Page 69 of Daniil
I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to this life but I’m already starting to get used tohim.That’s the problem.That’s always been the problem.
“All right.”He squeezes my hand.“Let’s just talk about Saturday.”
“Is this a just us surprise or a group surprise?”
He smiles.“Just us.I won’t surprise you with anygroupactivities.Don’t worry about that.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Anyway, we’ll leave when Micah goes down for his afternoon nap.I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone but Eddie lives here so she doesn’t mind.”
“You’re sure?”
He chuckles.“She’s been wanting a new gaming system, so I ordered it for her.Believe me, she’s thrilled.”
“You bought her a gaming system in exchange for babysitting for a few hours?”
“More like eight or nine hours, but yes.Micah’s safety is important, and I trust Eddie more than almost anyone outside of family.And she only gets one day off a week, so I needed to make it worth her while.”
“You’re a force of nature,” I say, good-naturedly shaking my head.
He pulls me close, kissing me.“Do you like when I’m a force of nature?”
“Sometimes.”I wind my arms around his neck.“Especially when you throw me down and turn on Prince Dominant.”
His eyes darken a little.“I’ll keep that in mind.”
* * *
Saturday rollsaround before I know it and Marcus is driving us to wherever we’re going.Daniil still won’t give me any hints, which is a little frustrating, but it’s also kind of fun.The only part I don’t like is that he wouldn’t tell me what to wear, merely suggesting jeans and bringing a light jacket.That tells me nothing but I’m trying to be a good sport.
I haven’t spent enough time exploring Hiskale to recognize the direction we’re heading, and I frown as we pull up to what is almost definitely a military base.An armed soldier stops the SUV and Daniil yells out to him.The guy smiles, raises a hand in recognition, and waves us through.
“Is this a military base?”I ask in confusion.
“It’s anairbase,” he emphasizes, eyes twinkling.
“An air base?”Now I’m really confused.“Are we flying somewhere?”
“We are.”
Marcus pulls the SUV to a stop and jumps out, coming around to get the door for me and politely offering me a hand to get out.Normally, he opens the door but doesn’t help me out, so it seems like this is a bit more formal.Daniil gets out behind me, and we walk toward a big but nondescript building.
I’m not sure why but this makes me nervous, and I hesitate, looking to Daniil.
“What are we… Daniil?”
He stops and looks down into my face.“You have to trust me, sweetheart.”His voice is low so that Marcus can’t hear us.“Or this doesn’t work.”
At this point, even if this was some elaborate trap—and I can’t imagine what he would have planned for me in that sense—where would I go?I couldn’t get away, so I don’t have a choice but to put one foot in front of the other, and my hand in his.
“All right.”Usually, when there’s actual danger, my intuition immediately begins clanging, but all I feel now is the ever-present touch of anxiety that I’ve been experiencing since Daniil found out about Micah.And it’s not always rational.
We walk through a hangar of some kind, out the back, and then I freeze.
“What in the world…” I look at him again and he’s smiling.
“You said you missed flying, so I thought you might enjoy taking us on a little trip.”
