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“Listen, Ilarion,” Dima begins in that old-man voice he uses whenever he’s trying to inject reason into a conversation between my sister and me. “This whole business with—” he catches himself and rephrases, “with ‘the rat’, it caught us all off-guard. But you may be taking it too far.”
“‘May’?” Mila interjects.
Dima shoots her a warning look. “All I’m saying is that you might be overreacting.”
“You almost killed a loyal man just now! Two of them!” Mila cries out. She’s never had very much diplomacy. “You’re seeing traitors wherever you look, Ilarion. It’s not healthy.”
“You’re not exactly the poster girl for mental health.”
She takes half a threatening step towards me before Dima deftly inserts himself in the middle of us.
“What happened yesterday, by the way?” he asks.
For one insane moment, I think he’s talking about the little hellcat that I nearly ran over. Mytigrionok. But he can’t know that; I haven’t breathed a word of our encounter to anyone.
Mostly because I’m still trying to forget it.
“Is he dead?” Mila asks.
Of course—they’re talking about the rat. As far as they’re concerned, he’s the only reason I’d be in Evanston in the first place. “No. Luckily for him, he’s not dead.”
Mila and Dima exchange a meaningful glance. “That’s…unlike you,” he says. “What changed?”
“Inspiration struck,” I reply vaguely. “I’m not going to kill him so long as I can use him.”
“‘Use him’?” Mila exclaims. “He betrayed you! He betrayed all of us! We have no use for him.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But then I realized that I haven’t played my last card yet.” I take out my phone and scroll to the picture at the bottom of my gallery, then present it to them. “Thisis my last card.”
Dima’s eyes go wide. Mila’s narrow.
“This?” she breathes. “It… Shit, Ilarion, it seems like a long shot.”
But Dima shakes his head. “Actually… I think this will work.”
“If she falls for your bullshit,” Mila scoffs.
Dima and I lock eyes. Then we both start to chuckle.
Mila rolls her eyes and turns her back on the both of us. “Fuck you both. Not every woman is so easily won over.”
Dima glances at me and shrugs. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Mila. You’re his sister; you’re immune to his powers. But I’ve seen Ilarion in action. No woman can resist the smolder.”
“Oh, I know,” I say with an arrogant smirk. “I’m counting on it.”
TAYLOR
FOUR WEEKS LATER
“Sorry I’m late!” I lean over so I can hug Celine. It feels so good to hold my sister again. Has it really only been four weeks? It feels like a lifetime has passed. I forgot her smell, the shape of her face, the freckles on the back of her neck.
“It’s okay. I already ordered drinks for us. I got you an iced tea.”
“Bless you.”
“Also, you’re choking me.”
Grinning sheepishly, I let go of her, shrug off my coat, and dump it and my bag in the empty chair next to me. Then I drop down and try to catch my breath. It was a mad dash to get to the restaurant on time. Well, almost on time. Punctuality has never been my strong suit.
