She continued, her eyes wide at her admission. Mikhail stared at her, and for a moment, she thought that he might leave again.
I swear to God, if he walks out of here one more time when I say something fucking vulnerable, my heart won’t be able to take it.
“I promise,” Mikhail’s voice was slow as if he was being cautious about his word choice, “I’ll never give you a reason not to. Never again.”
Anastasia nodded, heat flooding her cheeks as she fidgeted with the sheets. The moment felt intrusive. It was as though they were doing things all out of order.
Both of them were afraid to admit their feelings — admitting to trust was terrifying enough.
“Where should we go?”
“Back to the boarding house,” Mikhail grinned at the flush that overtook Anastasia’s face, distinctlynotfrom exhaustion, “We can stay there for a night. Okay? Then we’ll figure out where to go.”
“We can’t let anyone get hurt, Mikhail, please. If someone is caught harboring us...” She gripped his forearm and squeezed it. It was a gentle embrace for someone so tired, and it brought Mikhail’s attention back to how exhausted she was.
“We won’t,” he shook his head, “I don’t want that to happen any more than you do. Just one night. You’ll be able to sleep in peace.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice was tired, and Mikhail could tell that she was fading fast. He couldn’t ignore the protective instinct rising in his chest, and he knew she wasn’t safe here. She needed some time — at least one night — to get a solid night’s rest before their world imploded.
“Yes, Anya,” he gave her a soft grin, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, “One night. Then we’ll come back here so they won’t send anyone after us. Give me one night, okay?”
“Mikhail,” Anastasia sighed and said his name like it was a prayer. The soft tone in her voice made him go nearly blind with the desire to get her out of the palace and keep her safe.
She sat up and leaned against him entirely. “I have an awful feeling that I would give you every night of my life.”
???
The walk to the boarding house was slow-going. Once they were a few streets away from the Winter Palace, Mikhail caved, leaning down and scooping up Anastasia.
She protested and demanded that she was able to walk, but he could hardly look at the exhausted expression on her face.
It only took a few steps before Anastasia’s head was resting on his chest, fast asleep.
Luckily, the innkeeper saw them coming through a window, tossing open the door for the pair as soon as Mikhail climbed their steps.
“Oh, darling, is she alright?” The woman’s voice was full of concern as she looked over Anastasia.
“Just tired,” Mikhail grinned, his voice barely above a whisper. “Long day. Would you mind terribly putting us up again?”
“The Grand Duchess is the only Romanov allowed here,” the innkeeper said proudly. She smiled at the pair and led them up to the same room they had stayed in prior.
“Shall I have some food sent up for you?”
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Mikhail said with an easy smile, Anastasia still dozing against his chest.
“Absolutely not! I’ll send it shortly,” the innkeeper glanced once more at Anastasia and, with a warm smile, made a quick exit.
Mikhail walked over to the bed, gently lying Anastasia down. He tried to move as steadily as possible as not to wake her, but she stirred when Mikhail pulled away from her.
“Are we here?” She asked groggily, her voice tired and eyes sleepy. Mikhail had to admit to himself that it was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.
“Da,” he sat down on the bed next to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “Go to sleep, Anya. They’ll be food shortly. You need your rest.”
Anastasia stopped, looking up at him with an expression on her face that he couldn’t decipher. She let out a small sigh and pushed herself up to a sitting position.
The atmosphere was drastically different from the last time they were sitting on the bed at the boarding house — Mikhail couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
“I meant what I said,” Anastasia’s voice was quiet and steady. “I don’t know if you feel the same way. Honestly… I would be surprised if you did. I meant it. I trust you, Mikhail, and it’s a whole lot more than that. I don’t even know what I feel… I haven’t felt anything inyears,then you broke into my life and shattered it all —”
