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“As long as we stay in the house, I don’t think Yakov cares.”
Lie. If he was talking to me right now, he’d probably tell me to stay as far as humanly possible away from his sister.
Hope chews on her lower lip.
“Tell him I overpowered you if it makes you feel better,” I offer.
“He hasn’t given us any orders where you’re concerned,” she says finally, handing over the plate. “Until he does, this seems okay to me.”
“Will I need a key?”
“Mr. Kulikov unlocked her room early this morning.”
That’s a good sign. For Mariya, at least.
I try not to let the dread pool in my empty stomach as I knock on Mariya’s bedroom door.
“Go away,” she snaps immediately.
I knock again. “It’s me.”
There’s a beat of silence where I think the entire family might be icing me out. They’re just going to pretend I don’t exist until I give up and leave.
Then the door opens wide.
Mariya is already walking back to bed, so I follow her inside and close the door behind me.
She slides under her blankets and curls on her side. “I’m not hungry.”
“Me, neither,” I admit. I set the plate of food on her dresser and lean against the drawers. “Last night really sucked.”
She wipes at the mascara that’s still streaked down her cheeks. “Understatement. I’ve never seen my brother that mad.”
“Which one?”
“Both of them.” She grimaces. “Nikandr has always been the chill one, but even he was pissed at me. Yakov was… nuclear.”
“He unlocked your door. That is a step in the right direction.”
She shrugs. “It probably sounds weird, but… I felt better when the door was locked.”
“Why?”
“When I was shut in here, I could pretend that I felt like shit because my brother is a controlling psychopath. But now, it’s open and… I still feel like shit.” She drops her face in her hands. “I really fucked up.”
“I did, too, Mariya. This is my fault as much as it’s yours.”
“No. Yakov has been telling me since I got here that we’re in danger. I mean, I was there when my dad was killed. I know how bad things can be. I should have listened.”
“Yakov trusted me with you. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have let you leave.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me.” She lets out a humorless laugh. “Sorry, but it’s true. What were you going to do, tie me up?”
“I should have. That would have been safer.”
“But I would have hated you forever.”
“He’ll forgive you,” I say as my throat tightens. “He loves you, Mariya.”
