A year after Alina Starkov tears down the Shadow Fold, she is finally able to settle into her peaceful life. There is no more war with Ravka. The Darkling, once her enemy, is now a loyal, protective husband, and a father to their adoptive daughter...
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ᗩᒪEKSᗩᑎᗪEᖇ'S ᖴᗩᑕE contorts into a look of pure fury. If he didn't have enough to be angry about recently, this seems to push him over the edge.
"You'd better have a damn good reason why you are in my bedroom alone with my wife, Lantsov."
"I'm here too!" Amelia interjects. We all give her a grave look. She doesn't understand the full gravity of the situation, but she finally sees the tension in the room. Her smile fades, and she lets go of Nikolai to hide behind me.
My heart is pounding in the tense silence that follows. Nikolai and Aleksander glare at each other. The air crackles between them. I take a deep breath, then, step in between the two before Nikolai can answer.
"He was just stopping by to say hello after his return to the Grand Palace since he has been gone for so long."
"Actually—" Nikolai cuts in firmly, throwing my attempts at salvaging this encounter out the window.
"Nikolai, shut up," I growl.
He ignores me and states the intent of his visit that he hadn't told me yet. "I was coming to check on my friend. I heard rumors while traveling back that you were taking extreme measures after an attempt at Alina's life. I truly hoped all of it was just that—rumors. But it's clear to see they were not all lies." He gestures to the door. "When I got here, Alina's door was locked from the outside. No matter the circumstances, there is no excuse for doing that to her. Who the hell do you think you are to lock her away like a prisoner? "
"I am the King; that's who I am," he says fiercely. "A King who is very close to putting an end to a subordinate who is telling me how to address my wife. So choose your next move very carefully."
Nikolai ruffles at his words. I turn to him and put my hands on his chest to stop him from doing anything rash. "Nikolai," I beg. "Don't. It's not worth it. You will just make everything worse. You should go."
He huffs, clenching his fists until his knuckles turn white. Then, he squares his shoulders and nods solemnly. Nikolai finally comes to the realization that this isn't about him. He would make things worse for Amelia and me. The Darkling is reverting back to his old ways. The only way to keep him from straying too far down that path is by replacing his stress and apprehension with love, just like last time. And right now, Nikolai is certainly not helping the stress factor.
"Fine," he says. Being one who doesn't like losing arguments, he makes sure to kiss my cheek before leaving, which causes the Darkling's glare to deepen.
Nikolai makes way for the door, but Aleksander grabs the collar of his shirt. While looking at me, he says, "If I see you anywhere near Alina or my daughter, you know what I am capable of. I'll leave it up to your imagination to think of what I'll do."
