Page 191 of Blood & Snow
"I'm learning," I say.
"Nadya has been teaching me that love isn't measured in rubles or expensive ornaments."
The tension in Irina's posture begins to ease, doubt giving way to reluctant acceptance.
She wants to believe this story, wants to think her sister found romance rather than danger.
The alternative—that Nadya has been involved in criminal activity—is too painful to contemplate.
"How old are you?" Irina asks suddenly.
"Forty."
"Fourteen years older than my sister."
"Yes."
"And what are your intentions toward her?"
The question is old-fashioned, the kind fathers ask suitors in an earlier era.
But the concern behind it is timeless—a protective older sister ensuring her sibling isn't being exploited by a man with more resources and experience.
"I intend to marry her," I say, the words surprising even me with their sincerity.
"If she'll have me."
And I look down into her eyes to search them, to see her reaction and know how she really feels about me.
Nadya's hand tightens in mine and sucks in a breath.
We haven't discussed marriage, haven't planned beyond surviving the immediate future.
But saying it aloud feels right, feels inevitable.
"You want to marry her," Irina repeats, testing the words for truth.
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
When I say the words, it's while I look Nadya directly in the eye.
Irina looks at her sister, searching Nadya's face for confirmation or denial.
"And you? Do you want this?"
"Yes," Nadya whispers, looking up at me with dewy eyes and a smile.
"I love him, Irina. I know it seems fast and possibly foolish, but I love him."
Irina's eyes shine with unshed tears as she studies her sister's face.
She's searching for signs of coercion or fear, looking for any indication that Nadya is being forced into declarations she doesn't mean.
But all she finds is genuine affection and hope.
"You really love him," Irina says, wonder creeping into her voice.
"More than I thought possible," Nadya confirms, and she finally pulls her gaze away from me as she swipes at the moisture on her cheeks now.
