up, his darkened eyes meeting mine.
And then he spoke.
His voice was deep and strong as he recited what seemed like a vow. But my eyebrows furrowed at the different language.
He was speaking Russian.
I saw him press the blade into his palm. My eyes followed the trace of blood, my heart hammering faster and harder in my chest.
I felt Alessio at my back. He wrapped his arms around me. His warm breath tickled my ear as he translated Viktor’s words.
“I vow to protect you. As your warrior, my life is yours. I bleed for you. Your life before mine. In every sense, you are my Queen. With this blood, I make this vow.”
When Viktor was done, Phoenix made a similar cut in his palm as he recited the same words.
Nikolay took his turn. And then Nina.
I stood speechless and completely immobile as they made their vows to me.
When they were done, the men behind them made their blood oath together. Their voices were loud and rang clear through the house.
As silence fell upon us again, Viktor, Phoenix, Nikolay and Nina placed their daggers at my feet and bowed their head again.
“They are waiting for you to speak,” Alessio muttered, giving the small push I needed.
What could I say? Never in my dreams did I ever think that a scene like this would have been possible.
To have such strong men kneeling for me, vowing as if their lives didn’t matter.
I was shocked and rendered completely speechless. But they patiently waited for me to speak.
No, they waited for my command.
When I finally found my voice, I held onto Alessio’s hand tightly. With his unwavering support and strength, I spoke.
“Please, stand up. All of you,” I said softly.
My eyes blurred when they all stood up.
“I don’t need this,” I said. “I don’t need your lives. I don’t want you to bleed for me. That’s not how it works. We are a family. Just because I am Alessio’s wife, it doesn’t mean that you are less than me.”
Alessio’s arm tightened around my hips. “It’s our tradition, Ayla. It’s a ritual that has been taken seriously for centuries. For every Queen that has been brought into this family, our men vow their lives for hers. It was like this for my mother. Now it’s your turn. One day, it will be our son’s wife. Or our daughter.”
Viktor came to stand in front of me. “This is a tradition we all hold very dearly, Ayla. Grant us this wish. Let us serve you the way you deserve.”
“The love that all of you give me is enough. I don’t need warriors; I just need friends. A family,” I replied tearfully. “I never had a family. But this family is all I need. Nothing else. Nothing more.”
Viktor smiled. I saw him looking at Alessio, as if asking his permission.
When his eyes came back to mine, I knew that whatever he wanted to do, Alessio had given him his permission.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead. “You already have all of us.”
He pulled away and showed me his bloodied palm. “You will never be alone again. This blood means we are a family. We are one. If you want to take it like this, then you could say this is our vow to you.”
My heart squeezed and Princess kicked against her father’s hand. A single tear slid down my cheek as I regarded Viktor. I felt choked with emotion. My throat closed as I tried to speak.
I looked over his shoulders at the others. They were all looking at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and then nodded. “Okay.”
Their shoulders sagged in what seemed like relief. As if my acceptance was everything they needed.
“I love you, Angel,” Alessio said in my ear. His words were only for me. I closed my eyes and sank into his arms, letting him support my weight. “I’m so proud of you. You leave me in awe every single time.”
“These types of rituals always make me cry,” I heard Evaline say. There were some chuckles and laughter.
I opened my eyes to see Maddie holding her hand over her mouth. It looked like she was holding her tears in too.
“I guess the only thing left is the wedding ceremony!” she announced loudly.
“We are already married,” Alessio snapped back.
Maddie’s tears were suddenly gone. Instead, she glowered at my man.
Oh no. This was about to turn ugly.
“I mean an actual wedding,” Maddie hissed.
“Are you saying Ayla and I aren’t married?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Actually, it’s not official. Your marriage isn’t legal,” Viktor piped in.
“Excuse me?” Alessio growled.
“You need to sign the papers to make it legal. You had no witness either,” Lyov explained.
“Well, actually, about that…” Maddie started.
My eyes widened when I saw her biting on her lips nervously. Alessio must have noticed it too because he stiffened.
Viktor, Phoenix, Nikolay, and Evaline looked suddenly guilty.
Oh no. No. No. Nope.
“You did not!” I gasped out loud.
“We were only there for half of it! I swear!” Evaline quickly tried to plead innocence.
Maddie nodded. “As soon as the rings were exchanged we left.”
“I’m about to shoot someone,” Alessio snapped.
Everyone took several steps back.
“We just wanted to make sure you stuck to the plan and didn’t mess it up,” Phoenix tried to reason. “You were having a hard time memorizing the lines the night before.”
“Not that you said anything remotely close to what you practiced anyway,” Viktor continued.
“But it was so sweet. If I wasn’t already in love, I swear I would have fallen for you, Alessio,” Evaline swooned.
Viktor’s head snapped toward Evaline. “What did you say?”
Nikolay paled and looked like he ate something huge and it was stuck in his throat.
Not good. Not good at all.
“About that,” I jumped it. “Alessio, you said you practiced. Who did you practice with?”
“Don’t, Ayla,” Alessio started, but it was too late.
“Me!” Viktor announced, his attention back on us. He puffed his chest and smiled a Cheshire smile. “I was his bride.”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Alessio over my shoulders. He swore under his breath.
“Oh really?” I questioned, hiding my giggle behind my hand.
Viktor came to stand beside Alessio and threw an arm around his shoulders. “We practiced everything.”
“And by everything, I mean…everything. If you know what I mean.”
“What the fuck!” Alessio bellowed.
Alessio let go of me. When I heard Viktor scream in pain, I didn’t have to turn around to know what happened.
“You broke my nose. What the fuck?”
“You deserved that one,” Evaline sighed.
I couldn’t hold myself any longer. My laughter bubbled from my chest, and I let it out, laughing uncontrollably at all of them.
They were crazy. Insane.
But I loved them. They really did make me the happiest woman.
“You guys are crazy,” I wheezed between my laughter.
Alessio was back to my side. He wrapped me in his embrace as I smiled, looking at everyone.
My gaze found Maddie, and I sent her a small smile. “Maddie, it doesn’t matter if we have the wedding. It won’t be official anyway. I’m supposed to be dead, remember? I have no identity.”
Her expression turned sorrowful at the reminder of my previous life. “Okay, no papers then. But can we still have a big-ass wedding? Please? I have been planning this for months! Years even! Please, Alessio. Ayla,” she begged.
It was impossible to say no to her puppy eyes. She pouted, and I saw Evaline doing the same.
“No,” Alessio simply stated.
I sighed and shrugged. “How big?”
“About a thousand people? Only the close ones,” Evaline suggested.
Woah.
“Will I get to wear a wedding dress?” I asked, feeling suddenly excited.
“Yes!” Maddie squealed.
I knew Alessio and I were already married. I didn’t really want another wedding.
But the thought of walking down the aisle toward Alessio, confessing my love to him, making my vows to him in front of everyone…it made me feel slightly giddy.
On top of that, I didn’t think it was possible to say no to Maddie and Evaline.
I turned in Alessio’s embrace and faced him. “I already consider us married. We don’t need another wedding. The vows we made to each other are already enough.” I paused.
“You want the wedding?” Alessio asked.
“Do you?” I shot back. “If you don’t, then we won’t have one.”
“I don’t care either way, Angel. You are already my wife. No one else can say otherwise.” He shot everyone a glare.
“I want to wear a wedding dress,” I whispered shyly, feeling suddenly nervous. “And walk down the aisle for you. Again.”
I sucked in a quick breath when Alessio kissed me hard. “We’ll have a wedding then,” he announced loudly.
Evaline and Maddie squealed behind me.
I only smiled at my husband.
My heart was overflowing with love for this man.
How could he be a killer and so sweet at the same time…I didn’t understand. But I didn’t have to understand. I just needed him the way he was.
Dangerous, ruthless, yet sweet and loving.
He winked, and my stomach fluttered in response. My heart drummed faster at his smile and blue eyes.
“But bring down the guest numbers, and after Princess is born,” I said when I turned to face the others.
“Deal,” Maddie quickly agreed.
It looked like we were having a wedding after all.
Alessio placed a kiss on my temple. “You are so sweet, husband.”
He teasingly nipped at my ear. “Only for you, wife.”
I giggled…feeling so free…so loved…so treasured.
In Alessio’s arms, I was whole.