Whiskey Sunrises

13- Protector

Niko's POV

Watching her sleeping form, I felt the familiar surge of anger flowing through my body at what had been done to her. To us.

I'd always wanted children, so finding out that the woman I loved more than anything in this world was going to give me my first was the best news I'd ever received. I might not have known her for very long, but the moment I laid eyes on her I knew I had to have her. After that first night, I knew that I would never meet anyone like her. She had a fire in her. She was passionate, head strong, witty, and fierce. I knew that she would make an amazing mother, teaching her children to be just as unapologetic as she was. To love fiercely and freely, to go after anything they wanted and get it. I cried for the first time in years after the accident happened, for her and the baby. I wasn't a crier. She changed that, like so many other things in my life. She brought me joy and happiness, made me feel passion without lust (though the lust was present 99% of the time).

We had the relationship I thought I would never find. Magic. We teased each other, laughed at each other and with each other, we were passionate and protective. We spoke about everything, from dinners to childhood stories. She knew nearly everything about me and I about her. She captivated my body as well as my soul. She was a fire that burned in my cold Russian heart.

But right now she was vulnerable, heartbroken and angry. I was going to fix that.

I would get revenge for what was done. My people were going to locate the son of a bitch and whoever helped him soon, and I would deal with him personally. I would make sure that he begged for death, one that I would make as slow and painful as possible. Alayla knew that I had a few 'dodgy' partners, as she put it, but she also knew not to worry about them. They were nothing compared to me, they were simply there to help us. I knew she enjoyed beating up her ex when she did it, but I also knew that she would want another as soon as we found him. She wanted to make him pay as much as I did.

I would have him kept in a cellar somewhere until she could do that. She needed to heal first, her body before her heart. I was happy that she would be going home today, knowing that she was growing tired of being kept in a hospital bed. She had a ten inch gash in her leg that was about four inches deep as well as a fifteen inch one in her side, causing her to have limited movement. The steel nearly punctured her lung, the loss of blood almost killing her. Her collar bone was broken, cuts and bruises littering her body.  Too many times, the word 'nearly' popped up in my conversation with the surgeon, but he assured me that everything went well. My heart nearly stopped when he stepped into the hall, covered in my goddess' blood, but he was able to save her.  I made sure that he was compensated for it.

She was getting better, even smiling sometimes. She was very open towards me about her feelings, always letting me know what she felt at the moment, asking me about mine shortly after. She didn't believe in bottling things up, nor sugar coating her words. She was straight forward and honest about everything, no matter the situation. Feeling her shift beside me, my attention was brought to her beautiful blue eyes as soon as they opened.

"Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?" I asked softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hey there handsome. I'm good, but I'll give you another answer when my brain has woken up as well." she lightly joked, pecking me on the cheek. Even the slightest touch from this woman had my body humming.

"Then I'll ask for one a bit later. Hungry? Thirsty?"

"I would love some coffee. Some very strong coffee that's made in my own kitchen." she pouted.

"Then it's a good thing you're going home as soon as the doctor checks you out, isn't it?" I chuckled.

"Thank goodness. I can't wait to do nothing in the comfort of my own home. Are you going to the office later?" she asked.