I stood and zipped up my boots before patting my bun in the mirror. It seemed to be intact, and so was my lipstick. “I’m ready.”
In silence, we walked to the elevator. He stood beside me, handsome and aloof. He looked like he belonged in this grand hotel more than anyone in Grisha’s family.
“Anyone tell you that you sleep like the dead?” His voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned to meet his gray eyes. “Excuse me?”
“You were so quiet I wasn’t sure you were breathing.”
“I’m so tired.” The complaint slipped out of me.
He frowned in response just as the elevator door slid open to reveal my uncle and aunt, already inside with three other strangers.
Aunt Lena didn’t look impressed when she saw the two of us.
My uncle grinned. “And how are my two favorite champions of the night?”
“Shocked we won,” I said honestly.
He laughed uproariously while thumping Axel’s back. “I like people who surprise me.”
From the momentwe arrived at the private dining room, I wanted to leave. The staff had set up two long tables to accommodate the entire group. Everyone was drinking heavily, and the meal was frequently interrupted by someone standing up to tell a long, rambling hunting story or get everyone going with a wild drinking song. The staff carried out the food incommunal pots, in a procession that never seemed to end, and there was always someone trying to put more food on my plate.
I ached.
All of me.
Every muscle in my body throbbed, and no matter how I shifted, I couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I was so fatigued I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Axel leaned forward and spoke quietly. “You’re tired.”
“How is everyone still going strong?” I asked in bewilderment.
“I’ll take you back to the room.”
“I don’t think I’m supposed to leave,” I whispered to him. I knew my uncle. He didn’t like it when people left his parties early.
Axel spoke loudly over the rambunctious singing. “Grisha.”
My uncle looked toward us, his gaze more sober than he was letting on.
I watched in shock as Axel said, “Mila needs to sleep.”
Grisha nodded in approval. “I expect you back here, though.”
“Of course.” Axel stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
When we gotto our room, he made me stand at the door while he walked through the room, acting like he was on security detail.
“It’s clear,” he said, watching me as I stepped further into the room.
He gave me a short nod and then headed back toward the door.
The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Are you coming back?”
“Eventually.”
He didn’t seem tired, but he must have been as exhausted as me, if not more. “Aren’t you tired?”
