NIKOLAI
MY FINGERS CURLED around the gun before I was even fully awake, instincts kicking in before reason as I forced myself through the last haze of sleep. Something was off. Someone was too close. Watching.
I sat up fast, muscles tight, gun already aimed, my finger poised over the trigger—ready to put a bullet between their eyes—until I saw who it was.
Boris.
My grip tightened, jaw locking as I breathed through the sharp rush of adrenaline. I didn’t lower the gun. I could still pull the trigger. I wanted to.
“Now, now, Nikolai.” His voice was too smooth, too f*****g amused for someone who had just walked into my bedroom uninvited. “Don’t tell me you plan on shooting your own Batya.”
The light flicked on, too bright, too harsh, and I swore under my breath, dragging a hand o
