I feel torn as Abbie walks out of the infirmary, but I have to stand by Misha’s side.
Somewhere during the past week, he’s become the most important person in my life. He’s my priority now.
Misha wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, then keeps still as he takes a deep breath of my scent.
“Thank you,” he murmurs.
I nod as I press closer to him, then I look at Alek as the doctor stitches him up. He doesn’t even flinch, and there’s only anger on his face.
“Are you okay, Alek?” I ask with concern for him lacing my words.
His eyes flick to me before he takes a deep breath as if he’s trying to calm himself. “I’ll be fine.”
No, he isn’t.
Pulling away from Misha, I walk to the bed and sit down beside Alek.
Emotion pushes up my throat, and I can’t stop the tears as I turn my head to look at him.
Alek lets out a deep breath before he meets my eyes.
With my whole heart, I say, “You’re important to Misha, which means you’re important to me.” Taking a risk, I place my hand on top of his that’s resting on his thigh. “I care about you, and I’m so freaking thankful to you for taking the bullet that was meant for Misha.”
Alek looks uncomfortable as he pulls his hand away from mine. “I’d die for Misha. It’s not a secret.”
Slipping off the bed, the corner of my mouth lifts in a sad smile. “I just wanted you to know that I care about what happens to you, as well.”
Misha takes hold of my hand and pulls me back to his side. “Alek doesn’t do emotional moments.”
I stare at the man who means the world to Misha and wonder what horrible thing happened to him.
Alek surprises me by saying, “Thanks, Aurora.” As soon as the doctor is done patching him up, he gets up. Sighing, he mutters, “I won’t kill your friend.” He takes a step, then adds, “Unless she keeps annoying the fuck out of me. Then all bets are off.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I promise.
Misha’s eyes scan over his friend. “Will you be okay, or do I need to baby your ass?”
“Fuck off,” Alek chuckles. “I’m just going to grab something to eat, then I’m going to sleep until tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Armani says. “Spend some time with Aurora. The two of you have a lot to talk about.”
We leave the infirmary, and where Armani and Alek head into the dining hall, we keep walking toward one of the side exits of the castle.
Only when we reach a bench near the path that leads to the waterfall does Misha stop. He gestures for me to sit down before getting comfortable next to me.
Taking a deep breath, I turn my body toward his and patiently wait for him to start talking.
“We disobeyed an order from Viktor when we stopped the hit on Abbie.” Misha leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He shakes his head in disbelief. “The punishment is death.”
I blink a couple of times as the realization sours my blood. “But…that’s not going to happen? Right?”
Slowly, he nods. “Viktor showed us mercy. He shot Alek to punish me.”
“I thought…wasn’t it for Abbie?”
“No, one of us had to take the bullet, and Viktor chose Alek because he knew it would hurt me.” Misha turns his head to look at me. “But up until that moment, I thought I was going to die. There was no doubt in my mind.”
I inhale sharply as all the pieces fall into place. That’s why Misha was so different yesterday. He was saying goodbye to me.