“Don’t play with fire,” she says darkly.

I hold out my hands, spreading my fingers to show her the chocolates and cookies.

She jumps up and giggles, wiggling her ass with happiness.

“Will that do?”

“It’ll do. You’ll survive the night,” she grins, taking it from me.

I take her hand and lead her through to the bed, where we snuggle up against each other and enjoy the sweet midnight treats before falling asleep again.

***

I wake up with a smile on my face, my arms wrapped around Tia, with her cheek squished against my chest as she snores softly.

It’s odd to come to the understanding that this girl has somehow crept into my heart, even though that was the furthest thing from my mind when I took her.

I sigh softly.

How can I let this happen, though?

It isn’t safe for either of us.

Yet, somewhere in my mind, I’m fully aware that I don’t care about the risks.

But I need to sort this thing out with her brother before she and I can be anything.

Tia wakes up and jumps in fright.

She giggles shyly, hiding her face from me.

“Did you have a bad dream?” I ask, stroking her back.

She nods. “I wasn’t expecting to wake up in your bed,” she mutters sleepily.

“How are you feeling?”

The question seems to bring back the reality of what happened last night, and she tenses slightly.

“I’m okay,” she answers, rolling away from me. “Is there any coffee in the cabin? I really need some. And a shower.” She scoots out of the bed, and I don’t try to stop her.

We need to head home as soon as possible so that I can start investigating whatever the hell is going on with her brother and why he would want her dead.

This escape has been magical, but it’s time to return to reality.

Chapter 16 - Tatiana

Steam wisps off the top of my mug. I hold it in both hands, soaking the warmth from the coffee into my body as I sip it slowly.

We have to leave the cabin and go back to the mansion now, but I’m reluctant.

Last night was…

Once we got to the cabin, it became the most magical night I’ve ever experienced.

I don’t want to leave, because leaving means going back to the real world and maybe never getting to feel that way again.

My eyes drift over Andrei’s back. He’s scrounging around looking for more cookies that we can dip into our coffee.