Blood & Torment (Pins and Needles: Moscow Book 2) by Elizabeth Knox (best short books to read TXT) 📕

We get to Dema’s hospital room door and knock. Kronid’s deep voice comes from the other side, telling us to come in. I stay close to Michail as he opens the door, and we step through.

Upon entering the hospital room, I shoot them both a wide grin. Dema’s sitting up in the hospital bed, holding a little bundle of joy in a cream-colored blanket. Kronid’s sitting next to her with one leg stretched and the other’s bent.

“Hey,” I whisper in greeting.

Dema smiles. In fact, she’s grinning bigger than I think I’ve ever seen. “Hey, I was wondering if you forgot about us.”

“I could never forget about you,” I say, stepping away from Michail to move closer to Dema’s bedside.

“What happened to you?” Kronid demands, taking in Michail’s appearance. He’s a bit pale, but the doctor told us that was normal as well.

“I’ll fill you in later. Right now, you need to focus on the child,” Michail mutters, nodding to the bundle of joy. We decided not to tell Kronid what happened until they were out of the hospital. The last thing we need is for Kronid to leave Dema alone while they have a newborn, and knowing Kronid, he’d want to go handle things.

“So . . . a boy or girl?” I ask with the utmost excitement.

Grinning, Dema holds the little tike out to me and I scoop the baby up into my arms. “Meet Kazimir.”

Kazimir.

Glancing down, I smile at the little boy. A great name for a child who has parents who not only adore each other but would do something I never really had growing up. They’ll love Kazimir with all that they are. This little boy doesn’t understand it yet, but he’s so very lucky.

Kronid might be a hard ass and a broody man like Michail, but when he looks at Dema, he’s nothing of the sort.

“Hi, Kazimir,” I coo, swaying with him in my arms ever so gently.

“We have a question for the two of you,” Kronid announces.

“What would that be?” Michail asks, moving his arm around me as he looks down at the baby in my arms.

“Would the both of you honor us in being Kazimir’s godparents?” My heart skips a beat at Kronid’s question.

Oh.

My.

God.

I didn’t see this coming. Neither of them is religious, or at least I don’t think they are. Dema’s my best friend, but I never thought she’d ask me to be something so important.

“Yes,” I say, tears filling my eyes. “I would love to be his godmother.”

“You know I will protect your son with my life,” Michail announces, his hand tightens on my hip at the declaration, pulling me closer to him.

We spend a little bit longer with the small family and finally leave them to rest. We need to get back to the apartment anyway because Michail needs his rest too.

Stepping into my apartment, I lead Michail straight back to my room and we go to the bathroom. I grab a washcloth and turn the water in the sink on to get warm. I don’t want it overly hot, and he hasn’t been able to shower in the last two days because of the stitches. Michail doesn’t say anything as I remove his shirt and toss it in the hamper. I then unfasten his pants and slide them down his legs. Michail toes his shoes and pants off and stands before me gloriously naked.

I go about washing the grime from his skin. I may take a bit longer than usual, but I might be ogling over his glorious body. God, he’s carved from stone. I swear. Forcing the naughty thoughts back down, I keep wiping the cloth over him until he’s cleaned up. I take his hand and lead him to the bedroom, where he climbs into the bed while I strip out of my clothes.

Naked, I move to the other side of the bed and curl into him carefully, so I don’t hit where he was stabbed. Before long, Michail’s breathing is even and I follow right behind him, utterly exhausted after the last few days.

Tomorrow is looking brighter than ever and I look forward to waking up next to him. For once, maybe even the first time in my life, I can live without the fear of blood and torment following me.

I’m safe now, and more than that, I’m finally free.

Coming

February 4, 2022

Blood & Betrayal

(Pins and Needles #3)