29

By the time I cross the threshold, my smile disappears, and it has less to do with the freezing cold and more to do with the man outside. My pores fill with dread, which is a familiar feeling whenever I’m around Kirill. “I brought some tea.” My voice is surprisingly welcoming and calm. He lifts his head from his task, and I’m once again trapped in his freezing eyes that put winter and all its snow to shame. His punishing gaze studies me from head to toe, and it takes everything in me not to squirm. “What?” I say in a less sure tone than earlier. “You’re able to move comfortably without putting strain on your injury, yes?” I nod. He abandons the axe and dons his coat. “Come with me.” “Where?” “Somewhere private, where they can’t hear us.” Oh. Not sure what to do with the cup of tea, I place it on the chopping block and follow after him. Kirill’s strides eat up the distance in no time, and I have to jog so that I can catch up with him. We wander into the small forest surrounding the vill