Page 41 of Vendetta Vows

My pulse quickens for reasons beyond fear.

I should be terrified. I should be running. Instead, my mind keeps replaying the way his body felt against mine, both in fantasy and reality, and how instantly he appeared when I needed him most.

"Are you alright?" His voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts.

Reality crashes back. I scramble backward until my spine hits the wall, putting distance between us.

"What are you doing here?" My voice shakes. "Are you here to hurt me?"

Ruslan's expression shifts, something almost wounded flashing across his features.

"I'm not here to hurt you,zarechka." He lowers himself to my eye level, keeping his movements slow as if approaching a frightened animal. "I'm here to protect you."

"Protect me?" I laugh, a hysterical edge to the sound as I stare at the gun in his hand. "What are you?—"

"I have every reason to believe that my nephew's death was not an accident." His voice hardens, golden eyes flicking toward the dead man sprawled across my bedroom floor. "This is evidence of that."

"I don't understand," I whisper, even though part of me does.

Ruslan reaches toward me but stops when I flinch. "Did you see anything on set today, Aurora? Anything unusual right before Mikhail was shot?"

I stare at the gun in Ruslan's hand, the same one that just saved my life. My heartbeat gradually slows from its frantic pace, and I feel an unexpected calm wash over me. Maybe it's shock. Maybe it's something else.

"I think I saw something," I admit, my voice barely audible. "There was a glint on the hill behind the camera. Like sunlight reflecting off metal."

Ruslan nods, his expression grave. "A scope."

"I didn't think much of it at first. I thought maybe it was just someone's phone or a piece of equipment." My eyes drift to the body on my floor. "But then Mikhail collapsed and everything happened so fast..."

"You did nothing wrong,zarechka." His voice is gentle, a stark contrast to the violence I just witnessed. "But if you're innocent, why did you run? Hannah said you were packing to leave."

"I can't have the police speak with me." I press my back harder against the wall, as if I could somehow disappear into it. "I can't lethimfind me."

Something dangerous flashes in Ruslan's eyes. "Who is 'he'?"

I press my lips together, shaking my head. The words won't come. If I say his name, he'll become real in the worst possible way.

Ruslan moves closer, careful not to touch me. "Did he hurt you?"

I close my eyes, unable to look at him as I give a small nod.

"Aurora." His voice wraps around my name like a caress. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

My eyes snap open, and I feel a bitter laugh escape. "You don't understand. Nobody can keep me safe. Not from him." I gesture at the dead man between us. "This? This is nothing compared to what he'd do."

"You don't know what I'm capable of," Ruslan says, each word carrying the weight of a promise.

"And you don't know what he's capable of," I whisper back.

I drag my sleeve across my face, trying to wipe away the blood. "Ever since Sienna took my picture at Nikoforov, it's felt like someone's been watching me."

The words sound pathetic even to my own ears. Like a child afraid of monsters under the bed. Except my monster is real.

"I haven't slept through the night this entire week." My voice cracks. "I feel eyes on me when I'm at my window. I keep checking for cars I don't recognize."

Ruslan's expression shifts, something close to guilt flickering across his face.

"Someone has been watching you,zarechka." His voice is low, almost apologetic.

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