Chapter 47.

NORA CARUSO The light sliced through the gap in the heavy curtains, a sharp, blinding beam that hit me squarely across the eyes. I groaned, turning my head into the pillow to escape it, my body feeling heavy and achingly sore in places that had no business being sore. My eyes snapped open and I turned my head slowly, dread curling in my stomach. Nikolai was there. He was lying on his uninjured side, propped up on one elbow, his head resting in his hand. The sheet was pooled at his waist, leaving his broad chest bare. He was watching me, his eyes were dark, heavy-lidded, and focused entirely on my face. He looked like he had been watching me for hours, studying me like a complex equation he had finally solved. "No," I gasped, the sound tearing out of my throat as the reality of the situation crashed down on me. I scrambled backward, I kicked the charcoal sheets away, scooting across the massive mattress until my back hit the wood of the headboard. I grabbed the duvet, pulling it up to m