Sanctum: A Dark Bratva Arranged Marriage Romance (Wicked Vows)

LEANING in to whisper in my ear, Aleks says, “I’ll pay a visit to your father tonight. We’ll have a talk, man to man.”

When I stare with wide eyes, he shakes his head. “I’m not going to hurt him, Harper. But if your brother’s there… I make no promises.”

I feed Ivy little bites of chicken and praise her for sitting at the table so quietly. “I’m hungry,” she says. “Cookies if I eat lunch?”

I nod.

“Well,” Ekaterina says, standing. “Wine isn’t cutting it here, my loves. I think we need to bring out something stronger, shall we?”

I like her already. She comes back to the table with a bottle of vodka in each hand. “Harper, vodka flows in our blood. It’s strong, though. Care for a taste?”

“I care for more than a taste,” I reply. “Thank you.”

Aleks’s eyes shine at me. I had no idea saying yes to his family’s favorite drink would tickle him.

Ekaterina hands me a shot. I take it and down it in one gulp before I realize they’re all staring at me, still holding their full shot glasses. I stifle the need to sputter, liquid fire burning my throat. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, my cheeks warming. “Do we all drink together?”

Aleks snorts. “Don’t worry, we drink alone, together, in pairs, in groups. You’re fine.”

Still, he links a finger with mine, holding my gaze while the rest of them hold their drinks.

“To new beginnings!” Ekaterina declares.

“New beginnings.”

Lev, the youngest one, pulls up a remote and hits a button. A large white screen descends. “Now that our guests have left, we need to have a meeting. I’m going to patch Mikhail in on a call.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I hardly pay attention to what they’re discussing, since none of it pertains to me. I know none of the names or places, though Aleks keeps looking at me. Instead, I’m trying to take in the family.

Most of Polina’s attention is on Ivy. When Ivy gets antsy and wants to get down from the table, Polina gestures for her to come over to her. Ivy leaps up on Polina’s lap and Polina shows her how to shake the salt and pepper shakers into little piles on her empty plate. My mother would’ve made me sit with my hands folded and I’d have gotten in big trouble for getting up, but I’m glad the Romanovs seems a bit more at ease, at least when it comes to Ivy.

None of them are surprised that she’s here. I wonder if Aleks warned them ahead of time.

At one point, Ivy wriggles down from Polina’s lap. I expect her to come to me, but instead she taps Viktor’s arm. He’d be the last one whose arm I’d tap, but Ivy is undeterred.

Wordlessly, he reaches down and lifts her up onto his lap. She turns to face him and traces a finger down the side of his face, where stubble meets scars. Then ink on his neck. “Dirty,” she whispers, shaking her head. She lifts a napkin and dabs at the tattoo on his neck.

Polina snorts. “Out of the mouths of babes.”

Aleks winks at me, and my heart does a little somersault in my chest. I draw in a deep breath.

Lev is speaking animatedly with his hands, like we Italians do. Nikko watches. Unlike the others, he’s still eating. He cuts every piece of food with militaristic precision, sets his knife down, then carefully eats each bite. He doesn’t seem to be a man that’s quick to make decisions but rather is thoughtful and meditative. I was born and raised in the mafia, so I know how this goes. He’s skilled with a gun, careful and precise — this guy’s the assassin.

I shiver and lift my empty shot glass for another refill. Half an hour later, Ivy’s made the rounds and visited with everyone at the table. Lev looked a bit awkward but spoke to her kindly, explaining why he had “boo boos” and “Band-Aids.” Nikko poured her a glass of water and made funny little animals with his cloth napkin. When she reached Kolya, dessert was served. He broke little bites of cookies onto his plate and handed her each one. But when she got to Ekaterina, she reached her arms out to her and laid her head on her chest. When I looked up a few minutes later, Ivy was asleep on her shoulder, Ekaterina stroking her back.

I look over at her, a bit jealous. I want to hold my sleeping daughter, but I’m glad that she has a safe place with Ekaterina.

Thank you, Ekaterina mouths to me. She strokes Ivy’s sweet blonde hair and gently rocks her. My heart warms. Ivy has moved from the only family she had and been welcomed with open arms into a new one.

This family is nothing like mine.

I’m not sure what to think. My brother and father told stories of the Romanovs. We heard of their exploits and merciless cunning in the streets of The Cove. When I’d first arrived here, I’d wondered how much of that was exaggerated. But I’m on the inside now. I’m one of them. They wouldn’t treat me the way they’d treat an enemy.

I remember that Aleks said he’d pay a visit to my father tonight…

“We need to begin to plan the gala,” Ekaterina says.

“We have months still,” Nikko says, shaking his head.

Polina scoffs. “Spoken like a man,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Do you have any idea how far ahead most of our vendors are booking? Of course you don’t. You think we snap our fingers, and they just show up?”

Nikko shrugs. “That’s how Mikhail does it.”

She snaps back at him in Russian, and he responds with a quick retort. I have no idea what they’re saying, but after a few minutes of heated discussion, Aleks holds up a hand.

“Enough,” he says in that tone he has that demands attention. “Ivy’s sleeping. You two behave yourselves. Nikko, unless you’re planning on handling the details of the gala yourself, we do need to discuss it. But Polina, understand we don’t give a shit about details. We trust you to handle matters.”

She purses her lips and nods. “That’s fine. All we needed to do was make sure we vet the list of guests. You guys make friends and enemies so quickly, the people we are friends with one day are our archenemies the next, so we don’t want to misstep.”

Aleks shrugs. “Fair enough.”

She starts going down a list of names of people. The only ones I recognize are the Rossis from Boston, and based on the earlier discussion, I’d welcome them myself.

“What’s the gala?” I ask.

“Romanov family tradition,” Aleks supplies. “Every year, my family hosts a huge gala, a charity event with an elite guest list. We spend months planning the event. Last year’s function raised three million dollars for the children’s hospital.” He shrugs. “It allows us to maintain our front as a legitimate business while skillfully forming alliances and networking.”

Ah. “So a charitable front.”

“Mhm.” He turns to face the rest. “Does anyone else have business to bring up?”

“Viktor,” Nikko says, “I heard your little venture recently ran into some…turbulence. It’s a shame when people don’t see eye to eye. Do you need me to smooth things over?”

Ah. Here we go. The veiled hints at who they really are and what they really do. It’s like sitting at a dining table with vampires who seem nice enough, until the hostess pours a glass of blood into a flute.

“I might need your help,” Viktor grumbles, his arms crossed on his chest. He doesn’t look like he needs any help whatsoever, so the fact that he agrees tells me this is a big deal.

Lev speaks up. “Got Mikhail finally.”

“Sorry,” Mikhail says in a stage whisper as he appears on the screen. “This place has shitty Wi-Fi.”

“You mean the hospital?” Lev snorts. “Tell me about it.”

“Why didn’t you guys tell me? I could’ve helped you,” Aleks says. My master computer hacker. Of course he could.

“Aria said the same, but she’s been otherwise occupied,” Mikhail says.

“How is she?” I ask.

Mikhail smiles at me. “Harper. Good to see you at the family table. She’s amazing. Tired, sore, but says it was all worth it.” He pans the iPad over so we can see where Aria’s fast asleep beside a little bassinet with a baby rolled up like a baby burrito, all swaddled in blankets.

“Oh my God,” Polina says, covering her mouth with her hands. “Tell me they’re taking visitors!”

“Soon,” he says. “I promise.”

“I’m going to buy all the things and do all the things and you have no idea what you guys are in forrrr,” she singsongs.

“Maybe it’s time you get some kids of your own,” Nikko says. I don’t know him that well, but there’s a teasing glint in his eyes that tells me he’s needling her.

She either missed that, or it’s a touchy subject, because her cheeks flush pink and she purses her lips. “You can mind your own business, Nikko. I don’t see you putting a ring on a finger or knocking anybody up, do I?”

“Polina!” Ekaterina hisses so she doesn’t wake up Ivy.

She only shrugs. “They’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”

Something in me squeezes. Tears prick my eyes and I have to look away.

My family got rid of me that easily. God, it burns.

A warm hand covers mine. I look up to see Aleks still focused on the family meeting, but he squeezes my hand wordlessly.

I flip my hand under his and squeeze back.

“You remember that judge that gave us shit?” Viktor says, reaching for a cookie.

“The one with the mustache?” Nikko says in a growl. “Yeah, I remember well.”

“Let’s just say he developed a newfound appreciation for community work. Next week, he’ll be joining you for a round of golf, Kolya.”

Kolya’s eyes twinkle. “Fascinating what a little charity work can do for perspective, isn’t it, gentlemen?”

Ahh. Here we go with the mobster — excuse me, Bratva discussion. They just have more class than my family.

Kolya turns to Aleks. “Has Stravinsky caught up on those gambling debts?” He shakes his head. “Poor guy. He may need a little financial counseling, Aleksandr. Just to make sure he understands how crucial timely payments are.”

A muscle twitches in Aleks’s jaw. I shiver. “Last I checked, Stravinsky was vacationing with his trophy wife in Bermuda. So yeah, I think a little financial counseling is in order.”

Ekaterina purses her lips and rocks Ivy gently. “Mikhail, I wanted to let you know that I witnessed one of your soldiers spending time with that Anderson boy down at the graveyard when I put flowers on your father’s grave.”

The whole room tenses. “Are you serious?” Mikhail asks. I have no idea what they’re talking about, but apparently, she just dropped a bomb.

“Oh, yes,” she says, gently running her fingers through Ivy’s hair. “Maybe it’s time we have a bit of a discussion about family values and what we mean by loyalty, hmm?”

My eyes widen when Aleksandr sits up taller. “Viktor, are you free tomorrow night?”

“Of course,” Viktor says. There’s something about the way he chomps the cookie that reminds me of a tiger.

“You and Nikko have a planned hunting trip then, don’t you?”

“We do.”

He cuts his eyes to me. “Harper, I think it’s time you joined them.”

Nikko grins, but Viktor looks bemused. “You want your wife to go with us?” He leans forward. “You are talking about the — hunting trip — down by the beach house, aren’t you?”

Who goes hunting by a — ohhh.

Well, shit.

Aleksandr smiles. “I am. Nikko, we need to tell them what we discovered today.”

“I’d rather show them,” he says. “May I?”

My skin prickles with awareness and I suddenly feel a little nauseous. What are they going to show? Do I want to know?

Why does the daughter of a mobster still get queasy when it comes to things like this? Right now, as far as I can tell, they’re talking about “hunting,” which I assume has some sort of assassination vibe, “financial planning” due to someone’s poor financial choices, which I can only assume means beating somebody the fuck up, a “discussion” about family values and loyalty, which naturally means someone’s in deep shit, and an offer from the family hitman to “smooth things over.”

In other words, this family discussion isn’t for the faint of heart.

“Can you see, Mikhail?” Nikko asks as he pulls up a second screen on a laptop.

Mikhail sits up on the screen, his eyes alert. “Clearly.”

“Excellent.”

Nikko hits a few buttons and an image that looks vaguely familiar pops onto the screen. When Aleksandr’s grip tightens on mine, I realize I know why it’s familiar. It’s footage from earlier today, outside.

Oh my God.

I stop breathing when I realize that’s…me. Holding a gun.

Those targets weren’t… that far away, were they?

Everyone watches in silence as I hit the first target, then the second. Audio booms from overhead speakers.

I suddenly remember what else we did out there. “Aleks,” I whisper in a strangled voice. “Shooting wasn’t the only⁠—”

“Don’t worry,” he whispers back. “I know exactly where every camera on this estate lies. You’re safe.” His eyes darken. “Do you think I’d fuck my wife where people could see?”

I shiver. God, he’s so damn protective and I love it so much. I swallow. “No.”

He kisses my cheek and says softly, “No one sees what’s mine, Harper. No one touches what’s mine. You’re my wife, for me and me alone.”

I swallow and nod as the footage continues.

I hit every damn target. It’s like having an out-of-body experience. I don’t even recognize the woman on the screen. She looks— capable. Confident.

Badass.

Finally, it’s as if someone hits a thaw button on the room and everyone springs into action.

Viktor curses reverently. Ekaterina’s eyes dance. Polina stares, her jaw unhinged.

Nikko grins. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my fucking life.” He shakes his head. “We’re having a contest. You all can place bets.”

“My money’s on Harper,” Lev mutters. He looks at me with newfound respect. “Who taught you?”

I lick my lips. “Um, no one.” I shrug. “It’s just… it kind of came naturally.”

Disbelieving murmurs go up, though no one’s bold enough to challenge me in front of Aleks. Kolya, however, chuckles. “I knew one man in the military with such precision. When the military caught wind of his prowess and skill, he became one of their most beloved weapons.” His eyes cut to Aleks. “Advice, Aleksandr. Please consider keeping your wife’s exceptional talents between us alone, and no one else. No one.”

Aleksandr’s eyes harden. “Absolutely.”

“This is stunning, Harper,” Mikhail says with obvious admiration. “Would you object to aiding our family if we have need of your skill?”

I’m seriously kind of touched he asked me instead of just assuming. I clear my throat. “This is my family now,” I say. “Of course.” But do I really know the full extent of what I’m agreeing to?

“Oh my God,” Polina breathes. “Can you teach me?”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a single clue how to teach someone.”

“Which is exactly why you know her skill is natural,” Kolya confirms.

I like this guy.

“There’s something I’d like you to keep in mind, Harper.” I look up to the screen to see Mikhail’s serious gaze on me. “Please.”

I nod, swallowing, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of everyone’s focus on me. “Yes?”

“There’s a big difference in knowing how to shoot and knowing how to kill,” he says. The quiet in the room underscores the gravity of what he’s telling me. “We could be under attack right this minute and you’d likely be able to shoot to kill and be successful.” He leans forward. “It’s something entirely different knowing it was your bullet that took someone’s life.”

My stomach turns. Aleks squeezes my hand. I nod wordlessly.

“Get acquainted with your weapons,” Mikhail says. “We’ll keep your skills between us. And Harper?”

I nod.

“Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you.” I clear my throat. “I have something to say.”

Mikhail nods. Aleks watches me, his blue eyes on fire.

“There are…situations… that might need something other than a deadly kill, am I right? Like… warning shots or maybe you need someone to disable a weapon, or, or… a camera or something. I could…disarm explosives or something. Incapacitate without causing a fatality.”

Aleks nods emphatically. “Absolutely.”

“Noted,” Mikhail says. Behind him, a baby cries and Aria stirs in bed.

“Aleks, she’s more skilled than any of us, but there’s a world of information you can still teach her. Are you ready?”

Aleks nods. “I am.”

“Excellent,” Mikhail says. “And just in time.” He sits up straighter. “I just got notification that there’s a mysterious drone flying over your house and three unmarked vehicles driving around the perimeter of your estate.” He looks at me. “Harper, ready to showcase those non-lethal skills?”