Page 85 of The Pakhan’s Heir

“And you agree with him?”

I pull away from her. The tears are starting up again. I wipe my face with the heel of my hand. “Of course not. Tonight… tonight, he risked the lives of his brothers and himself just to rescue me from my father. He killed for me. More than just killed. I thought that meant…” I pause. I don’t really want to say it aloud. It sounds naive. Yeva crosses her arms.

“Did he tell you that he didn’t love you anymore?” she asks me directly.

“No, but⁠—”

“Did he say anything about being done with you and this marriage? Like he can’t bear to be around you?”

“No.”

“Then what are we really talking about, here? Nona, the way I see it, he didn’t give you a command. I mean, he might think that’s what he’s done, but if he truly wanted you to leave for any reason, all he’d have to do is pick you up and toss you out on the street.”

I scoff. “He wouldn’t be that cruel.”

“Yes, he would,” Yeva says. “They all would. If you meant nothing to him, you’d know it.”

“Okay,” I say, throwing up my arms. “So, he cares about me. That just means this asking me to leave is really his idea of a noble act⁠—”

“You’re not hearing me.” She sighs exasperatedly. “Look. Do you still want to be his wife?”

“More than anything.”

“All right. Then go back up there and claim your place at his side. You tell him that you’re not going anywhere. He just went through fire for you tonight. For you. You need to go up there and remind him of exactly what he risked his life for.”

She pauses, locking eyes with me. “You are worthy of him and of this life. You just have to remind him who the fuck you are every now and then.”

She smiles and pats me on the shoulder, then she says, “Now, I am going back to bed. And just in case, I’m putting in earplugs.” She winks and walks away.

I stand there in the middle of this nearly empty room. My tears have dried and Yeva’s words are ringing in my ears. Remind him who the fuck you are…

She’s right. She’s been right this whole time. We didn’t just go through hell just for him to push me away.

I leave the guest room and walk back up to the bedroom.

To my surprise, he isn’t in the bedroom when I get there. The shower is still steamy and his bloodied clothes are still on the floor by the bed. But he’s nowhere to be found.

I’m standing in the hallway outside the bedroom, debating whether or not I’m going to look for him. I’m full of fire now, ready to tell him off… and he has the nerve to not be around.

Typical. I should take a shower myself and just go to bed. Make my case in the morning.

Or… or I can look for him. This house is pretty big, but he’s still got to be here somewhere.

I walk around, checking all the rooms I come across, save the guest bedrooms. Yeva is asleep, so I don’t want to disturb her, and Rikki isn’t here tonight. Usually at this hour, he’s up and I can sometimes hear him pacing the floor in his room. I honestly don’t think that man sleeps at all.

I find myself in the furthermost wing of the house where there’s been some recent renovation. I walk through the double doors blocking off this area and I find myself in a gym area. Wood floors and weight benches, a couple of treadmills…

How did I not know this place was here? I wander around it for a few seconds and pick up the faint scent of sweat. It’s then that I come across a wooden door with a small window in it. I peer in.

The room has a long wooden bench against a stone veneer wall that goes all the way around all three sides. There’s a metal container filled with black rocks with glowing red corners. As I look, I see a figure lean forward and pour a ladle full of water onto the rocks. A plume of steam rises from the center and settles in a cloud.

I follow the figure as he sits back down. It’s Alex, as naked as the day he was born, sitting on the bench and leaning his head back against the wall. Through the fog of steam, his body shines with sweat, highlighting his abs and the muscles of his thighs. His large cock lies across one thigh at half mast, looking just as relaxed as he does.

I shouldn’t disturb him.

No, Yeva is right. We didn’t come this far to break up. I’m not about to let him do it. I grab the handle and open the door.

A waft of steam floats out around my head, and the mix of heat and cool makes my skin tingle. He looks up at me, then rolls his eyes and leans back. “Nona⁠—”