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“What the fuck do you think that you’re doing?!” Nikolai snarls.
I scramble to close my first aid kit, but my hands are shaking. Why? I try to stuff everything back into the compartments as sloppily as I can, but it doesn’t help - Nikolai closes the distance between us in the span of a heartbeat and then his hand is a vice grip around my bicep. He yanks me off the floor and drags me toward the door so fast that I can’t get my feet up under me.
My hand goes to where he’s holding me, attempting to pry his grip loose on instinct alone. “Stop! Nikolai, stop, you’re hurting me!”
“Let her go!”
There’s a clanging of chains and a rustle of metal against the concrete before the resounding clang of the man that I had just been helping clearly reached the end of his allowance. He must have hit that chain hard to make it make that sort of noise. I claw desperately at Nikolai’s grip but chance a glance back at the man holding the chain attached to his collar in both hands - his swollen, battered face a mask of pure rage that twists something primal low in my belly.
“Got something to say, finally?” Nikolai snarls at the man.
“Let her go! It’s me you have an issue with!” The man yells at Nikolai. There’s such authority in his tone that I can feel it.
Nikolai drops me. Hard.
I fall to the ground, my first aid kit wholly forgotten.
Nikolai punches the man so hard in the stomach to shut him up that I recoil from the force of it. The man spits blood straight onto the concrete floor and Nikolai scoops me up before I can fully process what’s even happening. He throws me over his shoulder and the last thing that I see before Nikolai slams the door to the man’s cell shut is that striking blue eye trained directly on me. His mouth moves - and I focus on his lips to make sure I hear whatever is so important for him to say even if Nikolai has my blood ringing in my ears. There’s a wild sort of desperation in his eyes. “Ask him… about… Lilian…”
The door slams shut and the lock automatically clicks into place.
“Put me down!” I demand.
Nikolai ignores me until we’re upstairs. He deposits me heavily on one of our plush couches and holds his hand out expectantly. “Key.”
I don’t care for his tone.
I scowl at him and fish the key out of my bra where I had hidden it and slap it into his hand with as much indignation as I can muster. I refuse to cower. I don’t break eye contact as he glares at me.
“What the hell were you thinking?!” He demands as he shoves the key back into his pocket. “I told you not to go down there. I forbade you from going down there!”
I sit up on the couch - but he’s clearly not done yelling at me. “And that gives you an excuse to manhandle me like that?!” I scream right back.
“Do you have any idea what could have happened?! Do you have any idea what he could have done to you?! You were right up next to that bastard, Anya! He could have hurt you. For fuck’s sake he could have killed you with his bare hands, Anya!”
I start to reply. I start to get indignant, but then I see the look on his face. The worry that knits his brow. The actual fear that something could have happened to me. Whatever I was going to say dies on my tongue as he sinks down onto his knees in front of me so that we’re eye to eye.
“Whatever he said to you Anya, that man is one of the most ruthless, merciless, blood thirsty criminals that I have ever encountered in my life,” Nikolai says as he cups my face in his hands. His thumbs sweep out over my cheeks as he tilts me face up to his. Softly, I place my hands over the top of his.
“I’m all right. Nikolai, I can handle myself. He was chained to the wall. He couldn’t–”
“He could. He would have. I promise you, he was just biding his time with you before acting. He doesn’t deserve your pity or kindness and he sure as fuck doesn’t deserve your cures.” Nikolai insists.
“I didn’t mean to make you worry… I’m sorry…” I answer automatically.
“He didn’t touch you?!” Nikolai asks with a far softer tone to his voice. “Are you sure that you are unharmed?”
I nod and smile softly. He loves me so much. “I promise. Nikolai, I’m fine.”
Nikolai kisses my forehead sweetly, his lips lingering for a long moment before he pulls me into his arms tightly in an embrace. “I’m sorry for reacting that way… I just… seeing you near him… I couldn’t…”
I wrap my arms tightly around him, holding him so that he knows I’m here. I’m solid. I’m okay.
“I’ll make it up to you. Dinner. Wherever you like. Anywhere at all - dress up nice and make a whole spectacle of it.” Nikolai offers as I pull back from him.
My heart soars. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to be alone with each other. It’s been even longer since we’ve been able to go out in public. My eyes lift to him, hope fluttering in my chest.
“As soon as this war is over, we will go out.” Nikolai continues.
