Like this was just another day in my life.
“I think I’ll go for a walk in the gardens,” I announced, feeling surprisingly light-hearted. “The flowers looked beautiful from my window.”
“They are,” Marta agreed.
I thanked them for the bread-making lesson and headed outside, breathing in the fresh morning air. The flowers did look spectacular on the bright, sunny morning.
I’d been walking for about ten minutes when I heard footsteps behind me. Turning, I spotted a tall, elderly man in a gardener’s uniform walking several paces behind me, trying and failing to look inconspicuous.
I stopped abruptly, and he froze like he’d been caught red-handed.
“Can I help you?” I asked, crossing my arms.
He cleared his throat as he flushed. “Just enjoying the morning air, Mrs. Pavlov.”
“Why are you following me?”
His eyes darted around like he was waiting for a rescue. “I—that is—”
“I want to know why you’re following me.” I stepped closer, and the poor man actually took a step back.
“Mr. Pavlov requested that we…keep an eye on you,” he admitted, looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
“Follow me?” I asked, leading him to explain himself even though my blood was now boiling.
“He said it was just a security measure and we were to report back on your activities to him or the guards.”
He refused to meet my eyes, and the poor man’s face was now the color of the peonies behind him.
“Tell me,” I growled. “Do you have shifts? Is someone assigned to follow me at all times?”
He swallowed hard. “Not that I know. We’ve all been instructed…”
“What?” I screeched, and he nearly jumped. “You mean, everyone’s watching me?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Pavlov. I…I shouldn’t have said anything.” His shoulders fell as he spoke and stared at the ground.
I felt the anger building in my chest, hot and sharp. Without another word, I stalked past the gardener and headed back to the house, turning into a mild jog by the end of it.
I rushed up the stairs, my anger building with each step. I strode down the hallway, entering the room at the end of it without bothering to knock.
I marched right in, and my eyes locked on the large bed where Arko slept without a worry beneath the covers.
He had a late night because he had some work to wrap up after we returned from the fiasco that was last night, but I didn’t care.
I was too angry to dwell on the fact that he needed his rest.
“Wake up!” I shouted, marching to the side of the bed.
He didn’t stir.
“Hey!” I grabbed his shoulder through the sheet and shook him. “I said, wake up!”
In an instant, everything changed. His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist with a strength he’s never used on me before. Before I could react, he’d pulled me down and flipped our positions, rolling me onto my back on the mattress with him on top, pinning me down.
“What the—” I gasped, the wind knocked out of me.
That’s when I realized he was naked under the sheets.
