Page 60 of Rapunzel Is Losing It

“Sure,” I breathed.

“I can go,” Del said and pushed her chair back.

“It concerns you, too.”

“That’s ominous,” I said.

Victor took a deep breath and looked back and forth between the two of us before finally settling on me. “I’ll be gone all weekend.”

“What?”

“I’m leaving later tonight. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“No. You can’t.” My protest sounded weak even to myself.

“I have to.”

“What if you don’t? What if you just stay?” I asked.

“You know who my family is, right?” Victor’s eyes skipped to Del, who nodded, then back to me. “My uncle would use you to punish me, Cordelia. Something small at first, just to send a message. A finger. A tooth maybe.”

My spine straightened but I pushed away the images of blood, and tried to process what he was actually saying. Victor’s uncle was holding me over his head. Victor had to work for his uncle because he was trying to keepmesafe.

“Should I be concerned?” Del asked.

“No, you’re safe,” Victor said, “my uncle wouldn’t take on Beckett without good reason.”

“Should I be concernedfor the two of you?”

“I’ve got it under control.”

“Can I just- I need-” I scrambled out of my chair, grabbed hold of Victor's wrist and dragged him to my office. Once the door was closed, I whirled on him. “I need you to tell me it’s safe foryouto go. I have like two or three dozen teeth. I can give up a molar to keep you safe. You don’t have to go because of me.”

“It’s safe for me to go,” he said matter-of-factly.

“And now the truth?”

He heaved a deep sigh. “I’m coming back to you, zhizn’ moya. Everything in between doesn’t matter.”

“You’ve called me that a few times. Zhizn’ moya. What does it mean?”

“My life.”

“Is that a Russian endearment, like myhoney, babyorsunshine?”

“No.” He ran his fingers over the curve of my chin. “Youaremy life, Cordelia. I have no interest in existing without you. In fact, I don’t think I could. It’s not an endearment. It’s a simple truth.”

“That’s not healthy,” I breathed as if I hadn’t gone through a full meltdown myself when I had to meet Silas Whitaker without Victor by my side.

“I don’t care.” His fingertips curved along my jaw to the small hollow below my ear.

“How long is this going to last?” I asked and closed my eyes. “How much longer do I have to wait?”

“I’ll try to find out this weekend.”

“It’s hard,” I whispered and leaned into his touch, “I don’t even know how to talk to you about what happened on my birthday, because that was the complete opposite of waiting. Well, maybe notcomplete. Thecompleteopposite would involve less clothes.”

“That was me being selfish. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that when I know I can’t be with you yet. Not fully. Not the way you deserve.”