Page 98 of Viper’s Reign

Neither of us says a word as we make our way through the house and upstairs to my room. While I close the door behind us, Millie looks over the space before following me to the bed. She drops onto the mattress like her bones have given up on holding her together. For a while, we just lie there, blinking up at the ceiling. Then she looks over at me with a wry smile.

“Am I loopy, or is something going on between you and Dimitri Petrov?”

The way she phrases it makes me laugh. “You are definitely loopy. But I don’t exactly blame you…”

She chuckles and sits back up. “Liar. I saw the way you two were looking at each other. Maybe I shouldn’t be apologizing for what I put you through. Looks like it might have led you to the love of your life.”

“Oh, you should absolutely be apologizing. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?”

“You didn’t deny it!” she gasps.

“Deny what?” I frown at her.

“I said Dimitri is the love of your life, and you didn’t deny it.” She gets to her knees and leans toward me with wide eyes. “Did you fall in love with him?” she asks in a scandalized whisper, glancing around theatrically as though the man himself might materialize from the walls.

I blush, looking down at my lap. “Maybe.” She lets out another exaggerated gasp. “But we’re not talking about me right now.”

“No way! You’re in love, Grace. Did you give him your V-card? You did!” She covers her mouth. “Oh my God, Gracie.”

I can’t help but blush at the astonished way she’s staring at me. She’d probably faint if she knew what Dimitri and I have been doing for the past few weeks. “We’re not talking about me,” I repeat, quickly continuing before she can interrupt. “We need to talk about you. Where did they take you? Were you—were you assaulted?”

The levity drains from the room, and Millie’s smile fades. “If you’re asking if I was raped, I wasn’t. They only really beat me up when they first grabbed me. I guess they wanted the injuries for the video they sent. To scare you into doing what they wanted.” Her voice gets quieter. “I deserved worse.”

“Millicent.”

“No, Grace. You always see the best in people. You always see the best in me. But I’m not a good person.”

“You’re my friend—the sister I never had. You are a good person.” I take both her hands in mine and squeeze them, hoping to get through to her.

Before she can argue, a knock at the door interrupts us. I let go of her hands and get off the bed to answer it.

Hugo is standing on the other side with a tray of food. “The boss asked me to bring this up.”

Millie and I stay in my room until nightfall, talking. Hugo brings our dinner up, and the conversation carries on long after we’ve finished eating. For hours, we talk about everything—what she went through, how it made her feel, and how relieved we are to be reunited.

Eventually, the words run out. A comfortable silence settles over the room, and for a while we simply exist in it, grateful that the uncertainty and endless worrying about the other are finally behind us.

But then the conversation circles back to me.

The past few weeks with Dimitri. The feelings he stirs in me. My fear that they’re not reciprocated.

“You almost killed the man, and he decided your punishment should be hot, sexual torment?” Millie scoffs. “That man is gonzo for you.”

My toes curl into the bedsheets at the thought. “Do you really think so?”

“Did you see the way he looked at you out there this morning?” She sighs dreamily as she turns to face me. “Reciprocated feelings aren’t your problem, Grace. You should be thinking about how you want to proceed.”

“What do you mean?” I frown.

“Are you going to stay locked up here as his house girlfriend—or housewife?” she teases.

“Stop!” I swat at her.

She smiles. “Or are you going to take your licensing exam and practice like you always wanted to?”

My frown deepens. I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. “I want to practice.”

She nods. “Do you think you’ll be able to? Your man isn’t just in the Bratva. His family is the Bratva. There’s no exit for him. It’s not a job he can quit. Can you live with that? Can you even practice with that kind of background attached to your name?”