Page 90 of Silenced

It’s difficult to keep facing the wall in front of me, not to angle my neck back, but I do it and the dumbest thought drifts into my mind:

You’re not the boss of me, Niko.

I’m not sure which part is the most moronic becauseof course,he’s the boss of me, dammit.

And, Niko?!

When the fuck did I start abbreviating his name in my head?

When he moves toward the bathtub, I’m not surprised that his arms are already outstretched. I think I knew he’d see my act of bathing as a rebellion, so I’m quick to sign:

“You agreed—you shave me and I get private time in here. This is that so leave me in peace to soak.”

As I settle amid the bubbles, he grouses, “You could have fallen.”

I squint at him in disbelief. “I’ve never been accident-prone outside of my medical records.”

His expression, impossibly, turns more sullen than ever.

“I got my period, too, so you can just walk out the door and leave me in peace.”

He pauses.

Heck, it’s more than a pause. He’s practically frozen in place.

I give him a dose of his own medicine by arching a brow at him. “You know what a period is, right?”

His eyes narrow but he nods.

When he retreats, I’m almost…

“There’s no way in hell you’re disappointed, Cassiopeia,” I mutter to myself, but that strange feeling spreading in my chest can only be that.

What a bitterly short confrontation.

Not even an argument.

I huff as I sit up, waiting for the click of the lock or the slamming of the outer door…

It doesn’t come.

My head tilts to the side, expectation rumbling into being as I wonder what his next play is.

With Nikolai, it pays to be prepared, but there’s no real preparing yourself for a man as odd as him.

When the outer door closes, I don’t even hear him return.

Damn his cat-burglar feet.

Then, he’s there and he has a tampon in his hand and a menstrual cup.

“So this is a twenty-first-century bat cave, then?”

His brow furrows.

“You have all the mod cons for your prisoners?”

That has him rolling his eyes and shoving his hands at me as if wordlessly urging me to make a decision.

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