Page 26 of Ivory Oath

“Here,” I blurt, blinking like he might disappear between one shutter of my eyelids and the next. “You’re here.”

A strangled yell echoes down the hallway behind him followed by a single shot. Then the house goes quiet. Mikhail glances down the hallway once before he extends his hand towards me. “Are you ready?”

Nothing about this is funny, but a laugh chokes out of me. “‘Am I ready’? Am I—What are you doing here, Mikhail?”

Is he working with Trofim? If this is yet another betrayal, I don’t think my heart can take it. On some level, I expected it from my father. But not from Mikhail. I won’t survive it.

“I’d think that was obvious,” he drawls. “I’m saving you.”

It’s not obvious to me. Nothing about what is happening right now makes any sense.

“You sent me away,” I remind him. “You didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“And now, I’m here.” He says it easily. Like it’s normal. Like I should have expected it all along.

I shake my head and the room spins. I stumble to the side, but before I can even think about catching myself, Mikhail is there. His hand is firm on my shoulder. The earthy, citrus scent of him wraps around me and I want to cry.

“You’re freezing.” He unbuttons his shirt and shrugs out of it. He has a fitted t-shirt on underneath that would make him Public Sex Symbol #1 if he ever walked outside in it. It’s been days since I’ve seen almost any human and now, I’m inches away from the most perfect man I’ve ever laid eyes on as he drapes his body-warm shirt over my shoulders.

“What are you doing here?” I ask again. The sliver of hallway I can see through the open door is still empty. I don’t hear footsteps, but someone must be coming. “Where is Trofim?”

I realize in an instant that Mikhail doesn’t know Trofim is alive. No one knows he’s alive except for my father. He probably thinks I’ve lost my mind. Hell, maybe I have.

“He’s gone.” Mikhail’s jaw flexes.

I wait for more of an explanation. Is this Mikhail informing me that Trofim is supposed to be dead. Or does he know more than he’s letting on?

“‘Gone’? In what way?” I press. “Because there might be some things about Trofim you don’t know yet.”

“I know he’s alive. I know you didn’t kill him.” Our eyes meet and his are completely unreadable. If I’m forgiven, then he’s going to have to spell it out for me.

“Okay, okay.” I nod. “So you know he was here, but he left?”

“The coward ran.” I can see flickers of what Mikhail would have unleashed had Trofim not run. The raw rage and power Mikhail contains sends a shiver down my spine. “But I’ll find him. I’ll make him pay for what he did to you, Viviana.”

He’s going to take care of me.

It’s dangerous to let myself rest too hard on that point. It’s proven flimsy in the past. I’m starting to think I’m the only person who can take care of me these days.

But the anger on Mikhail’s face morphs into something frantic as he drags his hands over my shoulders, down my arms. He takes me in one inch at a time, his icy blue eyes assessing me even as they set me on fire. “What did he do to you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lie.

Nothing is fine. But nothing matters as much as understanding what’s happening in this moment.

“Why are you here?”

Mikhail hesitates for only a second before his hand slips to my cheek. His thumb brushes tenderly along my cheekbone. I don’t even mind if he’s smearing blood and dirt on my face, because I need this. I sink into the warmth of his hand.

“I’m here because you’re here,” he breathes. “And you shouldn’t be. And I’m going to fix that.”

Mikhail doesn’t let go of my hand as he leads me out of the room and down the hallway. The guard who delivered my food the last few days is lying in a crumpled heap at the base of the stairs. I step over him without an ounce of sympathy.

Halfway up the stairs, I have to lean against the wall to catch my breath.

“Viviana?” Mikhail’s voice is honey to my frayed nerves.

“I’m tired,” I admit—a heroic feat in and of itself. I don’t like looking weak, but my legs burn and my chest aches. I can’t catch my breath. “I don’t know if I can make it all the way up the stairs.”

---