CHAPTER ELEVEN
Who is She?
Liv
When he does come back, he’s so damn sneaky that I almost miss him.
I stare at the open gate until my eyes sting and the world swims under a film of tears. The people who took the full moon tour filter out slowly and quietly, in small groups, some whispering to each other and some walking quickly, like they’re desperate to get out of this place. I can’t blame them.
It’s only when I turn away to stretch my neck that I see the man, dressed in black, sneaking along the far wall like he’s trying to stay away from the pools of moonlight.
I don’t know how in the hells he got inside the walls, but it’s him. Pytr.
I stumble to my feet and watch my husband cross the bands of light. He stops when he reaches the wall across from me. He hesitates. I hold my breath. My shoulders press into the wall behind me. Moonlight shines on Pytr’s face as he glances toward the gate and the guards standing there.
He’s so close. I could reach him in two steps, maybe three. I could call out his name.
But I hold my breath, and Pytr pulls open the door beside him. He vanishes inside, although he doesn’t bother to pull it shut behind him. I take a breath, then follow. Moonlight shines on a narrow staircase leading into the dark.
I climb it as quietly as I can, listening for the fading echo of Pytr’s boots. The staircase leads to a grand hallway, wide and filled with shadows. The only light comes from one open door that spills silver moonlight against the far wall.
Slowly, I creep down the hallway. There’s a grunt, then the rustle of cloth from the open door. Water splashes against something hard, and there’s another groan, one that makes my cheeks burn. I grit my teeth, then peek through the open door.
Pytr stands in the middle of an enormous room, his back to the door and his shirt tossed to the floor. He’s bending over a washbasin, splashing water on his face. As I watch, he stands and runs a towel across his neck and shoulders.
I swallow hard. The moonlight makes his massive chest look like it’s been carved out of marble.
Drops of water trace a path down his neck, down the muscles of his back.
My mouth goes dry, and a heat I haven’t felt since the day he stepped into the carriage with the men in white robes and left for Silver City starts to swell between my legs.
Godsdamnit. I’m going to lose my nerve if I stand here, staring at the beautiful man I married as he runs a towel over the curves of the body I once knew as well as I know myself.
I grit my teeth, then step into the doorway and cross my arms over my chest.
“Who is she?” I ask.
Pytr spins to face me. The blood drains from his face. He looks like I’ve just kicked him in the chest.
“Oh, no,” he whispers.
He rushes forward, yanks me into the room, and then slams the door behind me. He puts his hands on the wall on either side of me, caging me with his body.
“How did they get you?” he whispers. His voice sounds thick, almost choked. “Who brought you here?”
“Nobody got me, you idiot,” I snap. “I came here looking for you! And I found you with another woman. Who in the hells is she?”
Pytr stares at me. Silence pulls tight between us. He’s so close I can almost feel the heat rising from his bare chest, from his arms braced against the wall. Moonlight catches on the tears in his eyes, the hint of teeth behind his smile.
And then, impossibly, he laughs.
I pull my arms tighter around my chest, as if I could shrink away from him, and huff. “I don’t see what’s funny about—”
Pytr shakes his head.
“Gods, Liv,” he whispers, his voice thick. “You think I could ever want another woman?”
“But—” I stammer, trying to ignore the way his breath against my skin pulls at something deep inside, something I’ve been trying to hide for my entire life. Something raw and hungry, aching to be held. Something I’ve only ever shared with him.
Pytr rocks back, his grin wide and wild in the moonlight. My heart aches inside my chest. I miss the heat of his body, the feel of his arms on either side of me.
“Kyla,” he says. “That woman’s name is Kyla. And she’s with her husband now, hopefully getting as far away from Silver City as they can.”
The room shivers as hot tears fill my vision. I shake my head, blinking, trying to understand.
“The Towers took her for training,” he continues. “Just like they took me. Her husband thought she was dead. And I— I found a way out. For her.”
His expression changes, his smile turning into something different, something darker and harder. Then he shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair, and the look vanishes.
“You came here by yourself?” he asks. “All the way to Silver City?”
“Of course I did,” I snap. “You said you’d be back in a year. It’s been—”
“Two,” he replies.
I nod. I suddenly feel very tired. I forgot how it felt to be around Pytr. To feel safe, like I could finally rest.
Pytr steps forward, then raises his hand to brush my cheek. His lips press against my face, and something inside of me melts.
“If it were anyone but you,” he says, in a voice so soft it’s almost a whisper, “I would say that’s impossible.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out as more of a sob. Pytr pulls me closer, and I fall into his arms.
“My beautiful Liv,” Pytr whispers, his breath warm against my ear. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
I start to shiver, even pressed against the heat of his chest. The tears are coming now, coming fast, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them. Pytr closes his arms around me, and the only man I’ve ever dared to trust with my heart holds me while I fall apart.