SWNOVELS Chapter 41 - Nikolaos
I wake up to the scent of cinnamon and strawberries and a slow smile spreads on my face. With my eyes still closed, I pull the warm body towards me and breathe in her perfection, the heaviness leaving my heart as quickly as it sets in.
Opening my eyes, I see that she’s asleep and I spot my healed mark on the nape of her neck just as I tilt my head to kiss her shoulder. That slow smile now grew into a triumphant one, knowing that I claimed the one person who loved me for me.
I trace the mark with my tongue, tasting her distinctive scent, and the sound of her sleepy moan heads straight to my cock.
“Niko...” she whimpers, tilting her head to offer more of her neck to me, but then she suddenly turns on her back and narrows her eyes at me. “No, we are not doing this right now!"
Frowning, I brace myself on my elbow and raise my eyebrow at her. “Your reaction makes me think that you didn’t miss me one bit, little rabbit,” I say.
She shakes her head, gets to her feet, walks over to my side of the bed, then pulls my arm. “That won't work on me, Alpha. Yes I missed you, yes I am dying to make love to you but you are still covered in blood and kinda stinky.”
I stare at her for a few seconds and walk with her in a daze as she leads me to the bathroom. “Did you just call me stinky?”
“I sure did and you can't tell me I'm lying,” she says with a grin and stops walking before facing me. She cups my face and places a light kiss on my lips. “Good morning.”
Returning her good morning and continuing with my scowl, I let her undress me while silently grumbling inside. Okay, I get it; I am still covered in my own blood but the least she could have afforded me was a little touching, for fucksakes.
She tries to stifle a smile but eventually giggles and leads me over to the steamy shower. “I can feel your annoyance, but just bear with me for a little while, Alpha. Afterward, I'll do that thing with my tongue you like so much.”
Okay, that shut me up.
I let her wash me down, reveling in the feeling of her soft touch; her hands go everywhere, but she hands me the loofah so I can wash my mid-section. It's so weird that I don't feel nauseous when she touches me, but the second she touches anywhere on my chest, that feeling is back.
Taking her hand, I pull her closer and claim her lips with a kiss that I can feel everywhere. Her soft mouth on mine, the way her fingers play with my hair at the back of my head, listening to her heartbeat...all these little things I love about her.
“I know, but that's just the question I want to ask them. Why did they want Popov in power over my domain? Why support him and not me? I want to ask them these questions in person.” I say and slip a t-shirt over my head.
The mark on my shoulder has healed, but it still feels tender. I can feel her anxiety right at her mark, so I walk to her to help her slip on her sports bra. “It's okay, they won't harm us after this; I'll make sure of it."
She doesn’t ask me how, but simply nods as I pull her dress over her head. The last thing I want is for her to worry about something like this, so I will do everything I can to keep her safe. She's in the last few weeks of her pregnancy; there's no need for unnecessary stress.
After we're done and packing the last few bits of our luggage, we walk downstairs to meet Bastien for lunch before we leave for home. I place the bags in his foyer then walk to his dining room area where I see him deep in thought.
“Here I thought you'd wear a happy expression after your auction,” I say and he looks up at me. “Not enough assholes selling their souls?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Good to see you walking around again, little brother,” he says, then gets up to embrace me. “But no, I'm currently buried under the stress of what happened at my auction.”
I frown when he says this and we take our seats opposite him. “What's that supposed to mean?” Bastien sighs and steeples his fingers underneath his chin. “Diavolos snuck a woman into my auction; apparently I had given my go-ahead because it was the fifth year of my success and I quote “anything goes',” he says and my jaw literally hits the floor.
“A fucking wo...wait, is she a human?” I ask in disbelief and Bastien nods.
"A human, but she might as well be a ghost since I haven't found any trace of her even existing,” he says and an uneasy feeling of deja vu shoots up my spine. I turn to Mia and her look of surprise mirrors mine.
“That's what happened to Mia; Maxim found every trace of her biometrics erased. Is this woman linked to Mikhail in any way?”
He shakes his head. “She doesn’t recognize him, so no. But I'm not exactly counting on her being honest with me. I mean, what parent would want their children erased?”
If they don’t want them to exist, they'll find a way to make sure they don't, I think but don't say out loud. Bastien needs to speak with this woman on his own and find out who she is before her secrets come to get the both of them.
"So what will you do for now?" I ask.
He shrugs. “I bought her for three million, she’s my responsibility now until I can find her family.” “Three mill..." I trail off and glance over at Mia. She gives me a knowing look since that's the original amount I offered her to be my surrogate. “Well, I wish you the best, brother. Just don't allow yourself to get fixated on this girl before she leaves.”
Bastien chuckles out loud and raises his eyebrow. “Oh, so you're advising me not to fall for my captive, are you?” he shakes his head. “Touché, little brother.”
“Ha, ha,” I say and roll my eyes and the rest of the lunch feels easier.
When we're done, Bastien walks us out and we say our goodbyes. “Don’t be a stranger and let me know when my nephew decides to grace us with his presence so I can be there,” he says and embraces both Mia and myself.
"Keep your cell phone close, it could be any day now,” I say and he promises to keep it on him at all times. I see how soft he’s become with Mia when he embraces her, and I notice the wistful look in his eyes when he watches us.
Even though he tries to hide it, I know my brother is lonely. My only wish for him is to find the love the Goddess has blessed me with. Not someone to replace Isla, but someone who will help him heal just as Mia has helped me.
“Ready to go home?” I ask when I get in after her.
“Absolutely,” she says in a giddy voice and I feel the contentment radiating from her mark. I draw her fingers to my lips and place a kiss on them while allowing our shared happiness to flow through my wartorn body.