"This is Nicolai," I explained quietly, watching her carefully. "My late best friend's brother."
She swallowed hard.
"He will be your new bodyguard," I continued.
Leila's lips parted, but she did not speak. Her intense stare moved from Nicolai to me.
Good. Let her think. Let her ponder what this meant.
She had been allowed to run wild for far too long. But now, every move she made, every breath she was prepared to take, would be monitored. Even when I wasn't around.
Nicolai didn't budge. He simply stood there in the rigid patience of a man accustomed to waiting. He was a predator. He was shorter than me, thinner, but no less imposing in his presence. He was a shadow who didn't require the cover of darkness.
Leila released a slow breath. "A bodyguard," she said finally, as if tasting the word on her tongue.
I nodded. "You have a talent for causing trouble. This is a precaution."
Her eyes darkened. "A precaution. Or a leash?"
A slow smile creased my lips. "Why not both?"
She bristled, but I could see the wheels turning in her mind. She had just been KO’d by this unexpected move.
Leila's shoulders came up as she breathed in. When she finally spoke, she was calm. "What did your last best friend do?"
Nicolai and I both stiffened.
I replied shortly. "It's none of your business."
Leila didn't blink, but I saw it—the crinkling around her eyes, the way her throat constricted in a slow swallow like she suspected I'd done something.
Gosh, she was good at reading the room.
I approached, closing the gap between us until I could observe the rise and fall of her breathing. "Eat," I breathed. "Or Nicolai will feed you."
Leila did not stir. Did not say a word.
I let the silence draw out, waiting to see if she would yield. But she did not.
"Fine," I said into the air.
And then I turned to Nicolai. "Feed her."
Leila's breathing hitched, but she had no chance to react before Nicolai marched over.
He was fast. Quick-thinking.
One moment, he was standing at the door, the next, he had her wrists pinned, forcing her into the chair next to the table. The plate of the unopened meal between them.
Leila thrashed, baring her teeth, her body taut under his grip. But Nicolai didn't budge, his face seeming almost serene in its tranquility.
"Let me go!" she growled.
Nicolai didn't heed, tightening his grip with smooth efficiency.
I stood there, arms folded. "Open your mouth."
Leila glared up at him, her lips set in a thin, unyielding line.
