Page 105 of Marked By the Devil

She raised her brows. “You okay?”

I nodded. Then I winced.

She shook her head. “Not okay?”

I swallowed and debated telling her why I probably looked so overwhelmed.

“I just know that you had that test, and with how soon we’d come back and all this probably happened, I imagined that maybe you still hadn’t taken it and didn’t know if you’re…” She gestured at me vaguely. “So with all that happened, if you wanted someone to be on standby while you do take it, I was going to offer to watch out here for Viktor or anyone else coming so you could take it in privacy.”

I lifted the test stick and showed it to her.

She blinked and slowly smiled. “Oh, wow. You… did it.”

I stepped out of the bathroom and closed the bedroom door. “More like Viktor and I did it.”

“Uh, that too.”

I paced, unable to hide what I was sure was a panicky face.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Doing Viktor?” I asked, knowing damn well that wasn’t what she meant but needing to distract myself somehow because just accepting the fact that I was pregnant was so much to absorb. “Yes, of course I am.”

“I meant having his baby.”

“Yes.” I pressed my hand to my forehead as I paced. “Yes, I’m okay with that. I’m more than okay with that. But it’s just so much. It’s a lot. And I’m not even married to him or even sure if I’m technically his girlfriend or if he loves me or⁠—”

“All right, I can tell you that he does.” She nodded as I glanced at her, still pacing. “I mean, we can all see that he does. It’s obvious. Some of these Volkov men are not, um, the best at expressing their emotions with words.”

“I know. But…” I sighed, letting my shoulders slump. “It’s scary with all the unknowns. I’m not secured into the family like Elena or Carina are. Or you, even though you’re the only one who’s not pregnant yet.”

“Um.” She cringed. “I am, actually.”

My mouth hung open. “What?”

She nodded, smiling more after that element of surprise. “Lev and I just haven’t shared the news yet. We only just found out and we didn’t want to steal the thunder with Isabel being born and all.”

“And now I’m pre-emptively stealing your thunder.” I hugged her. “Congratulations, Mila!”

She hugged me back gently. “We were hoping to keep it just to ourselves for a little while, at least.”

“I won’t tell.”

She laughed lightly. “So you’ll keep two pregnancies secret?”

I winced. “I don’t want to hide it from Viktor at all. But… it can’t be an easy conversation.”

“Maybe and maybe not. It is intimidating getting welcomed into this family. I didn’t have an easy time of it either. Elena and Carina will tell you the same thing. But we’ve all managed to find our purpose and figure out how we can make everything work. It is a culture shock, being here. I can confidently tell you that no matter how scary it is, and no matter how many unknowns come at you, they are the good guys. You don’t have to question your ethics and principles like that. They have their own views and ways of making the world a better place, like you always say you want to, but they are fighting the good fight.”

I hugged her again, so glad to hear her perspective.

“And Viktor will stand by you. All of them will move heaven and earth to protect all of us in the Bratva.”

I smiled at her, knowing she was talking from experience.

She didn’t have to convince me any further. I truly believed her. But she wouldn’t have had the time to explain anything else to me, anyway.

It sounded like the men were coming upstairs.