The city in darkness always seemed to offer a sense of freedom. There were more shadows, places to hide. It would be so nice to run, to escape.

Now that I was married, my chances were gone. I was trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who clearly couldn’t stand me. My days were numbered. Pressing my fingers to my temples, I tried to massage the pain that began to build.

Showing weakness would get me killed.

Being strong and loyal, that was what I needed to do.

To survive.

To one day earn my freedom.

I had a plan, I just hoped I knew what I was doing.

****

Slavik

The party had long ago ended. Wives were gone. Children were nowhere to be seen. The only people left were men, available women, and whores. Ivan sat at the head, looking like a king, which was exactly what he was. In front of him was the woman who had been hanging off me earlier.

Dana was her name, and he had proof of her treachery. No one could outrun the Volkov Bratva and they certainly couldn’t betray it. There were many enemies of Ivan’s wanting to take over. They didn’t like the new era we all worked within. The treaties he built. The places he ran. The rules he implemented.

I did.

I was loyal to him.

My life was in his hands.

I’d die for this man. I owed him everything, and he knew I’d do anything for him. The moment he told me to marry Aurora Fredo, I’d done so without argument. My wife was different. The truth was in marrying Aurora to me, her father had given us the greatest of insults.

It was known far and wide the second daughter wasn’t perfect. To many, she was the ugly, fat let-down. The real prize was her sister.

What Fredo didn’t know was Ivan had wanted Aurora from the start. Again, I had no idea why he wanted her, only that he did. What I didn’t like tonight was seeing them together.

I didn’t love my wife.

Our wedding night had been a fucked-up mess.

My order from Ivan had been clear: consummate the marriage and produce the bloody sheets as per tradition in Aurora’s family. I’d done that, and even the memory of it grated on my nerves.

She’d been terrified but duty-bound.

The moment I touched her, I found her so fucking dry, it didn’t matter what way I’d taken her, she’d have been hurt. Getting it over with had been a challenge. I’d moistened her up with my saliva, pretending I was getting my dick ready as I’d done it.

I hadn’t touched my wife in a week, and it wasn’t like she complained. She slept stiffly on her side of the bed, rarely moving. I had to wonder if she slept at all.

Some nights, I found myself watching her.

She had long brown hair, a temptation I didn’t allow myself to give in to. It would be so nice to run my fingers through the length, to wrap it around my fist, and to jerk her back against me as I fucked her long and hard. To show her what our wedding night should have been like.