Nikhail’s thumb, which had been teasing at the edge of her lips, stilled. “You love me?”
Was that wonderment in his voice? Did he not know how much she cared about him? That in staying by her side, in beingwith her despite her brokenness, he’d shown her what true love was?
“Yes.” Had she thought her heart was racing before? Now it was a galloping horse. That fire blazed inside her. “I love you,” she said with more confidence, speaking the words from the depth of her soul.
Nikhail’s lips parted. A moment that felt like both a lifetime and a millisecond passed. He exhaled, and those amber eyes seemed to shine brightly. “I love you, too.”
His words were a hoarse whisper, yet it felt as though he’d shouted them at River.
Her lips tugged up, and she lifted her chin as Nikhail drew her close and kissed her.
When they finally broke apart, Nikhail rested his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, little storm,” he whispered.
River had never heard better words. That fire within her became a conflagration, and she tilted up her head, chasing another kiss.
It never came.
A throat cleared behind them. A reminder that they weren’t alone. “While this has been a nice show, could we keep the amorous declarations to a minimum right now? We’re a little busy.”
River’s cheeks heated as she peered around Nikhail. A handsome soldier with dark skin and kind eyes was wiping off his face with his sleeve, looking at her and Nikhail with amusement.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “We got… distracted.”
The best kind of distraction.
The kind that River would never forget for as long as she lived.
“It won’t be long now.”Nikhail squeezed River’s hand before giving her a gentle push down the tunnel. “Why don’t you take a break and freshen up? You deserve it.”
She glanced behind her, where the digging was ongoing. They’d had to take a break a while ago when debris had started falling from the ceiling. Nikhail and several other soldiers had fashioned temporary supports out of material scavenged from the bunker and the other side of the tunnel before the digging could resume.
“You sure?” she said. “I could help.”
“You’ve already done so much,” Nikhail murmured, brushing his lips over hers. “Take a break.”
River debated on staying right here, but the ache in her muscles was becoming hard to ignore. A break did sound like a nice idea.
“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”
She turned, navigating through the tunnel towards the bunker. The space had become quite crowded. Now, nearly every member of Nikhail’s team had joined the digging efforts, with the exception of Taliyah.
River waved at the vampire as she stepped into the bunker, keeping her head down. She avoided looking at the man tied to the chair, having already been warned by Nikhail to stay far away from him.
The warning seemed a little extreme, since the man was clearly out of it. His head lolled to the side, and he had a glazed look about him.
River knew who he was. The leader of the Black Night. He was the reason Nikhail had gotten hurt, the reason so many people had died.
Gale Harringdale hated people like her, so even if Nikhail had never warned River to steer clear of him, she would have.
River released a breath as she crossed the hallway and stepped into the bathroom. Closing the door, she locked it behind her. She took care of her personal needs before standing at the sink and turning on the water with her elbow.
She hummed to herself, sticking a hand under the water to test the temperature. Tepid. Not her favorite, but it wasn’t like she was in a position to fuss. Water was water, after all.
Reaching for the soap, River lathered her hands. The strong scent of lemons and disinfectant had her nostrils twitching. She scrubbed her hands, the motions oddly reminiscent of when she prepped for surgery.
For the first time since her father’s death, the thought of the hospital, and all that it entailed, didn’t strike fear into River’s heart. Even the notion of coming across another patient in the Stillness didn’t frighten her right now.
And that was good.