Page 145 of Emerald Malice

And Andrey is there, his steady presence, the hypnotic brilliance of his silver-eyed gaze. I blink a few times, marveling that the world is right here in front of me, close enough to touch.

“There you are, little bird,” Andrey whispers softly. “I knew you were in there somewhere.”

Andrey dries me off and dresses me in clean clothes. Then he tucks me back under the blankets, and Andrey is everywhere.

My cheek is pillowed on his chest. His arms are wrapped tightly around me, and I feel safe. Safe enough to tunnel my way out of the quicksand and take my first few tentative steps out onto solid ground.

“Andrey,” I croak. “Wh…where is everyone?”

“I had Shura and Leonty take Misha and Remi out for a few hours. They needed to get out of the manor. Kat and Mila joined them.”

The image of all of them together makes me want to smile, but I can’t. Not yet. “It’s nice that they have each other,” I breathe, almost too softly to be heard.

Andrey lifts me up and holds a glass to my lips. “You need to drink something.”

I don’t realize how thirsty I am until the water hits my tongue. I drink until the glass is gone. When Andrey offers to get me more, I cling to his shirt, silently begging him to stay. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days.” His lips brush against my temple. “Do you remember what happened?”

I look down at my hands. My skin is chalky. God only knows how bad the rest of me looks. “Yeah. I remember everything.”

“I’m sorry, Natalia.”

I’ve never heard Andrey so broken. That, more than anything, wakes me up. “You had nothing to do with it.”

“Viktor is my brother. I should have seen this coming.” I flinch at the mention of Viktor’s name, and Andrey rests a calming hand on my knee. “He’s far away now, Natalia. He won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”

The silence that falls between us is heavy, drenched with the memory of what could have happened if Misha hadn’t been in the right place at the right time.

“How is Misha?”

Andrey doesn’t quite meet my eyes when he answers. “Struggling. He feels as though he failed you.”

“He didn’t. He got me help.” I swallow down the emotion crawling up my throat. “He got me you.”

“I know that, but he wishes he’d done more.”

“Viktor would’ve hurt Misha for interfering. He has to know—I’ll talk to Misha when he gets back,” I say. “I’ll explain everything.”

“Maybe you should start by explaining it to me.” Andrey tightens his hold, protecting me from whatever he’s going to say next. “You froze, Natalia.”

It feels like an accusation. I want to put some distance between us. But I also don’t want to move away from his warmth.

“What are you trying to say?”

“That you’re not seven years old anymore, stuck in a car while horrible things happen outside of your window.”

It feels like a punch to the gut, a breath of fresh air, and a bucket of ice water all rolled into one.

“I need you to be able to fight. I need you to be able to—” His voice breaks, and he reaches for my hand, squeezing it like he’s the one sinking into quicksand. “If I hadn’t come for you, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“I know. I know I can’t do that, but I don’t know how to stop,” I whisper. “Every time something bad happens, I revert back to that scared little girl.”

His hand curls around my jaw, turning me to face him. “Tell me the story.”

Tears fill my eyes at the mere thought. I don’t like talking about that day, but here, with Andrey, I feel safe. Protected.

It’s my story to tell and it’s time to tell it.

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