Page 35

Maybe, for now, that was true. For however long I remained here. But after that, I’d have to survive on my own again.

Perhaps I should let myself believe him. Just for now. Just until I had to fight again.

“Rafael, Andrei, breakfast is ready. Go wash your faces,” Elif instructed, gesturing for them to follow.

They obeyed without hesitation, and an unfamiliar warmth bloomed in my chest as I watched Rafael leave without his usual, hesitant glance toward me for permission.

“You should head downstairs too, if you want to eat before Ivan and Dimitri make everything disappear,” Sasha said, walking toward my sister.

Sienna leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her head held high.

“Don’t worry about me,Hardman. I’ll manage just fine with what I have.”

Sasha raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly.“Hardman?”

“What? You’re a crooked lawyer, aren’t you ? So is he,” she quipped, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she brushed past him.

Sasha’s jaw tensed as he stared at the spot where she’d stood before following after her, muttering something I didn’t catch.

But my attention was quickly stolen when Nikolai stepped toward me, his towering frame making me tilt my head back slightly to meet his gaze.

“If you’d asked for paper, I would’ve gladly given you some,” he remarked, amusement glinting in his eyes.

“If I’d been awake at the time, I would have,” I replied with a grimace.

I tensed as he closed the distance between us, forcing me to lift my chin to keep looking at him. His hand lifted slowly, and I watched it with wary eyes—but I didn’t move away like I had last night.

He gently rubbed his thumb across my forehead before pulling back with a smirk.

I couldn’t stop my eyes from flicking to his lips as that same unfamiliar heat rose inside me, my palms turning clammy.

He held up his thumb, now smudged with black marker. “You’re lucky they didn’t use permanent ones. A little water and you’ll be good as new.”

I simply nodded, mumbling a quiet thank you before stepping past him toward the bathroom.

“Be careful not to get your cast wet,” he reminded me before quietly shutting the door behind him—leaving me alone and… lost, again.

Nikolai

I walked into the main hall, unable to shake off my amused expression—or, worse, the visceral urge rising inside me.

The urge to kiss her.

My thumb, tucked into my pocket, still burned with the memory of Selina’s soft skin. I clenched my jaw as desire coiled tightly in my chest.

I entered the dining room just as Rafael nearly collided with me, his head lowered. I caught him before he could stumble back, “watch where you’re going, boy.”

His wide, startled eyes lifted to mine, a flicker of fear still lingering in them, “sorry… I didn’t see you,” he murmured. “I was looking forMammato help me with my shirt.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. What’s wrong with your shirt ?” I crouched to his level.

“I have one button left all alone, and all the others are messed up,” he explained, tugging at the fabric.

Sure enough, he’d buttoned it all wrong, leaving the last button dangling awkwardly.

“Let me see” I unbuttoned and redid the shirt while he stood perfectly still. As I neared the last button, I noticed a small mark just above his navel—a birthmark.

“Mamma says it’s a trace of love,” Rafael said, pressing his fingers to it. “She gave it to me when I was born.”