He really wants to protect us?
I’m so overwhelmed I can’t even put into words what I feel, knowing we will be safe.
Georgi must see the emotions on my face, because he leans even closer and his tone is rougher as he spits out, “You don’t belong to Boris or Anton. No one uses you. No one hurts you. No one touches what’s mine.” Again, he forces his anger down and visibly becomes calmer. “And if someone is insane enough to try, I will kill them.”
Every word from him acts as a soothing balm to my raw soul, but still cautious, I beg, “Is this real? Please don’t say these things only to yank them away from me.”
He lifts both hands and frames my face. “This is very real, Nina. As real as the bond we formed in that basement. I’m going to take care of you the way you took care of me.”
His expression turns so gentle, it fills me with certainty.
“When something scares you, tell me. If you have questions, ask them. If you need anything, come to me. You don’t have to carry things alone anymore. I want to help you.”
Silence has kept me alive for so long that it feels wrong to be open about what scares me.
His forehead hovers close to mine, his entire body surrounding me until the world feels reduced to the tiny space between us.
“I’m scared I’ll upset you,” I admit softly.
“If that happens, I won’t hurt you, no matter how angry I get. I think I proved that already, Nina. I didn’t punish you for the part you played in me ending up shackled and tortured.”
My eyebrows pull together. “I’m so sorry about that, but…”
“But what?”
“I regretted it at first, but not anymore. I know that’s wrong, but if I hadn’t lured you into the trap, you wouldn’t have been there to save us.”
“I understand.” He tilts his head, then asks, “Do you want to talk about the rape?”
I have one question, and my throat strains when I ask, “Why did you look?”
A hurt expression cuts into Georgi’s features. “You cried, and I just couldn’t…” He turns his head, too late to hide the torment flashing through his eyes. “I couldn’t leave you alone in that moment.” Taking a deep breath, his gaze returns to mine, but his voice is hoarse as he says, “I wanted to give you all the strength I had in me.”
I suck in a quivering breath, then a first tear slips free. Georgi wipes it from my cheek, and the tenderness in his touch is my tipping point.
I clutch at his shirt like he’s the only thing keeping me upright, a broken cry slipping free before I can admit, “You being there made it so much worse.”
Sobbing, I scoot closer when his arms wrap around me, and for the first time in way too many years, I look for comfort in a man’s arms.
Georgi holds me as if I’m precious, and when he presses a kiss to the side of my head, another broken shard of me eases back into place.
He doesn’t lose his temper or become impatient but just holds me for as long as I need.
That’s when it truly sinks in that I can trust him.
My fingers free his shirt, and I wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him back. “Thank you!” I cry, finding a safe place in the man I betrayed. The man who’s supposed to be my enemy, but who has done so much more for me in a single day than my father has done for me in all my life.
Georgi tightens his hold on me, and I spread my legs so he can stand between them. It allows him to engulf me fully as he presses my head into the space beneath his chin.
When I finally manage to calm a little, I say the words again. “Thank you so much for not dying, for freeing us, for offering all those wonderful things, but mostly...” I pull back and use my palms to wipe my cheeks dry. “Thank you for caring. It’s been so long, I have forgotten how good it feels.”
“You’re welcome,moeto hubavo mishle.”
I scoot further back so I can meet his eyes and say, “I was surprised when I heard you speak Bulgarian. Especially without an accent.”
“It’s because I am Bulgarian. By heritage. My biological parents died in the fire…the one I relived under the drugs. Not long afterward, Raya and I were adopted.”
My jaw drops, and once again I gape at him. “Really? I thought you were Sicilian.”
