A Shade of Kiev 3(35)

We left the door and made our way back to our own apartment.

I removed my cloak, then walked over to the bed and sat down, removing my shoes. Rhys stood leaning against the doorway of the bathroom. His cloak and shoes still on, he stared at me with heat in his eyes.

I raised a brow at him.

He closed the distance between us and pushed me down against the bed. He caught my lips and unbuttoned my dress. Slipping his hands behind me, he ran them along my bare back.

I held his head and stared into his eyes.

“What?”

He pulled me up into standing position, letting my dress fall down my shoulders.

“You have no idea how enticing you are to me now.” He groaned as he ran his lips along my throat. “I want to complete us. We’ve delayed this long enough…”

Reaching into his pocket, he got down on one knee.

“Marry me, Mona.”

I took a step back, a gasp escaping my lips as I stared down at a sapphire ring.

He wanted me. I wanted him.

Why wouldn't I say yes?

Somehow, I hesitated. Although I knew Rhys was the one and only man I would end up with, the idea of marrying him alarmed me.

I guessed it was just the way he had sprung it on me so suddenly. I felt like I needed more time for the concept to sink in before accepting his proposal.

Perhaps sensing my surprise, he reached out and held my hand.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now, my love. I’ll wait until you’re ready. I’ll wait a thousand years if that’s what it takes.”

I sat back down on the bed.

“I think I just need some rest,” I murmured. “It’s been a long day.”

He nodded and placed the beautiful ring on my dressing table.

We undressed and I snuggled up next to Rhys beneath the covers. I placed my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, while he stroked my hair.

We didn’t speak the rest of that night as we drifted off to sleep. He gave me space to get lost in my own thoughts. But I was sure he already knew my answer.

Although it had come as a shock, there was nobody else other than Rhys whom I belonged to. He owned my heart and mind. My body and soul.





Chapter 28: Kiev





I’d been anticipating that anytime now, Annora or one of her comrades would notice Anna missing from the cells and alert Isolde.

The Novalics would be the prime suspects.

So as a matter of urgency I had to find somewhere safer to hide Anna. My room was the perfect place, because people were unlikely to venture into it for no reason. But it was also the prime target. I stalked up and down the room trying to rack my brains for some kind of solution.

The apartment wasn’t huge and there weren’t many hiding places. The cupboard spanning the entire length of one wall would have been perfect—it was more than big enough to hold her. It could have even fit me if I curled up my feet. But it was far too obvious a hiding place… But as I was staring at the wardrobe, a solution came to me.

I hurried upstairs and brought Erik down. He always had been good with woodwork.

“I want to section off the back part of this cupboard. Remove the back board, and cut this cupboard’s depth in half, say. That way, Anna can lie behind it. If you do it right, no witch will suspect anything is behind it on a cursory glance.”

He leant inside and knocked against the wood.

“Hm.” He looked at the wood. “Well, let me try to remove this…”

His voice trailed off as he began to run his claws around the edge of the board.

“It’s not fastened very tightly,” he muttered. “If you go down to the kitchen and bring me up some kind of long thin knife, and also some kind of utensil with a blunt end, I’ll have a go at this.”

I glanced over at Anna who was sleeping.

“I won’t harm her,” Erik said.

I rushed down to the kitchen and brought up as large of an array of utensils as I could find in my hurried search.

Erik began undoing the screws and then ran a knife around the edge of the wooden board. Slowly, inch by inch, he removed the entire board until it was loose enough to be pushed forward.

He stepped out and both of us pulled the entire wardrobe forward. I slipped round the back of it and pushed the board forward until I was sure that I’d left enough room for Anna to lie comfortably.

I also checked the front of the cupboard wouldn’t look odd in case it was opened. No, there was enough space to fill up with clothes.

Once Erik was sure that I was happy with his handiwork, he left Anna and I alone.

Although part of me felt guilty making Anna lie back there, it was the best I could do for her right now.



* * *



I lay in bed the morning after the ritual, feeling relieved that we’d found a hiding place for Anna. Mona and Rhys had attended the ritual for the first time in… I’d lost track of how long.