Chapter Twenty-Three
I’m ripping at the chain when I hear Rose’s voice say, “Koschei? What are you doing here?”
“Baba Yaga sent me,” he says just as I yank open my door. “She wanted me to tell you this isn’t personal, just business.”
I raise my gun as I run.
Koschei is clutching the front of Rose’s gown with one fist, the intricate knife I saw in my vision clutched in his other fist and poised for a strike.
I shoot, praying I don’t hit Rose.
A red spot blooms in Koschei’s shoulder, but the knife flashes down.
Rose screams.
I fire again—and though the bullet hits him in the torso, he doesn’t even look my way. The knife flashes in the air again, and Rose lets out another horrid scream.
I aim for his head and pull the trigger.
The bullet grazes his skull.
He staggers slightly, but
