Nikita clenches her fists and scrunches her nose in anger. "I hate being locked away. I hate being cooped up and kept like a prisoner. I'm going crazy in here. You're just like my brothers, not letting me do anything or live my own life."
The comparison to her brothers has my hair standing up on the back of my neck.
"I'mnothinglike your brothers, princess. Don't you ever compare me to them," I snarl darkly. My anger surges, making me want to lash out harder.
Nikita shakes her head, also angry, flooded with adrenaline. Her eyes are bluer than I've ever seen them when she looks up at me.
In her expression, I can see her usual fire. Her usual attitude. But this time it's masking something else that makes me pause.
Fear.
She almost got killed by a bear. She has every right to be terrified.
My heart aches, and my defenses drop slightly.
I sigh and push my hand through my hair, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Are you ok, though?" I ask quietly.
"Ha!" she scoffs. "Don't even bother asking!"
Yes, she's still terrified about what happened in the woods.
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how to help her.
Walking over to the bar, I pop the cap off a bottle of single malt whisky.
I pour her a glass and throw two ice blocks in.
But when I return to her and try to hand it to her, she looks at me with wary suspicion.
"Drink… " I huff, pushing it into her hand. "It'll help you calm your nerves."
"No," she says, pushing it back into my hands. "I don't trust you. You're clearly angry I tried to escape, and you probably poisoned that."
"Why in the world would I poison you after I just saved your life?" I groan.
She's impossible.
"Maybe you didn't save my life. Maybe the bear scared you as much as it did me, and you just saved yourown life. And maybe now you're tired of dealing with me, and it's easier to just poison me and dump me out in the woods where no one will ever find me," she's speaking fast, emotions surging through her.
"Dammit, Nikita." I lift the glass to my lips and take a sip. Making it very blatant and keeping my eyes locked with hers. "I wouldn't poison a whole damn bottle of whisky. That would be a waste. This is oak-smoked and a really good year."
She bites at her lip, eyeing me closely. When I don't keel over and die, she takes the glass from me and immediately drinks it all.
I chuckle, taking the glass with nothing but ice blocks left in it. "Another?" I ask.
She nods.
This time I pour two glasses and sit on the sofa with her.
We're quiet, our legs touching and heat spreading between us.
Our eyes are forward, on the high windows, watching the rain streak in long rivers down the glass.
Outside, the storm is raging and beautiful. The rain is so thick I can barely make out the tree line. When lightning snaps through the sky, she jumps, and I instinctively put my arm around her. But as soon as I realize what I've done, I pull it back.
"It's incredible, isn't it. The forces of nature."
