“Come on, beautiful, let’s get you to bed,” I whisper as I lift the book away, setting it on the coffee table, and slip my arms beneath her to cradle her against my chest.
She murmurs and snuggles into my chest.
I hold her close, letting the sweet smell of jasmine wash over me. I’m lucky to be home tonight.
I’m lucky that I get to hold her, to feel her warmth.
Next time, I might not be so lucky.
I have to end things with Miron, sooner than later. He can’t keep getting away with this shit.
In our bedroom, I pull the blankets aside and gently place her on the mattress, tucking it around her body.
She’s murmuring more now, her brow knitting as I brush my hand over her cheek.
I’ve disturbed her, but she hasn’t woken up yet. If I sneak away quietly, she’ll settle down again.
I tiptoe away from the bed, wanting to leave her to rest.
But at the doorway, I hear her and turn to look at her again, and she’s kicking against the blankets. Fighting in her sleep. I rush back to her side.
“Ulyana?” I say gently. “Little fox, it’s just a nightmare.”
She lets out a terrified scream and shouts, “Leave me alone.”
Then she bolts upright in bed, her eyes wide and wild and searching the dim light for monsters.
“Ulyana, it’s me, it’s Ben.”
“Ben?” she whispers my name, relief flooding her as she grabs me and pulls me into a hug.
My heart breaks for her. I have no idea what she was dreaming about, but she looks terrified.
Sitting on the bed, I pull her onto my lap and hold her.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” I whisper, stroking my hand down her back, letting my fingers brush through her long, silky hair.
In this quiet moment, it’s strange to realize that her holding me so tightly is comforting me. It’s soothing away the tension of what happened this afternoon. And while I am here, holding her and soothing away her nightmarish fears, she is calming me, too.
I settle more, shifting in the bed, not wanting to end the intimacy.
Slowly, her body relaxes against mine, and I don’t know when it happens, but we both fall asleep again, and it’s peaceful and beautiful.
Chapter 16 - Ulyana
“Seattle is a beautiful place for a vacation,” he says, his brows raised at me over the waffles he made for breakfast.
I poke at my plate with the fork. “I don’t think it’s a good time to take a vacation, though. I’m only just settling into Vegas, finding my feet, and now you want to take me somewhere else.”
He chuckles, his deep voice rumbling over me. “Ulyana, it’s just for a few days. It’ll be good for both of us. Besides, the hotel is already booked, and I’ve got the pilot on standby to take us. We are leaving this afternoon. It’s decided.”
I open my mouth to protest again, but the look on his face has me quickly closing it. I can see this is set in stone. And honestly, a vacation always sounds amazing, but right now it’s just going to interfere with my plans to look for Miron. I don’t want to delay things. I want to find him now. I want him out of my life, my thoughts, my constant dread.
I can’t wait for Miron to be dead so that I can stop thinking about him.
Benedikt’s eyes are still locked onto me as he eats. He’s watching closely, and I realize he’s waiting for me to say something.
“I’ll pack after breakfast,” I say, accepting my fate and the vacation he’s planned. My stomach knots tightly though, thinking about the waste of time. I wish I could get out of it.
