River shook out her shoulders, forcing thoughts of Tertia out of her mind. The Representative of the Fae was the last person she wanted to think about right now. Instead, she homed in on several half-empty bags of chips. She opened the clips that were keeping the bags sealed, peered inside, and sampled the contents one at a time. Dill pickle, cheddar, and sour cream and onion. She’d just placed a salt and vinegar chip on her tongue when a whisper of fabric came from behind her.
River stiffened, instinctively reaching for that place within her where her magic resided. Empty. Of course.
Before she could panic, the scent of almond and cedar reached her nose. Her shoulders relaxed. A heartbeat later, a pair of large hands snaked around her waist and rested on her stomach.
River exhaled softly, and the tension drained out of her.
She sagged against the very warm, verymalebody standing right behind her. There was no need to turn around—she knew who it was.
“Hey,” she murmured, awkwardly swallowing her chip. “You’re back.”
Nikhail brushed a soft kiss across the top of her head. “I am.”
“It’s really late.”
“I know. It was a long day.” He turned her around, his hands returning to her hips.
The pantry was tight, and there was barely room for both of them. Her back brushed against the shelves.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said after a moment. “So I thought I’d get a snack…”
River’s voice trailed off as she beheld Nikhail. For a moment, everything else came to a standstill. Her lungs forgot to contract. Her heart ceased beating. Even the emptiness inside her seemed to shrink.
There was just her and Nikhail. Two people drawn to each other despite everything that had tried to keep them apart for so long.
River drank him in. She couldn’t help it. Whenever they were in the same room, she sought him out. Here, in this small space that was built for one person, it was impossiblenotto look at him.
Nikhail wore a suit and tie, which was unsurprising. Her air fae was always dressed to the nines. A soft dusting of stubble adorned the lower half of his face. His eyes were heavy. He was still as good-looking as ever—she didn’t think it was possible for Nikhail Galebringer to be anythingbuthandsome—but it was evident the day had taken its toll on him.
Then, River gasped. Red flecks were splattered on the underside of Nikhail’s collar. Having spent a fair share of her adult life in hospitals, River knew blood when she saw it.
She touched it hesitantly, running her thumb over the stain. “What happened?”
“It’s not mine,” Nikhail answered softly.
On one hand, relief swept through River. On the other hand, it led to a slew of other questions.
“Did you suddenly take up an interest in surgery?” she asked, half-jokingly.
He took her hand and laced their fingers together. His thumb swept over hers, leaving goose bumps in its wake, and she could barely concentrate on his words.
“No. It happened at work.”
Four simple words, but they carried weight behind them. River had never asked Nikhail what he did for the military, but she wasn’t a fool. She knew he and Ryker worked dangerous jobs.
River’s mind unhelpfully chose that moment to remind her of the day that Nikhail showed up at her hospital, on the brink of death. That was the same day she discovered that her air fae’s chest was littered with scars.
Shivering, River shoved those memories away. This wasn’t like that day. Nikhail was here, so obviously, he was fine.
“Was it…” She chewed on her lip. “Did it happen when you were protecting my mo… the Representative?”
“No. Something else came up.”
And there was something about the way Nikhail spoke, the tinge of regret and exhaustion that was laced through his voice, that had her stomach twisting.
“The person who it belonged to…” River paused, searching for the right words. “Are they…”
How did one politely inquire whether killing someone had been on the night’s agenda?