Page 50 of Sin Wager
"You're shaking."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." His hand touches my shoulder, and I flinch away. The movement makes him freeze. "Vera, I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know that." The words come out too fast, too sharp. "I know you wouldn't."
"Then why won't you look at me?"
Because when I do, I see what Batya warned me about. The man who answers questions too smoothly, who shows up at exactly the right moments, who handles confrontations with a skill that speaks to experience I don't want to acknowledge.
But I also see the man who stayed with me after Pavel's death, who met my family and answered every one of Batya's questions with patience. The man who promises to protect me and makes me feel safe.
I turn around slowly, and his expression immediately softens when he sees my face.
"There," he says quietly. "That's better."
"Is it?" My voice cracks. "Because I feel terrified, and I don't know if it's because of Sonya or because of what I saw in your eyes back there."
He goes completely still. "What did you see?"
"I don't know. Something cold. Something…" I struggle for the right word. "Dangerous."
He's quiet for a long moment, studying my face. When he speaks, his voice is careful. "I was angry. Not at you—at the situation. At the people who are using you."
"My father thinks you're not who you seem."
"What do you think?"
I should ask him directly—who are you really? What do you want from me? Why does everyone see something in you that I'm missing?
Instead, I say, "I think you're trying to protect me. I think maybe you got angry because you care about what happens to me."
Relief flickers across his features. "Yes." His shoulders lose some of their tension and he reaches for me again, and this time, I don't flinch away.
"But I also think there are things you're not telling me."
"There are things I can't tell you,milyy." He steps closer, and his grip on my arm tightens. "But everything I've said about wanting to keep you safe—that's true." Misha's other hand rises and curls a strand of hair around my ear. It relaxes me completely to know he truly wants to protect me. But my heart still wants reassurance.
"Even when you looked at me in the tunnel and I thought for a second you might…" I trail off, not sure how to finish.
"Might what?"
"I don't know. Hurt me. Not physically, but… make me disappear somehow."
The words come out in a rush, and I immediately wish I could take them back. But Misha doesn't look angry or offended. He looks stricken.
"God, Vera." His grip tightens and then he brushes a thumb over my cheek bone, hand cradling my jawline. "I would never. No matter what happens, no matter what you've done or haven't done, I would never hurt you."
"Promise me."
"I promise." He leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. The sincerity in his tone makes me melt against him. "I promise you're safe with me."
The tenderness in his voice finally snaps the rest of that insecurity away. All the fear and confusion from the past week, all the secrets I've been carrying, all the weight of decisions I never wanted to make—it crashes over me at once.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, and the tears start before I can stop them. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry I stayed involved with Sonya. I'm sorry I'm such a mess."
"Hey." His voice is soft, soothing as he pulls me against his body. "You have nothing to apologize for."
