He studies my face for a long moment, and I wonder if he can see the truth written there. But he just nods and pulls back the covers in invitation. "Come back to bed. We have a few hours before we need to start preparing."
I slide in beside him, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat, steady and strong, and I press my hand over the eight-pointed star tattoo on hisright pec. This man. This dangerous, complicated, beautiful man is going to be a father.
"Dimitri," I whisper.
"Hmm?"
I almost tell him. The words are right there, pressing against my lips. But then I think about the meeting ahead, about Mikhail's threats, about all the ways this could go wrong. So instead, I say, "I love you."
His arms tighten around me. "I love you too."
We lie there in silence for a while, and I memorize the feel of him. Just in case. Just in case tonight doesn't go the way we hope.
Eventually, he kisses the top of my head and releases me. "I need to check in with Alexei. Will you be okay?"
"I'm going to visit Katya," I say. "Spend some time with her."
He nods and disappears into the bathroom. I dress quickly in jeans and a soft sweater, then make my way down the hall to Katya's room.
I knock softly, and her voice calls out for me to enter. She's sitting on her bed, a sketchbook open in her lap, her dark hair falling around her face. When she sees me, she sets the sketchbook aside and smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey." I close the door behind me and move to sit beside her on the bed. "How are you doing?"
She shrugs, a gesture that reminds me so much of when she was little. "Okay, I guess. The nightmares are getting better."
I take her hand, feeling how cold her fingers are. "I'm glad you're here. That you're safe."
"Me too." She looks down at our joined hands. "Alina, can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Papa." Her voice breaks on the word. "Is he really dead?"
The question hangs between us, heavy with grief and confusion. I think about lying, about softening the truth, but Katya deserves honesty.
"Yes," I say quietly. "He's dead."
She nods slowly, tears gathering in her brown eyes. "Did Dimitri kill him?"
This is the moment. The moment where I have to decide whether to protect her from the truth or trust her with it. I look at my sister, at the girl who's survived kidnapping and terror, who's stronger than anyone gives her credit for.
"No," I say, my voice steady. "I did."
Katya's eyes widen, and for a moment, I think she's going to pull away from me. But then she squeezes my hand tighter. "Why?"
"Because he killed Sergei. Because he tried to have me killed. Because he was going to kill you." The words come out in a rush, and I feel tears burning in my own eyes. "Because he was a monster, Katya. And I couldn't let him hurt anyone else."
She's quiet for a long moment, processing this. Then she says something that breaks my heart. "I know. I mean, I didn't know you killed him, but I knew he was a monster. I've known for a long time."
I pull her into my arms, and we cry together. Not for the man Viktor was, but for the father he should have been. For the childhood we deserved but never had. For the family that was broken long before that church burned.
"I'm sorry," I whisper into her hair. "I'm so sorry you had to grow up with him."
"It's not your fault." She pulls back and wipes her eyes. "You protected me. You always protected me. Even when it meant sacrificing yourself."
"You're my sister. I'll always protect you."
