“It’s only been two weeks, Demitri,” she whispers, but her eyes are soft on me.

“So?” I shrug.

“How can you fall so fast?”

“If I didn’t fall hard and fast, we wouldn’t be sitting here, Malyshka. It’s all or nothing with me.”

Ariana tilts her head, her gaze searching mine. “Are you scared of failing or…” she takes a breath then continues, “losing me?”

The thought of Ariana dying sends an overwhelming surge of wrath through me. My muscles instinctively tense as if the threat is nearby. “Losing you is not an option.”

“Why? You don’t owe me anything. You can walk away right now.”

My heart beats hard in my chest, and I stare at Ariana, realizing she’s become just as important as Alexei to me.

If I lose Alexei, it will cripple me. I’d be lost without my best friend because up until now, he’s been my sole purpose for living.

If I lose Ariana, I will fucking lose my mind. I can’t even think it.

“You’ve become as important as Alexei is to me,” I finally admit. “I won’t lose either of you.”

Ariana moves onto her knees next to me, and placing her hands on my jaw, she leans into me and presses her mouth tenderly to mine. When she pulls back, her eyes are filled with emotion. “Thank you for kidnapping me.”

I let out a burst of laughter. “That’s the last thing I ever expected you to say.”

Chapter 23

ARIANA

After dinner, Winter made me empty clip after clip on the targets and showed me how to knee a man. We trained until after midnight, and as we head back into the house, we hear the men talking in the living room.

I actually feel comfortable handling a gun, but I know it’s not the same as shooting at a living person.

When we walk into the living room, Demitri climbs to his feet, then says, “Let’s get some sleep. We have a busy couple of days ahead of us.”

He walks to me and, taking my hand, pulls me back out of the living room. I follow him up the stairs and into a guest bedroom where our bags are already waiting near the bed.

“We’re sharing a room?” I ask.

“Of course,” Demitri mutters as he lets go of my hand and shuts the door behind us. “Come, let’s shower.” He walks to the bathroom, tugging his shirt over his head.

Ah… what?

“You sure?” I call after him, standing rooted to the spot by the door.

Demitri glances back at me. “You’re tired. I’m tired. We’re just going to shower.”

There’s a stab of disappointment as I walk to the bathroom, not missing the chance to see Demitri naked again.

My eyes are glued to him as he undoes his belt, his fingers strong. Watching him strip out of his clothes is hot as hell, and I almost forget to get undressed. When we’re both butt-naked, there’s no urge to cover myself, which is kind of weird. I’m not self-conscious, but I’m usually not comfortable being naked in front of someone.