Page 242 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

She hadn’t told me anything very specific. It was all glossy generalizations that could have fit into anyone’s life. I’m giving it too much power over me.

Instantly, I feel myself relax. I finish the rest of my shopping, then I get back into the car and drive back up the winding slopes towards the cabin.

Home is safe.

Home is okay.

Home is where Artem is.

* * *

Artem is sitting out on the porch when I drive up.

I can tell by his expression that he was starting to get anxious. The relief is evident on his face when I slam the door shut and stride right into his arms.

“Hey, handsome,” I say. “Missed me?”

“Of course,” he nods. “How could I not? Successful trip?”

“I got everything we need for the next two days,” I tell him. “And… well I had a little adventure too.”

His eyebrows go up. I can tell he’s bracing himself to hear something he figures he probably won’t like.

But when I tell him about Aracelia and her amazingly bizarre fashion sense, Artem bursts out laughing. His laughter is just the tonic I need to wipe out the lingering remnants of worry.

“I can’t believe you went to a psychic.”

I shrug. “I thought it’d be a laugh.”

“And was it?” he asks.

I pause. “It was. Mostly in hindsight.”

He laughs again and kisses the top of my head. “Well, did she tell you anything note-worthy?”

I’m about to let her warning slip, but at the last moment I hold it in. I wish I knew why.

“Nope,” I reply. “Nothing at all.”

“They’re all hacks and con artists,” he says dismissively.

“Yeah,” I agree, pulling the words around myself and blanketing myself with the comfort of them.

Aracelia was nothing but a hack.

65

Artem

A Few Days Later

With my gun slung over my right shoulder, I maneuver over a rocky outcrop that juts over a deep ravine.

I’ve ventured a little further today than I usually do on my hunting expeditions, but I enjoy exploring new parts of the mountain that’s come to feel like home.

In the depths of the ravine, a snow-fed river flows quickly. The same river sweeps not too far from the cabin, so following it is an easy way to get back home.

The shriek of an eagle draws my attention overhead. The bird idles around on the thermal drafts, flapping lazily.

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