Chapter 20

Mishka

The bed bounced, twice, then settled. I woke with a start, looking around in confusion. I was on a plane. His plane.

I had never been on a plane before, not that I had told him that. I was far too embarrassed to admit how provincial I was. He already looked down on me, and not just because of his height. I had been nervous, even frightened, at first. But Anton kept me too distracted to think too closely about what was happening.

And then I had somehow fallen asleep. It was surprising, to say the least.

"Oh good, you are awake."

I stared at the man sitting nearby, looking relaxed and handsome as always. I was stretched out on a low sofa, with a sumptuous, faux fur blanket laid over me.

At least I thought it was faux fur. When it came to Anton, there was no way to tell.

I did not remember laying down. He must have moved me. And the blanket that had mysteriously appeared? That was all him as well. It was a surprisingly… tender thing for him to do.

"Are you hungry?"

I swallowed, then nodded. I was hungry, despite already eating two excellent inflight meals with my captor.

"Have a snack. We won't be eating for a few hours."

I joined him at the table we had sat at for meals throughout the flight. A tray with bread, cheese, and fruit was laid out. Anton was drinking water, from what I could tell.

"You are just in time to watch our approach. I was going to wake you. You don't want to miss this," he said a few minutes later. I stared out the window. He was right.

Sparkling lights spread out in the distance. The sky was just beginning to get lighter in the distance. We were still over water, but I could see the coast. It looked like a gathering of fireflies in midsummer. As we got closer, I realized the lights looked more like diamonds, lit up from within.

"It's beautiful," I said, my voice full of awe.

"Yes, it is."

I looked up at him, expecting to see him looking out the window. But he wasn't. He was looking at me.