Chapter 14

Iwake to a light tapping on my bedroom door. I don't know if wake is the right way to think about it. It's not like the sleep was deep or anything. Every few minutes, I'd wake up, sleep clinging to my eyes, wondering what was happening to Dimitri.

"Hello?" I say groggily, wondering if this is a dream, my body tingling as I imagine it's him. Pray it's him.

"It's me," a small, scared voice says. "Mila."

Mila? Dimitri's bride-to-be? I push down the flutter of frustration that tries to grip me.

"Um, how can I help?" I ask.

"I need to talk to you, please."

She sounds so desperate. I get out of bed and pull the bathrobe around me. She's got her hair tied up, wearing sneakers and a hoodie, looking ready for an excursion.

"What's up?" I say.

"I need your help, please." Desperation enters her voice. "My little brother wants to come and stay with us, but Dimitri says it's too dangerous."

My head swims. I can't imagine Dimitri saying that. "Is your brother safe?"

"With my dad? Hell no." She wraps her arms around herself, making herself look smaller and more vulnerable. "One soldier managed to sneak him out. He's waiting for me in the desert. I've got a way out, but I don't want to go alone."

I shift from foot to foot, thinking about what Dimitri would say if he were here. I know he wouldn't want me to put myself at risk.

"How old is he?" I ask.

"Ten. My dad, he… he's not a good man. He hurts him. He?—"

"What's taking so long?" a voice grunts from the dark.

Mila flinches. Over her shoulder, I see something glint in the darkness. When I look closer, I realize what it is. My heart flutters almost into my throat.

"The door!" the voice roars as I try closing it in Mila's face.

I'm not fast enough. She darts into the bedroom, but I throw it closed behind her and turn the lock. Mila watches me with tears in her eyes, her mouth hanging open.

"Do you even have a brother?" I yell as the man starts pounding on the door. This is the second time some big bad wolf has tried to huff and puff and blow my life out.

"I'm sorry," Mila says. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry."