She returned the glare for a beat, but seeing I wasn’t leaving without getting what I wanted, she said like she was pulling teeth, “They will not kill him even though he is worthless traitor. They shared time in prison.” Then she frowned thoughtfully. “They probably tortured him some though.” I swallowed, hoping Ivan still had all his fingers and toes, but a weight lifted off my shoulders at the fact he was alive. I didn’t understand why they captured him if they were just going to let him go. Not to mention, when I spoke to Ivan, he believed Ronan would kill him. I had the feeling something had changed between yesterday and this morning, and my mind could only settle on what happened in the drawing room after sunset. Questions—so many questions—stirred. I could demand answers, though I thought I had already pushed Yulia too far by the look she gave me while stabbing her needle in the pincushion like it was a voodoo doll. Gingerly, I set Lada back on the shelf and turned to the door. “Thank you, Yulia.” “Come to my room again, you will have bad luck for seven years!” “Grouch,” I muttered on my way out, only to hear a significant insult in return. “Harlot.” Ugh. x I was relieved to see the dining room sat empty except for a single filled plate in my spot at the table. After grabbing the dish, I slipped on my boots and coat and stepped outside. The men no longer went silent in my presence, now used to me traipsing around in the snow. Pavel even came over to greet me, following my steps to the kennel while trying out some of the English he was attempting to learn. It was awful, but I’d never tell him. Albert barked something at Pavel, who gave me an apologetic smile. “I leave now. Boss teach me how .. .” As he scratched his head in thought, a weird sense of anticipation ballooned in my stomach at just the mention of