Bound by Blood

Bound by Blood AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE MAFIA ROMANCE THE ANTONOV MAFIA BOOK THREE IVY DAVIS Copyright 2023 by Ivy Davis - All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. Contents 1. Katia 2. Katia 3. Alek 4. Katia 5. Alek 6. Katia 7. Alek 8. Katia 9. Katia 10. Alek 11. Katia 12. Katia 13. Alek 14. Katia 15. Alek 16. Katia 17. Katia 18. Katia 19. Alek 20. Katia CHAPTER 1 Katia Alek is dead. I stare at the computer screen, unable to tear my eyes away from the image of Alek on the ground, surrounded by his own blood. My lungs constrict so much it’s hard to breathe. My vision turns black at the edges while my heart feels like it’s breaking. “This …” I gulp. “This can’t be real.” “But it is,” Mikhail says, closing the laptop. “Wait!” “What? You want to keep looking at his body?” He takes the laptop away from me. “He’s dead. That’s all that concerns you.” God, I feel like I might pass out. This can’t be happening. I wanted to be free of Alek for so long, and now, I get my chance, so why don’t I feel happy about it? “Wait. Just let me see … him. I need to see him.” Mikhail didn’t let me look at the live feed on the computer for very long. I’m still processing it. “Why?” “Is he really dead?” And how does that make me feel? “Of course.” “But … how?” Mikhail sighs as he sits next to me on the couch. I notice he makes a point of letting our knees touch, and I want to pull away, but I don’t want to upset him. I still have no clue what’s going on. First, I find out I’m pregnant. Then, Mikhail kills Mila in front of me. Next, he kidnaps me. And finally, I find out Alek has been murdered by Mikhail’s hand. If that’s really true, I’m stuck with Mikhail. And I’m not sure that’s any better than being stuck with Alek. In fact, it may even be worse. “I had no choice,” Mikhail explains. “He was trying to kill me. So, I killed him. Simple as that. Now, stop asking questions. Aren’t you supposed to be a good girl?” He runs his hand over my hair like I’m a dog. I force myself not to jerk away. I can’t react. I need to be rational about everything. It’s just sort of hard to do after finding out my husband has been murdered. Plus, I’m still covered in Mila’s blood from when she killed less than an hour ago. I know I’m on the verge of a panic attack, but I can’t let Mikhail see me like that. “But how did you get the upper hand over him?” I ask. Mikhail’s hand clenches, tearing my hair from the roots and making me wince. “Didn’t I just say to stop asking questions?” “Yes, but …” I need to get control of this situation. “I have a right to know, Mikhail. You’ve taken me from my home. My husband is dead. I need answers.” He stares at me with a stern expression I can’t make out. “Fine. I took you because I thought that was what you wanted. I killed Alek because I thought that was what you wanted.” “You did all of this for me?” “I killed Alek because it’s my turn to be in charge, but yes, I also did it for you. Now, we can be together.” Stay calm. Stay calm. “When you promised to get me away from Alek, you never said you wanted me for yourself. I had a right to know that. You tricked me, you know.” He begins to run his hand over my hair. “I wouldn’t call it a trick. I’d call it an omission. But I finally kept to my word. I got you away from Alek. You’re free of him now.” He frowns. “Why aren’t you happy?” Because I’m still stuck with a fucking psychopath. “I’m … just in shock, is all,” I say instead. He nods. “I understand. This is a lot. But just know, Katia, I’ll be a good husband to you. You don’t need to worry about that.” “Oh?” My heart is going to beat right out of my chest. I swear, I’m five seconds away from passing out. I got used to Alek. I even started to … care for him. But Mikhail is a whole other ball game. I don’t know what to expect from him. I can’t go through more pain. I don’t have much left in me. How ironic. Alek always wanted to break me down. It seems he finally got what he wanted, and now, he’s dead. Mikhail chuckles as he continues to stroke my hair. It’s not comforting. “Yes. I’ll be a wonderful husband. All I ask is for you to be loyal to me. And to obey me.” Of course. Of fucking course, he’d ask for that. These mafia men are all the same. The minute Alek set his eyes on me, I was doomed. Now, I’m forever stuck in this twisted world. I’ll never be free of it, of mafia men, of the pain they bring. But I have to play along. I need to think of a way to escape. Alek messed with my emotions enough that I couldn’t kill him. However, I have no love lost with Mikhail. If I get the chance to be free of him, I’m taking it. And with Alek dead, I’ll finally be free of the mafia. Expect … for the child growing in my belly. This child will always