The clicking of keys reached her ears, and Ryker hummed. “All right. Here’s what I think you should do….”
River stoodin front of the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, trying to reconcile the person looking back at her with the woman she knew herself to be.
From the combat boots on her feet to the form-fitting black leggings and tight, long-sleeved black shirt hugging her curves, she looked every bit the soldier she was pretending to be, not the doctor she was. The outfit, courtesy of whoever stocked the safehouse, fit her like a glove.
It didn’t help her unease.
Guns were holstered on her thighs, and she had a knife hidden in her boot. The last time she’d held such weapons was when Ryker had taken her to the range when she was eighteen to teach her how to shoot. River had learned to appease her brother, never thinking she’d actually have to use the skills.
Her stomach had twisted into knots as she’d pulled the guns from the safe, having been given the code by Ryker. She hated the thought of using the weapons, but hated the idea of Nikhail being hurt even more.
River’s brown hair hung in a braid over one shoulder, and her face was free of makeup. Even with her many piercings, she could’ve been mistaken for a soldier. The only thing setting her apart was the jet-black shackles around her wrists.
Even though the cuffs were the same color as the rest of River’s outfit, they drew the eye. There was a dark gleam about them, as if they actively absorbed the light.
Tracing a finger over the cold metal, River shivered. She’d been wearing the cuffs for several weeks, but she still felt their inherent wrongness. The way they blocked magic was utterly unnatural, and every part of her rebelled against them.
And yet, River stood by her decision to leave the Hub with the shackles on. There was no way of knowing what might’ve happened if they’d been taken off then. Her state of mind had been fragile, her control probably nonexistent.
But those days felt so far away now.
Yes, River had been broken. Yes, she’d been cursed. Yes, her grief had been overwhelming. Even now, she could feel it edging at the brink of her mind.
But the truth was, all those horrible, awful things would be eclipsed by the agonizing pain that would strike her if something happened to Nikhail. The clouds would never part again, and the darkness she’d already waded through would be nothing but a fraction of the agony she’d experience if she lost him.
Because somewhere along the way, Nikhail Galebringer hadn’t just taken pieces of River’s heart. He’d stolen the entire vital organ.
River hadn’t fallen for Nikhail overnight. Instead, with Nikhail’s steadiness, his grounding touch, and his promise tohelp her see the stars, he had slowly made himself the most important person in her life. Every moment they spent together, every kiss they shared, simply served to solidify his claim on her heart.
I love him, River realized, dropping her hand from the shackle around her wrist.
She hadn’t dared let herself think about those words, hadn’t allowed herself to consider what loving someone meant.
It was a frightening thing, love. It horrified River, in a way, to discover that the steady beats of her heart were not for her at all, but for Nikhail.
She loved him so much, it hurt. Each beat reminded her that she was here, without him.
And that was why the prohiberis cuffs had to go. She had to take them off and wrangle her curse under control, because the man she loved was in trouble.
River turned the small, black key she’d found in the nightstand on her first day in the safe house over, tracing its ridges with her fingers.
The metal was cold, just like the cuffs. Initially, she’d hadn’t even suspected the key’s true purpose. She’d looked right past it during her snooping.
But today, the key had drawn her to it, and she retrieved it after her call with Ryker. The moment she’d picked it up, a strange buzzing sensation had raced through her, as if confirming its purpose.
Nikhail had mentioned there were some spare keys for prohiberis cuffs hidden in safe houses throughout the Republic. Was it here by accident, or had he known of the key’s presence when he brought them here?
She wasn’t sure, and she couldn’t ask him.
Not yet.
Add it to the many things they would have to talk about when he finally came back. River’s fingers trembled, and the key shook as she brought it over the manacle on her right wrist.
Inhale.
The word echoed through her mind. Not in her voice, but in Nikhail’s deep tenor.
She did as the memory of him instructed.