The Cottage

The Prince's Assassin #3.5

by Ariana Nash

Vasili has a new life and a new name. Niko just wants his prince to be happy.

But when has Vasili made anything easy?

*

The more Niko tries to to carve out a perfect life, the more Vasili pulls away. Niko has one last chance to save them, one surprise that will cement their love forever or have it crumble to dust.

*

Vasili knows Nikolas is lying. If that weren't insulting enough, he also understands why. What can he offer Nikolas, but nightmares and trauma? Nikolas needs a good man for his good heart. As much as Vasili desperately wants to keep Nikolas close, he also knows he doesn't deserve him. But how to tell the only man he's ever truly loved that it's over?

***

The Cottage is a romantic 30k word novella that takes place after the main events in the trilogy. It cannot be read as a standalone and should be read after Curse of the Dark Prince. There is 'misunderstanding angst', but The Cottage ends in a HEA.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, LGBT, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Novella

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2021

About the author

Born to wolves, Ariana Nash only ventures from the Cornish moors when the moon is fat and the night alive with myths and legends. She captures those myths in glass jars and returning home, weaves them into stories filled with forbidden desires, fantasy realms, and wicked delights.

Her debut novel Silk & Steel hit Amazon's:

#1 LGBT Bestsellers Horror
#1 LGBT Bestsellers Fantasy
#1 LGBT Fantasy Hot New Releases
#1 LGBT Horror Hot New Releases - for 3 months!

Join her Goodreads group here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Sign up to her newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/silk-steel

Reviews

[nark · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was ✨perfect✨… but also fucking ✨infuriating✨

(which i guess is a very fitting ending for Niko and Vasili. 🤣)

why can’t ANYTHING ever just be easy and peachy in Ariana Nash’s books???? i expected a happy, fluff filled novella, not THIS!!!

the angst at the beginning and the fact that Niko and Vasili just wouldn’t COMMUNICATE was so painful. ugh these two IDIOTS!!!!

then slowly, things would start getting better. then suddenly, they’re back to being idiots again. then we get some fluffy happiness. and then, of course, some more angsty pain on top of it. 🙄🤣

regardless of the extra suffering, this was a truly beautiful ending for Niko and Vasili.
seeing them happy together was just so wonderful, after everything they’ve been through.

✨ favourite quotes/moments ✨ -

“i love your mind, even though i can’t keep up with it. i love your soul, wounded as it is. i love your laugh - fuck i love that laugh so much. and your smile - not the i’m-about-to-fuck-you-up smile, the other one, the soft one. i love that one, when you finally show it.” 🖤

“s’hold you,” he mumbled, clamping a heavy arm around Vasili’s back and hauling him up his chest. Nikolas’s kisses skimmed his forehead. “my prinsh, so preshioush.” but then his kisses faded, his head flopped back, and moments later, his heavy breaths turned to light snores.
SLEEPY/DRUNK NIKO IS SO CUTE!!!🥺

“you’re a lucky bastard, Nikolas Yazdan,” Vasili purred.
“and i know it.” his heart swelled to bursting, because finally, Vasili knew his worth, and it was priceless. this love, this life, this was what they’d been fighting for, and now, finally, they’d found their happy ending. the prince and his assassin. together. forever. 🖤

[Ariana Nash]

This novella does all the things I couldn't do with Curse of the Dark Prince. More specifically, it gives Niko & Vasili the emotional room to figure out how they're going to make this new life work. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not smooth sailing to begin with. The trauma they went through doesn't just evaporate overnight. They've got shit they need to work through.

Niko will do anything to save his prince. But that's the problem. Vasili doesn't think he deserves to be saved. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but they do get there in the end. And, as happens with every series I finish writing, this final glimpse into their lives and their hard-fought HEA, had me in happy-tears.

I hope you enjoy it.

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✅✅✅ Smut
✅✅✅ Vasili and Niko
✅ Romance
✅ HEA

Vasili bowed his head, bracing his forearms on the bridge’s little wooden rail, and focused on breathing. He’d manipulated a court of Cavilles, he’d survived eight years in hell, he’d battled for ownership of his very soul, and this little cottage in a forgotten meadow had nearly brought him to his knees.

Oh well... Here is all the smut I was missing from the Prince's Assassin series! 🔥🔥

This book is a short novella about Vasili and Nikolas's not-so-easy happily ever after. Even if the threat of the dark flame is gone, and all the problems seemed to be solved, they managed to create new problems between them. But it's okay because there was smut and everything ended up being perfect. 😁

Half of Vasili wanted to push Nikolas away for his own good, but the other half wanted to kill anyone who dared try and take him.

The Cottage is a nice and sweet epilogue to the dark and heart-pounding series that is the Prince's Assassin. I liked that Vasili remained a complex character, and did not magically heal from all his trauma simply because their grand quest was over. Niko is still Niko; sweet and caring, yet completely clueless sometimes. 😅

Clearly, Nikolas was allowing his heart to guide his head. Again. “What you call brilliance, others might call madness.”
“I don’t care what others think. I love your mind, even though I can’t keep up with it. I love your soul, wounded as it is. I love your laugh—fuck I love that laugh so much. And your smile—not the I’m-about-to-fuck-you-up smile, the other one, the soft one. I love that one, when you finally show it.”

If you enjoyed the trilogy, I definitely recommend this hot and cute novella.

1. King of the Dark ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Reign of Darkness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Curse of the Dark Prince ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Astra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at the first half of this short little story, I didn’t expect the beginning to hold as much angst as it did 😅. But it was also nice getting to focus on the relationship aspect of Vasili and Niko without all that chaos lurking, and of course relationship means the good and bad. Scattered throughout all the smut are sweet little moments that have my heart. I’m going to miss these two!! 🥲 It’s been a wild ride. I really wasn’t expecting this trilogy to hit me as hard as it did but here we are!!! Five stars alllllll the way.

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread: june 2022
i'm so attached to these two, it aint funny. 😔


***

"No." No hesitation. Niko's heart soared a little, carefully, tentatively, like a fledgling uncertain of its course but finding its wings. "I'll be staying here a while." Vasili met Niko's gaze. "If Nikolas is in agreement?"
"It's your home," he said quietly, adding a lilt of hope while hoping he didn't sound too fearful of his reply.
Vasili glared like he might be about to fling a knife or fuck Niko against a wall. Really, the expressions were too similar to separate.

if i could sum up Niko and Vasili's dynamic:
Niko: *says something sweet or good about Vasili*
Vasili: *glares, doesn't know how to respond bc he was used to expecting the worst of people throughout most of his life*

me @ Vasili:


no bc Vasili literally reminds me of Seong-Jae from Criminal Intentions (Cole McCade) bc of his reactions/responses when Niko compliments him or says something sweet to him and i just?? do i have a type orr? 😭✋🏼

anyways,

this was such a Niko/Vasili way to finally get their well-deserved happy ending. even in this novella, there was still a bit of angst but it was SO them that i loved it??

my heart always hurts every time Vasili thinks he doesn’t deserve to have anything good in his life, i just wanted to go in the book and hug him. 🥺 thank god for Niko for always being beside him and making him realize that, yes, he deserves it all. <3

in conclusion, these two fools have my whole heart and anyone who dares fight or get in between them has to go through me. 🤧🤍

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Contains Spoilers*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

This novella help giving Nikolas ‘Niko’ ‘Nik’ Yazdan and Prince Regent Vasili Caville a proper closure. Niko just wants a live with Vasili where Vasili can finally be free, but Vasili believes Niko deserves better. Can Niko show Vasili that is it Vasili he want and love before Vasili pushes him away for good? Overall, I liked it. We FINALLY got to see Niko top Vasili and that was hotter than any other of their sex scenes. In my head, Niko is the top so it's sometimes hard that it is Vasili who tops, except for that one scene. I cannot help it, in my book, I need the bigger, more dominant one to be the top. That is my preference and what turns me on xP

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Dark Fantasy Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book Three.Five.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes.
Favorite character? - Nikolas ‘Niko’ ‘Nik’ Yazdan.
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes, I believes so.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes, if you like dark themes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows.
Rating - 3.5/3 stars.

[lakshmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUCKING PERFECTION YOU GUYS

Delicious push and pull. Jealousy. Reassurance. Space. Communication. I cant even talk. My brain is in making up scenarios for Vasili and Nicholas.

FINALLY. 🤧😭🤌✨

He twisted, puffed his hair from over his eye, and laughed.
Well, that laugh was it then. Niko was never letting him leave



“We do make a terrible pair,” Vasili admitted with a chuckle.
“In all the right ways.”

[Mariam, · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've lost it.

If anyone could make such a wonderful dream real, it was Nikolas Yazdan

I've actually felt the grip of my sanity loose it's marking from my brain, and I'm just floating in a bag of peas for a brain where my entire existence is a hallucinating mush.

I've lost it.
I've actually felt the grip of my sanity loose it's marking from my brain, and I'm just floating in a bag of peas for a brain but my entire existence is a hallucinating mush.

As Vasili Caville, he hadn’t wanted for anything, besides freedom. Then Nikolas turned his world upside down, against his will, and made him want things he had no right to covet. Things like freedom, like love. Made him want a man he’d vowed to use, a man who was to be his tool and his assassin. Made him want a life he had no right to, the kind of life he hadn’t sought out since Alek and his farm. Made him dream of better things.

In the absence of the flame, he’d begun to feel everything in brighter colors than before, and there was no more powerful a feeling than the one he felt for this man

You CAN'T blame me for being overdramatic after finishing this series because I only got 6 hours of sleep from the start of book 1 to the ending of this precious, glorious, never been done before, ethereal, life changing novella. (In 2 days! Holy fuck, I get bragging rights CUS HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!(or maybe I just need to get a life lol))

“Where’s the knife?” Niko demanded.
“Hm.”
“Vasili…”
“Find it.”
“You’re testing me, prince.”
“And you love it.”

“I do.” Love you. Gods, this man had pinned down his heart, and no matter what he did, Niko would forgive him.

God this book, IT DESTROYED ME. UNRAVELED ME. REPAIRED ME. DEBASTATED ME. This couple, Vasili and Nikolas devastated me and now I don't know how to continue back to reality.

Gods, he was a feast, every course poisoned, and Niko would die devouring him.

His cock was rapidly filling again. The damned thing was a whore for Vasili.

This book, the words and the life breathe in this book was more than just special. The amount of happiness and awe I have for these people in this little town, the way I have so proud of them all-i have to hold myself up because my heart is trembling.

“What you call brilliance, others might call madness.”
“I don’t care what others think. I love your mind, even though I can’t keep up with it. I love your soul, wounded as it is. I love your laugh—fuck I love that laugh so much. And your smile—not the I’m-about-to-fuck-you-up smile, the other one, the soft one. I love that one, when you finally show it.”

It was the way Vas was finally free, to see him alive and joking and snorting and laughing and living and breathing without the weight of the world on his shoulders has me crying on my knees. It was seeing how beautiful the love and utter devotion Niko gave to Vas and Vas only. The cottage, the trust, the promised, the freedom, the unwavering loyalty and the wholehearted meaning he gave to what it meant to love someone with your whole heart.

“We do make a terrible pair,” Vasili admitted with a chuckle.
“In all the right ways.”

It was the way Vas and Niko just.. grew and grew together. They way they talked, explored, the way they still remained the same wicked bastard selves with thrilling game of cat and mouse.

“Everything good in my life is taken away.”
“No force in this world can take me from you. The gods themselves cannot take me from you. Do you hear me? I will fight for this life, for us, and I’ll never surrender, Vasili.”

It was seeing their dreams finally coming true and I'm sitting here crying as I type this review because i-I don't have words for the simple yet elegant yet devasting beauty these two wrecked jewels brought to me.

“When I allowed myself to dream, those dreams were always of you.”

WHAT A WORLD Ariana created, what a family that is warmer that most and what a life to look forward too for our devasting prince and his assassin.

Vasili swallowed the small hitch in his throat. “I’m aware I can be difficult.”
Nikolas’s lips twitched. Gods, the man was impossible.
Vasili sighed through his nose. “I’m aware I have some unusual tendencies.”
“Like holding a knife to my cock?”
“Yes,” he relented. He’d enjoyed that, especially the way in which Niko’s cock had responded, not by wilting but by visibly stiffening. “And I’m obviously going to expect the worst and thus plan for it. I can’t suddenly forget my past or who I am.”
“I’d never ask you to, because I love who you are,” Nikolas spoke softly but with conviction. He stared at Vasili, daring him to argue.

initial reaction
brb sobbing

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

***5.0 fluffy happy 🌟***

“No more dreaming,” Nikolas said. “It’s real, and it’s yours. I’m yours. Just say yes.”“Yes, Niko.” He threw his arms around his shoulders and buried his face against Nikolas’s neck. “Yes!”



What a damn beautiful novella!

I absolutely loved it. This was the closure I needed after reading the final book of the series which was an emotional rollercoaster that left me pondering whether to seek a therapist or not 🤧.

After everything my sweet Vasili and Niko have been through they finally get the ending they deserve. Mind you, there is tiny bit of angst, misunderstandings, jealously and funny moments but this was the conclusion that I, as a reader needed. This was a satisfying and a beautiful romantic ending💗.

I will miss these characters 🤧. This novella will definitely be reread again.❤️❤️

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well....🔥🔥🔥

It seems there's nothing Ariana Nash likes more than making us think we've said goodbye to our faves, only to surprise us with a knock out novella to tie up all those loose ends, and make us relive all the feels! 😥 😍. And yep, The Cottage did all of that by the bucket load 👏.

It was so good to catch up with Vasili and Niko again, still fighting, still angsty (seriously, I wanted to take Vasili’s knife at several points and stab them both!) and still seriously H.O.T. Like more than ever 😈.

If you've read the series (and if you haven't yet, seriously, do it right now) then this is a must read for you.

Loved it💜.

All the stars ✨✨✨✨✨

[juli✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

❝we do make a terrible pair,❞ vasili admitted with a chuckle. ❝in all the right ways.❞

i- ✋😭
niko finally built vasili his cottage.


✩✩✩✩ king of the dark
✩✩✩✩ reign of darkness
✩✩✩✩ curse of the dark prince
✩✩✩✩✩ the cottage

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela corta de la trilogía “The prince assasin”. La verdad es que la trilogía principal no me resultó de lo mejorcito, digamos que no entendía muy bien la relación de los protagonistas y no me la creía del todo. Sin embargo este pequeño relato ambientado después de los acontecimientos de la misma, ha hecho que me crea de verdad la relación entre dichos protagonistas.

En general para ser un relato posr-novelas no ha estado nada mal. Además, vuelvo a repetirme que la autora escribe bastante bien, sobre todo en cuanto se refiere a personajes con traumas.

Seguiré leyendo a esta señora porque el drama me puede y se ha convertido en mi punto débil.

[V.ya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is everything I’ve wished for. It’s so good to see Nikolas and Vasili in their lives after the dark flame. The author also takes her time to show that it’s not an automatic happy ending for them. Both Nikolas and Vasili have too much bagage. Past traumas and the burden of what they’ve done result in insecurities—especially on Vasili’s side. The way he convinces himself that he doesn’t deserve anything, that everything will crumble down because he will mess it up, is so heartbreaking.

Nikolas is, of course, still his obtuse, softie self, who’s so desperately in love and can’t believe his luck that Vasili chooses him. The man is sincere (he built Vasili a cottage for goodness sake!), but can also be dense and full of jealousy sometimes. Oh, and he’s also open to explore Vasili’s “more exotic” taste in the bedroom, resulting in sizzling smut scenes between them.

The understanding between them comes gradually, but finally, we’ve got their sweet and convincing, nothing-will-come-between-them-again ending.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what was missing in the whole series. Romance and sex and lovey dovey sweetness....with frustration of course.
But I loved this glimpse into Vasili and Niko's life.

[Nicole Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop it.

I thought the ending of the last book was what I wanted and needed, but I was wrong because this... This was what I truly wanted and what I truly needed.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good ending to this series. The epilogue made my Grinch heart so happy. 💜💜

[jailynn ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg FUCK. I don’t want it to be over 😭

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

not me just finishing this again for the third time…

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice, and necessary addition to the series. Necessary in that neither Niko or Vasili had any real experience in navigating a relationship, and nice in that we got to see them living out their hard-fought HEA.

[nia ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

these two are so incredibly frustrating but my god do i love reading about them

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Is it really that hard to have a conversation?
Because seriously the miscommunication trope on what's basically an epilogue novella is criminal! I read this because I'm always up for a nice, spicy MM HEA story... but even this was angsty.

[TrippyBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a necessary read to finish the series . It really wraps everything up while spoiling us with some romance, 🌶 and jealousy scenes. Love them♥️

[Trefoil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this and I already want to re-read it. This was everything I hoped for and more. This did many pleasant things to my heart and left me quite satisfied with Vasili and Niko's story and life.

I think this took me about 3 hours to read? I really couldn't put it down, and I enjoyed every bit.

[Sailor Neptuno · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We do make a terrible pair,” Vasili admitted with a chuckle.
“In all the right ways.”

This was the perfect farewell I needed for this series. I was avoiding reading it the minute I got it on my kindle because I didn’t want to say goodbye to Niko and Vasili. But I couldn’t wait any longer.

This novella summed up all the feelings and doubts unspoken between Niko and Vasili. Since all the chaos is settled and there are no more threats around, now they have to learn how to live without having to mistrust the people around them. And of course that didn't happen right away, especially for Vasili.

The epilogue just broke me. Don't know why it hit me so hard but I was a mess after reading it.

[Raven Neverever · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was like the final chapters that were missing in Curse of the Dark Prince.
Niko and Vasili finally get to talk about their feelings - without talking about their feelings.
Some conflicts in the book seem a little forced but you have to constantly remind yourself that it is Vasili Caville, then it makes sense again 🙃
All in all it was a nice wrap up and I really enjoyed reading it as a "book snack".

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of push and pull, misunderstanding and lack of communication. It ought to end in book 3 and add only the epilogue chapter of book 3.5 without the need for added drama.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM

The smut the tension the angst, this ending to this series like the way I am obsessed with vasili and niko

[Evelyn220 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ Angsty and spicy novella that beautifully caps off the Prince’s Assassin series. This had all the emotion, spice, and communication that we craved in previous books. A must-read that delivers a sweet HEA.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the ooey gooey goodness we wanted for Vasili and Niko. This also completely solidified Niko as boyfriend goals!! I could not get enough of their passion, their fears and their openness (finally) with each other. Vasili at his most vulnerable was a dream!! These two were just incredible!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, yes I know. I shouldn't have read this, but after paragraph one, how could I stop? Honestly. I adore Ms. Nash and while I know a few things now, once I start the trilogy (which hopefully will be soon once book 2 gets in the mail) I know I won't be disappointed. I'm already in love with Vasili and Niko. :D Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!!!!!

Will we be lucky enough to have this in paperback anytime soon? Please, let it be yes. I'd absolutely love to add it to my ever-growing shelf of Nash books :D

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both loved and hated this.

I had hoped this would be mostly an extended epilogue but instead we get a whole bunch of sex scenes (that I’m not complaining about at all and two of which were, admittedly, verse-fucking-spectacular) and a whole bunch of miscommunication from both Niko and Vasili and “how could we ever make this work?!” from Vasili. Amongst some assumptions from Vasili and Yasir that made zero sense.

I had hoped to see the two final settle into their happily ever after. I wouldn’t expect Vasili to make it easy, but I did expect to see a bit more of the end result. Still, I love the characters so much and in the end it was all good again, but it was a tough read to get there.