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“We saved each other,” she corrects softly.

I lower us both into the water, settling her against my chest as we float together. The sun dips closer to the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant oranges and purples. Her head rests on my shoulder, her body relaxed and pliant against mine.

“I love you, Mrs. Ivanov,” I murmur against her hair.

We drift there in the warm embrace of the sea, holding each other as paradise surrounds us.

I hold her closer as the waves rock us gently, my mind still reeling from the impossibility of it all. Six months ago, if someone had told me I'd be floating in the Maldivian ocean with my wife—my fucking wife—I would have put a bullet between their eyes for the sheer audacity of the lie.

But here she is. Wearing my ring and my name like they were always meant to be hers.

The irony isn't lost on me. I spent years taking what I wanted through force, violence, and intimidation. I built my entire existence around the premise that love was a weakness, that attachment was a liability that would get you killed.

Then I kidnapped this woman.

Bound her to a fucking bed because I couldn't trust myself not to touch her.

And somehow, in the twisted mathematics of our impossible situation, she fell in love with me anyway. Not in spite of who I am but because of it.

Most people search their entire lives for their other half. They go on endless dates, swipe through apps, and attend singles events, all desperately hoping to find that one person who completes them. They follow all the rules, do everything right, and still come up empty.

Me? I found my soulmate by breaking every rule that exists.

I should feel guilty about the circumstances. Should be tortured by the knowledge that our love story started with her captivity. But watching her now—the way she smiles at me like I hung the fucking stars, the way she trusts me completely despite everything—I can't bring myself to regret a single moment.

Maybe we were always meant to find each other this way. Maybe the universe knew that conventional paths would never work for people like us. She needed someone who could match her fire, who wouldn't be intimidated by her brilliance or try to dim her light.

We're both damaged goods, products of a world that doesn't believe in happy endings. But somehow, we fit together like two broken pieces that form a whole.

The sun continues its descent, casting everything in gold, and I've never felt luckier in my entire fucking life.

Thankyou so much for reading Chain Me, the third book in the Beautiful Monsters series. I hope you enjoyed following Erik and Katarina’s story.

The fourth and final book will be Hunt Me, following Alexi and Iris. The pre-order is scheduled for the 21st of November, but I’m hoping to bring it forward. This will be the latest date it will be published.

Hunt Me: A Dark Mafia Romance

I've made a career of being invisible. Until I met him.

Alexei Ivanov. The "Ghost" of the dark web. Digital prince of the Ivanov crime empire. Brilliant. Volatile. Irresistible.

Breaking into his systems was supposed to be revenge. Instead, I found an addiction. Each breach calculated, each taunt deliberate—digital breadcrumbs leading him straight to me.

He thinks he's hunting me, but I've been hunting him all along.

As our game spills from screens into reality, the electricity between us becomes impossible to ignore. The line between predator and prey blurs with every encounter.

They say never bait a monster unless you're prepared to be devoured.

I'm counting on it.

Hunt me, Alexei. If you can.