Page 34 of Tattooed Vow

“Derzhi yeye ryadom, Dimitri.”Keep her close.

I look toward the window, where the curtains are drawn tight. I can picture her curled up in the bed, face pressed to the pillow, finally resting. She is unaware that our sanctuary has been compromised and that danger is closing in around us.

“I will,” I vow.

My hand tightens around the phone, knuckles white. In the distance, a crow calls harshly. Soon, we will need to run again. Soon, I will need to fight. But for now, she is safe, sleeping behind locked doors, and I will stand guard until the last possible moment, letting her rest in the false peace I had promised her.

Because deep down, I know the truth that terrifies me more than Morozov or his men. I will die before I let anyone hurt her. Not because it’s my duty but because somehow, without warning or permission, she has become essential to me. Necessary. Vital.

And in our world, that kind of feeling is the most dangerous weapon of all.

14

DIMITRI

The storm outside rages. Rain pelts the cabin windows in steady sheets, and the wind howls through the trees, making the walls creak as if the whole forest is leaning in.

Sandy sits on the worn leather couch across from me, her knees tucked beneath her as she flips through a book she isn’t reading. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, a few rebellious strands curling at her temples. She’s wearing the soft white hoodie, now paired with my joggers. The hoodie hangs slightly off her shoulders, and the loose fit of the pants makes her look more effortlessly beautiful.

I look away before she catches me watching. But she already did.

Her eyes lift from the pages, locking with mine. She says nothing and raises a brow in a silent challenge before returning to her book.

My jaw tenses.

It’s been hours since Morozov’s men got too close, too bold. And now we’re stuck here, just the two of us, inside this cabin tuckeddeep into the woods, waiting for Aleksandr's new safehouse coordinates.

The worst part? I don’t trust myself around her.

Not because she’s not safe with me. I’ll die before I let anyone touch a hair on her head. No, the problem is internal. It’s how she walks around like she doesn’t realize the effect she has on me. Her laughter, rare as it is these days, ignites a fire deep in me that I can’t put out. I can’t tear my gaze away when I think she isn’t looking.

I used to be good at keeping things locked down. Emotion. Need. Lust. But Sandy? She unravels me with a single glance. And worse, she doesn’t even try.

The fire crackles low in the hearth. Two hours ago, the storm had taken out the power, plunging the cabin into restless shadows. I’d lit candles and stirred the embers into a living flame, but it didn’t chase away the tension that pulsed between us like a heartbeat.

Outside, another crack of thunder shakes the foundation, and Sandy flinches, closing her book. I pretend not to notice how her fingers tremble slightly. She isn’t supposed to be part of this. She isn’t supposed to be hunted like an animal. She is collateral damage in a war she never asked to join.

I stand abruptly, my chair scraping against the wooden floor. Sandy's eyes follow me as I move to the kitchen counter, pouring myself a generous measure of vodka. I don’t offer her any. She already had enough wine to make her cheeks flush that delicate shade of pink that makes my throat dry. I down the shot in one harsh swallow and pour another.

Sandy walks toward the window, peering out into the dark forest.

“You think they’re still out there?” she asks quietly.

I follow her gaze. All I can see is the reflection of her silhouette against the glass.

“Da,” I answer truthfully. “But even they’d be fools to try reaching the cabin in this kind of storm.”

She crosses her arms, rubbing her hands up and down her sleeves. “And if they do?”

I move behind her, close enough to feel the warmth of her body but careful not to touch. My voice drops low.

“Then they die.”

She turns slightly, her eyes searching mine. “You say that like it’s easy.”

“It is,” I reply, my tone hardening. “When it comes to protecting you? Yes.”

Her breath hitches just enough for me to notice.

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