I stared at Ivan with my head propped up on my elbow. It was finally over. His hair fell over his forehead, and I pushed it back, running my fingers through it. When he was like this, he still looked so young. So much like that boy I fell for. The hardness of his face melted away when he was asleep.

The thick bandage on his arm worried me, I’d been careful—but not too careful—in reacquainting myself with how happy he was to see me. A small dot of blood seeped through the bandage. I rolled off the bed and went to get some supplies. These things came in handy. When I got back to the room, he was sitting up in the bed, unraveling the gauze.

I set what I had down on the bed and sat on the nightstand.

“Here. I’ve got it.”

I grabbed the medical scissors I had and cut away at the gauze. His eyes stayed glued to mine.

“How did I ever get so lucky?” he asked, tucking my hair behind my ear and running his thumb along my chin. I tried to ignore it and focus on the task at hand.

“It looks like one of the stitches might have popped, but other than that, it will be okay. I’m going to put on another bandage.”

“Take your time,” he said, his voice husky.

I worked quickly as his hands slid up and down my thigh, running along the hem of my boxer pajamas.

“Ivan, stop and let me do this.”

He stopped inching higher, but he didn’t take his hands off me.

When I finished, I sat there staring at the bandage, careful to keep my eyes from his. Last night had been an emotional release, something we both needed after the dangers we’d lived through for so long, but what happened now.

I didn’t know where we went from here. What does all this mean?

* * *

The one thing I’d never thought I’d be able to have, yet I finally did. I had Dahlia in my arms and intended on having her there for the rest of my life. If we’d survived the past ten years, there was nothing we couldn’t overcome.

She nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Where do we go from here?” she asked, keeping her eyes firmly on the bandage or the bed, anything but me. I ran my finger under her chin.

“We start again. We start over together.”

“But how? I saw what happened with your uncle. Won’t there be problems? Someone coming after you?”

I shook my head. “It’s over. We are safe now.”

“How, Ivan? How are we safe? You killed your uncle, and you’re not sitting at the head of the table if you’re here with me, so how are we safe?” She trembled as she spoke, and I slid her into my lap, ignoring the throbbing pain in my arm.

“The person in charge now will make sure we are safe. Will keep things under control.”

“And they aren’t coming after you? They’re going to protect you? Who would do that?

“Alexei.”

Her eyes got wide and her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

“He’s doing this for me. For us. So we can live and not always be looking over our shoulder.” His sacrifice wasn’t something I took lightly. My little brother out there on his own, without a full coalition. Taking on this responsibility without someone there to have his back. I’d always known that when I took over, he’d be there to stand by my side, but he had no one.

The viper’s den was where he was now, and he didn’t have anyone he could trust one hundred percent in his corner. But he’d made it clear that looking after Dahlia and Elena were my responsibilities now. Keeping them safe was the only thing that mattered, and he’d handle the rest.

“You know I’ll be there for you if you ever need me.”

“I know, but I’ll handle it. You’ve done all you could for me, but I’ll either change the direction of this family or die trying. I hope to see you on the other side, but if I don’t…” He trailed off. I tugged him in for a hug.

“Take care of yourself, Alexei.”

“You too, brother.”

The sacrifices we’d made for the people we loved would not be in vain. As I sat with Dahlia on my lap, running my fingers through her hair and inhaling her strawberry scent, I knew I’d do it all again. Every scar. Every nightmare. All the pain and loss in my life was worth it when she was in my arms, and I’d work the rest of my life to do whatever I needed to ensure she never regretted it. That there was never a day she didn’t know I loved her more than anything in this world.