Page 53 of Betraying Family Vows

"Yeah," I admit.

"But don't worry. You're not on their kill list, and even if you were, I'm the one who handles it. So I'd skip you."

I don't know whether to fully believe him.

But I do know one thing. He hasn't lied to me yet. Not really.

We reach the shelter, our little half-collapsed ruin.

He ducks through the entrance, setting me down gently.

"I will say, this is the nicest place on the block," he says with a wink.

He then walks immediately over to his bag and kneels down. He pulls out a fresh set of clothes, a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a belt.

"Here," he says, handing them over. "You'll get better ones soon. I promise."

I take them, suddenly aware of how exposed I feel in my torn clothes. I turn away from him to change, though it seems ridiculous after what just happened between us. I peel off the knife-slashed sweatpants and pull on the jeans. They're too big, but the belt helps keep them on.

I put on the shirt. It's baggy, but I can tie the bottom into a knot so I don't feel like I'm swimming in it too much. As I tie it off, I try to calm the nerves fluttering in my stomach.

My body still aches in all the right places.

But my mind is a mess.

When I turn back, Dimitri is sitting against the far wall, gun resting across his lap.

He doesn't look at me.

Doesn't speak.

I try to act unaffected.

Like nothing just happened between us.

But the air between us is thick, heavy with everything that's changed.

Neither of us knows what this is now.

I walk over to him and sit in silence, trying to act relaxed. Comfortable, but questions keep popping up in my head.

What does what we just did mean? Where do we go from here? What do I do now?

And the moonlight coming in, making him look more dangerous, more beautiful, doesn't help answer anything. Silence won't solve my swirling thoughts.

Answers will.

I fold my arms across my chest, a subtle attempt to protect myself. To feel safe while also acting bold.

"You owe me a reason," I say, looking at him, breaking the silence. "A real reason why you killed my father."

He turns to look at me. His predatory eyes focus in on me.

There's a long silence, and then Dimitri's jaw tightens.

"Your father destroyed my family," he says flat and cold. "He had to die."

The words hit me like physical blows. The way he says it so simply, like nothing, it makes my throat burn, my eyes sting.