Chapter 20–NIKOLAI

NIKOLAI

CLAUDE WAS SPRAWLED across the bed, limbs slack, lips slightly parted. He'd passed out after three days of pure hedonism, and I couldn't blame him. Even my stamina had its limits.

"Claude," I murmured, brushing my knuckles over his jaw before giving his shoulder a nudge.

He groaned, stirring sluggishly before his eyes cracked open—those haunting eyes, slit and feral before they softened into something resembling humanity. Even now, I hadn't decided if I hated or loved how those eyes unsettled me.

But I had bigger concerns.

"Who did this to you?" My voice was low, deceptively calm.

He blinked up at me, his lips curving into a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nikolai," he rasped, pulling me closer, his arms wrapping around my neck. Instinct took over, my hands finding the heat of his skin, the press of his back beneath my palms as I dragged him against me.

I kissed the sharp edge of his jaw, my teeth grazing his skin hard enough to leave a mark—a warning for anyone else who thought they could claim what was mine.

One of his hands slid lower, but I caught it, pinning it by his side. My thigh pressed between his legs, holding him in place as I gripped his chin, my thumb tracing the fullness of his bottom lip.

"You passed out," I said, watching as the smile on his face widened, lighting up his sharp, tired features.

"And now I'm ready for round... what? Ten?" he teased, voice gravelly but playful.

I chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips before pulling back.

"You need to eat," I said, tugging on a pair of pants and grabbing a shirt. My gaze drifted to the trash bin overflowing with water bottles and discarded wrappers. "Neither of us can survive on this garbage for much longer."

Claude propped himself up on his elbow, his expression softening as he watched me. "Fine," he said, exhaling. "I could eat."

I smiled faintly, but as I reached for the door, my hand hesitated on the handle.

"Claude," I asked, glancing back at him. "Who was it?"

His smile faltered, the ease in his body evaporating. It was a long moment before he finally answered, his voice quiet but clear.

"Antonio."

The name hit me like a blade to the gut, and the burn in my chest was fast. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. Without another word, I walked out of the room.

I found him in the corner of the ship's deck, pressed up against some woman like he had nothing to fear in this world.

"Antonio," I said, stepping into the light.

He froze, his mouth stilling against hers as his gaze snapped to mine. For a brief moment, his fear was there, but then he smirked like he thought he could talk his way out of this—like he already knew why I was here.

I flicked my cigarette to life, taking a slow drag. "Go," I said to the woman without looking at her. She didn't hesitate, scurrying off as if the devil himself had given the order.

"What the fuck, Nikolai?" Antonio spat, his voice trembling under the thin veneer of bravado. His face was a patchwork of stitches and bandage.

I didn't respond. Instead, I closed the distance between us, and before he could register the movement, my fist connected with his jaw.

The crack of bone and the way his body crumpled sent a thrill through me. I hauled him up by the collar of his cheap suit, his legs scrambling for freedom as I slammed him into the nearest wall.

"You touched him," I hissed, my voice low and venomous. "You touched what's mine."

Antonio's mouth opened to protest, but I silenced him with another punch. And another.

The rage was consuming, driving me as I pounded my fists into his face until it was unrecognizable. His blood slicked my knuckles, but I didn't stop, didn't even think of stopping.

When he finally slumped, his body trembling and broken, he gasped out words that only added fuel to the fire.

"That boy," he choked, blood staining his teeth. "That boy is a monster."

I laughed, the sound hollow and cold. Gripping the collar of his suit, I leaned in, my voice a whisper in his ear.

"You don't know what a monster is."

With a savage grin, I slammed his head into the ground. Once. Twice. I didn't stop until the light left his eyes and his body went limp beneath me.

Standing, I wiped my hands on his suit and dragged his corpse to the edge of the deck. The ocean swallowed him whole, the dark water churning as if eager to erase him from existence.

The wind was sharp against my face, but it did nothing to cool the fire still burning in my chest.

"Andrei," I called out, knowing my second was lurking in the shadows nearby.

He emerged silently, his expression calm.

"What's the update?" I asked, lighting another cigarette as if my knuckles weren't dripping blood.

"It's all handled," Andrei replied. "The cargos are on their way back to the warehouse."

I nodded, taking a long drag. "Good," I said, though the urge to destroy something still burned hard in my chest.

"There's one more thing," I added, flicking ash to the ground. "There's a boy, Jace.—jet-black curls, tall, well-bred, flamboyant. Really hard not to notice. Tail him. When he gets off this ship, take him to the house."

Andrei didn't ask questions. He never did. He vanished as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving me alone with the quiet hum of the ocean and the bloodstains on my rolled-up sleeves.

I exhaled, pushing my hair back from my face, my thoughts drifting back to the man waiting for me in bed.

"Time to feed my boy." I muttered, the corner of my mouth quirking into a faint smile.