Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
My pores fill with dread, which is a familiar feeling whenever I’m around Kirill.
“I brought some tea.” My voice is surprisingly welcoming and calm.
He lifts his head from his task, and I’m once again trapped in his freezing eyes that put winter and all its snow to shame.
His punishing gaze studies me from head to toe, and it takes everything in me not to squirm.
“What?” I say in a less sure tone than earlier.
“You’re able to move comfortably without putting strain on your injury, yes?”
I nod.
He abandons the axe and dons his coat. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere private, where they can’t hear us.”
Oh.
Not sure what to do with the cup of tea, I place it on the chopping block and follow after him. Kirill’s strides eat up the distance in no time, and I have to jog so that I can catch up with him.
We wander into the small forest surrounding the village before he stops under a giant tree, leans against it, and crosses his arms and ankles.
For a moment, he remains like that, not saying anything, and I resist the urge to ask, but I’ve come to learn that Kirill isn’t the type to be pushed into anything.
“We’re going back,” he finally announces.
“Have you gotten hold of the others?”
“Only Viktor, yes. He’s at the base and will come to pick us up tonight.”
“Thank God he’s all right. How about Maksim? Yuri? The others?”
“No clue. I had to end the call because Nicholas found me.”
“Oh, okay.”
Something’s wrong, though. I didn’t pay much attention to it earlier, but the expression on Kirill’s face has been hardening since he came back from the market with Nicholas.
“We’ll need to leave now,” he continues.
“I thought it was tonight?”
“The pickup is tonight, but we need to leave the couple’s house immediately. I had a nagging feeling that I was being watched in the market today, and Viktor confirmed that our position might have been compromised.”
“Okay, we’ll just say goodbye and leave.”
He shakes his head. “We don’t have time for that. If we linger any longer around them, we’ll be putting their lives in danger.”
“We can’t just leave without saying anything.”
“We will. That’s an order.”
My muscles tense, but like the apathetic monster he is, Kirill simply turns and takes a few steps, then starts digging in the snow.
I watch from afar, my blood boiling, not only at the turn of events but at him. How could he envision leaving without even saying goodbye to the people who took us in and asked for nothing in return?
Soon after, he retrieves our weapons and combat gear that he wrapped in the waterproof backpack. He throws mine near me and I pick them up.
“Get dressed.”
My fingers tighten around the material, and I want to punch him in the face, but I can’t. One, Kirill has zero appreciation for emotional outbursts, so it would backfire.
Two, he disappeared behind a tree.
My movements are jerky and mad as I remove the coat and start to dress in the surprisingly dry clothes. Because he was smart about hiding them. Kirill is always thinking ahead, never wavering or taking a shortcut from his original path.
As I wrap the bandages around my chest, I’m fuming while nearly freezing to death, which isn’t a fun combination.
With every wrap, I feel like I’m locking myself inside again. It’s only been a few days, but I easily got used to being a woman and also feeling like one.
Going back to my ‘man’ look leaves a weird taste at the back of my mouth. Despite living like this for so long. Will I ever go back to being a woman?
“You done?”
A chill sneaks over me as Kirill comes into view. Gone are the glasses and the somewhat tamed look. He’s now back to being the unforgiving captain with nerves of steel.
“Almost.” I lower my head to focus on tying my combat boots.
My shoulder strains with the angle, and I wince.
Kirill lifts up my shoulders so that I’m standing. “I’ll do it.”
“There’s no need—”
“If you rip your stitches before we even leave, I’ll be the one who’s burdened. Stay still.”
I bite my lower lip to stop myself from hurling curses at him. It’s like he’s making it his mission to sound like an asshole. Though, it probably comes naturally.
Efficiently and in record time, he finishes tying the laces and rises to his full height.
“I’m going back,” I announce.
“You’re what?” I don’t miss the annoyance in his tone.
“I have to bid Nadia and Nicholas goodbye.”
“What part of ‘that’s an order’ do you not understand, soldier? We are not going back, and that’s final.”
“I won’t see them. I can’t, anyway, when I’m looking like this, but I can at least slip them a note of thanks.” I step closer, keeping my head up. “Not only did they help me, but they also helped you and offered you warmth and shelter from a deadly storm. How are you supposed to protect your soldiers if you can’t display gratitude to your benefactors?”