Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy #1 ) by Rina Kent

The door bangs open, and the pain dulls to the background when I’m met with familiar icy blue eyes.

Captain Kirill.

He’s dressed in casual pants, his black army boots, and a heavy coat that’s covered with snow. He removes the hat, revealing the entirety of his face, and he’s wearing…glasses.

My heart thuds behind my rib cage as this unusual image of him sinks in.

He looks regal, all muscle and destructive energy tucked neatly behind the casualwear. The glasses give him the appearance of an intelligent accountant who might or might not be hiding some dangerous tendencies.

“Oh, you came back,” Nadia says after inspecting the newcomer. “Your wife is apparently scared of needles, so how about you help me keep her in place before she opens her stitches?”

He starts to walk inside, and I’m too stunned to talk or think, so I keep staring, dumbfounded.

“Did you buy what I asked for?” Nadia asks him.

Captain Kirill opens his coat and gives her a bag of medicine, then removes the piece of clothing and throws it on a chair opposite the fire.

He’s dressed in a black button-down and a sweater that fails to leash the intensity dripping off him.

“Good, good. I thought you were going to be killed by the storm.” Nadia nods. “Now, get over here.”

I can’t believe my ears or my eyes, because the captain actually follows her instructions and allows himself to be ordered around.

Something niggles at the back of my head, and I can’t figure out what, no matter how much I think about it.

As he approaches me, looking bigger than a god and just as deadly, the reason behind my frozen state rushes back to me.

Did Nadia just call me his…wife?

There must be some sort of misunderstanding, because what the fuck?

My thoughts whither and vanish as he sits beside me on the mattress and wraps his arm around my waist.

The heavy weight of his hand settles on my hip, large and imposing, and effectively steals my breath.

His fingers splay out on the fabric, and even though our skin is separated by the nightgown, he might as well be touching me naked. He’s never touched me this way, and the novelty of it throws me off.

“Capt…”

I trail off when my eyes clash with the warning in his harsh ones. The intensity behind them rivals the pain in my shoulder.

“It’s only a needle.” His voice carries like warmth in the harsh winter. Deep and firm, but not as authoritative as I’m used to. Jesus. Is this an imposter or something?

“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” Nadia supplies from beside me, but I’m too focused on the captain’s face to pay attention to her.

His free hand strokes my cheek so gently and lovingly, I think I’m going to melt. “You can do this, Solnyshko.”

No.

Nope.

I must be dreaming or else…or else…Captain Kirill just called me his sun. A term of endearment that’s only used between lovers.

My jaw is about to hit the ground when he strokes my chin, subtly closing my parted lips.

The motion is fast and straightforward, but he might as well have provoked a war in my chest. The place where he touched me tingles and heats, leaving me gasping due to something a lot different than pain.

A prick swerves my attention to my arm that Nadia has successfully gotten a needle into. The sight fills my throat with nausea.

“Look at me, Solnyshko.”

As if hypnotized, I turn my head in his direction. For some reason, his icy eyes aren’t so savage anymore, but they’re still dangerous. He’s successfully hidden his nature behind the black-framed glasses, but not enough to fool me.

“It’s going to be okay,” he says in that fake softness that wrenches a shiver out of me.

What…is this? How am I supposed to stare at the captain and not think of him as my captain?

The space between my legs warms and tingles. It’s uncomfortable enough that I want to push him away and go hide somewhere.

“We’re all done.” Nadia interrupts the moment, and I blink once as I break contact with his hypnotizing eyes.

Nadia hands over my painkillers and a glass of water. “These will dull the pain. If you’re tired, sleep. My husband will be here to see you shortly.”

“Thank you, Nadia, and not only for this, but also for taking us in when we had nowhere to go,” the captain says in that weird tone. He sounds like the most eloquent gentleman, who’s impossible to resist.

“At least one of you has manners,” she says without changing her expression.

“T-thank you,” I blurt.

“Excuse my wife.” The captain tightens his hold on my waist. “She’s not usually this way, but the gunshot has flipped our world upside down.”

“I understand.” Her gaze softens before she directs it at me. “You’re lucky to have such a devoted husband, young lady. Not many would carry another person all that distance during a snowstorm.”

My lips are parted again because they said those words. Again.

Wife. Husband.

What the hell is going on? Have I perhaps woken up in an alternate reality where the captain is my husband?

“Dinner will be ready in an hour,” Nadia announces, then leaves the room.

The moment the door closes, I feel the shift in energy and the intense scrutiny someone’s keeping on me.