Bound To The Medvedi

e

th a chilling urgency that made my blood run cold. I stared at him, confused at his words.

ord left a bitter taste in

ds me, calmly in the empty room, his presence both comforting and excit

that?" I asked, my voi

," he explained, his tone firm. "It's a shiel

y situation. I was trapped, caught betwee

red, shaking my head. "I

st a bit. "You don't have a choice, Leni," he

sign that this was a game. But his eyes were dark and unr

y brother, his unsolved murder, the hole his absence had left in my life. I couldn't let my

turning away, needing a mome

ion stared back at me, a stranger with haunted eyes. Was this really my life n

n made. "Okay," I said, my voice b

kly as it appeared. He moved with swift efficiency, making arrangements, issuing orders.

pty parish building. My dress was given to me by Rafaela. She said I could

e vows. He cleared his throat, giving me an uneasy look before looking at his paper. "Dusan Nikoliç and Le

ve,"

ding, and I felt a strange twinge in my chest. Alm

age, to love and to be loyal to each other for as

aid, and I echo

ked Dusan if he vowed to "love, honor,

oat, and I gave an annoyed

*

dowed canals, felt like a world away from the sterile opulence of his Moscow

and halls filled with priceless art, the silence broken only by the echo of our footsteps. He point

ck with the scent of spices and the murmur of hushed conversations. He orde

ge well," I observed,

"I was born here, in St. Petersburg. My family has been here for generations."

ily...?" I as

tly. "They are... complicated," he said,

ed, changing the subject, his eyes fixed on the flick

u seek from me?" I asked,

ntense. "Understanding," he murmured,

acutely aware of the space between us, t

spoken energy. He led me to a grand ballroom, its polished flo

ni," he said, his

a slow, sensual rhythm that mirrored the tension between us. His hand on my waist w

," he murmured, his bre

Dusan," I replied, my

spine. "Maybe," he whispered, his lips brushing against my te

, and I felt a strange mix of fear and desire,

ite, he stood by the window, his sil

t show you," he said, hi

tucked away behind a bookcase. Inside, a single object

said, his voice soft. "She gave i

m, a haunting tune that spoke of loss and longing. He watched

said, his voice barely a whisper. "A s

eyes locking with mine. "But that secret," he murmured, his

oken desires, the tension between us a tangible thing. He tilted my chin up, his e

icity through me. Just as our lips were about to meet, he pulled back, a predatory glint in hi

way, leaving me breath