- 7 9 -

 As Roman's hand ran gently through my hair, I couldn't help but sigh heavily, looking at the television screen in front of us and trying my best to focus on the show that was playing.

My head was in his lap, his back against the headboard and we were in my room, trying not to mention the events that would take place in a few days.

After my brothers and I had talked, they threatened Roman, who wasn't in the bit swayed or threatened by them until they told him they'd take me away from him did he finally snap and pull his gun on them, yanking me to his side.

"There is no way in hell that I'd ever let her go and if anyone thinks they can take her away from me, they'd have to deal with me first." He'd snarled at them and my brothers gave me a warning look, one that told me to be careful and to tell him.

I knew what I was doing, and I was careful, but I trusted him. It was the telling part that I couldn't do.

"Romy." I whispered when he hummed, pushing my hair behind my ear when I sighed once more.

"You've been sighing a lot, angel. What's the matter?" He asked gently, his fingers stroking my cheek as I laid on my back, my head still in his lap while I stared at the ceiling, threading my fingers through his.

"I love you." I whispered, looking into his eyes when his brows knitted together and he smiled a bit unsure.

"I know, baby, and I love you too." He spoke in confusion while I chewed on my lip nervously.

"I need to tell you something." I said quietly when he hummed.

"Go on, I'm listening."

"You won't be mad? Or leave me, right? You'll stay with me no matter what? Promise me first." I held his hand tightly when he frowned deeply.

"I promise, angel. I'll always stay with you." He reassured me when I took a shaky breath.

"My brothers… We talked today and they–" I paused, closing my eyes tightly when he squeezed my hand once and I opened them, looking at him with much difficulty.

"They want to end it." I said and his jaw clenched tightly.

"End what?" His tone took a dangerous edge as his eyes searched mine and I gulped.

"End what, Heather? Us?" He asked furiously when my eyes widened a fraction.

"No, no, not us!" I said suddenly while he looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Then what?"

"They want me to end what I started when I came here." I spoke slowly and he froze, realisation clear as day washed over his features as his eyes scanned me.

"They want you to kill my father." He stated more than questioned and I nodded after a quiet moment.

"Yes." I added quietly as his eyes moved away from me, his face hard and so emotionless, I couldn't decipher what it meant as his jaw worked in thought.

"Okay." He breathed after a few moments, unsure.

"Okay? What does that mean?" I asked in confusion.

"It means–" He looked back at me with a weird emotion in his eyes when I sat up in alarm.

"That you can go ahead and do whatever you want. I won't stop you. You wanted my permission, didn't you? There you go, you have it." He spoke with bitterness in his tone, swallowing thickly as he turned his face away from mine and I frowned.

"That's– That's not what I meant, Roman. I wasn't asking for your permission." I told him when he chuckled humourlessly.

"So you all were going to kill him anyway, why ask me then?" He looked at me accusingly when my frown deepened.

"That's not what I'm saying." I said and heard him sigh as he reached for me and I pulled away abruptly.

His eyes widened a fraction in alarm as I pulled myself away from him, crossing my legs and sitting away from him.

"Come back here." He reached for me again but I moved my face out of his reach, his body getting tense and his eyes burning with worry.

"I need to think, please, just– don't." I raised my hand to stop him from coming over to me when he gulped, nodding once hesitantly.

"Fuck, I'm sorry angel, that's not what I meant either. I wasn't blaming you, I swear, I'm just so fucking conflicted at this point I have no idea what I'm doing." His voice was a strange plea when I looked back at him.

"I told you already, Roman. I told you that day that I would do anything for you. That I'd let go of everything, for you. This is included in that 'everything'. Just tell me and I'll stop everything. I'll stop it all right now." I said when he shook his head, still upset over the fact I was telling him to stay away from me.

"And I told you that day that I can't possibly ask you for something like that. I just can't." His voice wavered at the end and I hated that, not taking a second longer as I climbed into his lap and straddled him, resting my head on his chest.

"It's okay, Roman. He's your father. You both share the same blood, he's your family." I emphasised trying to get the point across as he rubbed up and down my back.

"No. He was dead to me the day he tried to kill my mother. And he's killed yours too, angel. I can never forgive him for that. Believe it or not, I want him dead as much as your family does." He said with firmness in his voice when I snuggled deeper into him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to ruin the only relationship you have left." I said, looking up into his emerald green eyes when he scoffed.

"I have you, I don't need anyone else." He said and I smiled softly at him, my hands framing his face as I pressed my lips to his and felt him kiss me back with so much love I thought I'd explode.

"And I have you. But you have Lilac too, and Varo and Lily." I said and he nodded, pecking my nose and resting his forehead against mine.

"Even if I didn't have them, you were always more than enough for me." He rasped and my smile widened as I hooked my arms around his neck and he lowered us onto the bed and brought the duvet over us.

"And you'll always be more than enough for me." I whispered, feeling him kiss the top of my head as my eyes started to droop.

* * *

"Why do you keep following me?" I clutched the blanket closer to my body, keeping myself from shuddering as the man next to me settled on the couch.

"Because I want to. And because–"

"Please don't say because you love me." I said exasperated when he chuckled, the sound reverberating through my body and settling deep inside me like a deep, familiar ache I used to long for.

"But what if it's the truth?" He asked, a slight amusement to his tone when I rolled my eyes.

"You've grown." He said after a few moments of silence when I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

"More mature. More beautiful. That man is wise not to let you out of his grasp." He smoked a cigarette, releasing the smoke from his mouth a moment later.

"That man knows how to value something and take care of it. He knows how to love and not let power go to his head." I emphasised and heard his light scoff.

"I'm assuming you're indirectly telling me to go fuck off because you're happy?" He asked and I smirked lightly.

"Basically, but your words, not mine." I said and briefly saw his small grin as he shook his head and took another drag of his cigarette.

"You love him, don't you?" He wasn't pleased when he said it, which filled me with more satisfaction than it should have.

"Yes, I do." I said with confidence and a stupid grin on my face.

"And do you still love me?" He asked after a few quiet moments and I froze, pursing my lips as I stared at the night sky.

"I own your heart, Thea." He murmured and I scoffed.

"You do not own my heart, someone else does. Someone who's so deeply embedded into my soul that I can't think of anything or anyone else but him. And that includes you, Igor." I said with a firmness in my tone which didn't seem to settle well with him.

Well, he can go jump off a cliff for all I care.

"But do you still love me?" He asked and I made an annoyed sound, finally looking straight at him with a frown.

"If you're asking me if I'm over you, then yes, I am. If you think I'm still hung up on you and your false promises, you're wrong again. If you think I loved you, then yes, yes I did. If you think you broke me, you're right again." I spat.

"But I found someone who put me together, and I fucking love him for that. If you think I still have a soft spot for you, then yes, I do!" I snarled at him, shoving my finger into his chest as I took my frustration out on the man I once called mine.

"I know." He whispered softly, his face close to mine and his grey-brown eyes sparkling in the night.

"Where is he right now?" He asked, brushing my hair away from my face gently.

"Asleep in my room. In my bed." I told him and saw his left eye twitch.

"You let him sleep in your room— with you. Has he touched you like I did? I was your first everything, after all." He murmured knowingly and I hated how smug he was about it.

"I let him do anything and everything to me, anything he could ever want, because I'm his, and he's mine, not that it's any of your business." I sneered.

His nostrils flared when he grabbed my jaw, pulling my face impossibly closer to him, making my breath hitch as I stared at him wide eyed.

"You were always mine, and always will be." He snarled, our lips only an inch apart and I remembered how he used to kiss me with that mouth— that oh so sinful mouth.

"I was yours, but not anymore." I said in a quiet voice, prying his hand off me gently.

"It's best if you leave. Roman will wake any moment now." I told him and saw his frown.

"You're letting me go." He stated more than questioned, confusion evident in his tone.

"I don't hate you, Igor. I did love you. And some stupid part of me probably still does but… I've changed. For him. Only for him." I whispered.

"Leave now." I told him again.

"I'll have you." He said with desperation when I smiled to myself.

"No, you won't." I said and got up.

"Where are you going?" He asked me as I stopped near the door of my bedroom.

"To my future." I said and went inside, closing the door behind me.

Resting my forehead against the door, I sighed heavily, wiping the few stray tears from my eyes just as I heard rustling behind me and heavy footsteps before two large arms wrapped around me, picking me up and carrying me back bridal style towards the bed.

"What are you doing awake at this time?" His raspy voice reached my ears and I smiled, cupping his cheek and pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep." I whispered and saw his confused nod as he lowered me onto the bed and wiped under my eyes.

"Why are you crying, angel?" He asked me when I shrugged and took a shaky breath in.

"Just thinking of the past." I told him and saw him nod softly as he laid next to me, turning to face me and wrapping his arm around me.

"Are you okay?" He whispered when I nodded and laughed a bit.

"I am now." I stroked his cheek, his stubble prickly under my palm and both of us smiled like the love-sick idiots we were..

"Romy?" I whispered and he hummed, running his thumb over my cheekbone.

"Can you do something for me?" I asked.

"Anything for you, angel." He said and I smiled at him warmly.

What did I do to deserve him?

"Make me forget." I whispered and saw his surprised yet confused expression.

"Make love to me." I said again and saw as he released a shaky breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking at me with a deep desire and a burning intensity I lost myself in.

"Make me yours forever." I whispered and saw all the emotions pass his face before he leaned forward and captured my lips with his, climbing on top of me just as I heard a door close somewhere and sighed in relief.

He's gone.

And Roman's here.