‘Even if they don’t, you’ll always have me,’ I say, unable to lie to my baby sister.
‘What if we’re separated?’ she asks, her voice small and vulnerable.
I wrap my arm tighter around her. ‘It will never happen.’
‘But what if,’ she insists.
‘Then I’ll find you and steal you back.’
‘Promise, Misha.’
‘I promise, Tiana.’
‘I love you more than all the gifts I got today.’
My heart clenches at her words because I know how much those gifts meant to her.
‘I love you more.’
Suddenly the pain increases dramatically, and the memory morphs into something unexpected.
‘I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours.’
My little deer lets out a weak chuckle. ‘Sounds… like a deal.’
Her bright emerald eyes stare up at me as she admits, ‘You would’ve been my first kiss.’ Scrunching her nose, she corrects herself, ‘Well, we did kiss. Kind of.’
‘Why didn’t you stop me?’
‘Because I wanted it to be you.’
‘Do you still want the kiss?’ I ask, hoping she says yes.
Her voice is soft as she says, ‘Please. If I’m going to die, I at least want one decent kiss.’
I shake my head, my voice filled with determination as I say, ‘You won’t die. Not like this.’
Lowering my head, I claim her lips, and I kiss her like I’ve never kissed anyone.
When I reluctantly end the kiss, tears shine in her eyes. ‘Thank you, mio principe.’
“Misha!” Instructor Volkov snaps as he nudges my shoulder.
I shake my head as I come out of my safe place and inhale deeply as the pain sets in from where my nail is torn off.
Christ. It’s the first time that’s happened. How the hell can a memory of Aurora be stronger than that of my sister?
Instructor Volkov has pride shining from his eyes while he looks at me. “Now that’s how it’s done. If they can’t touch you, they can’t do shit to make you talk.”
“Your turn, Mr. Kodra,” Instructor Volkov says as he hands me a bandage.
I’m still reeling from what happened, that the memory of kissing Aurora took me so deep into my subconsciousness I felt nothing. Usually, I still feel something. Thinking of Tiana just makes it bearable.
But Aurora completely eliminated the pain.
What. The. Fucking. Fuck?
I have to force my attention on the matter at hand, and picking a needle from the box, I lock eyes with the Albanian sex trafficker.