My head throbs. Somewhere through the haze, someone calls my name.
“Claire.”
A strong shake pulls me toward consciousness. Warmth presses at my back, a wide, solid chest cradling me in strong arms. Aleksei! My mind leaps, my eyes fly open.
Grey eyes stare down at me. Not Aleksei. Niko.
I blink, dazed, struggling to connect thought with reality. Then memory slips in, the stairs, Pavel’s fury, the shove.
“f**k,” Niko mutters, tugging me tighter against his chest. “I leave you for five minutes.”
“What happened?” I had to clear my throat, my eyes glancing upward, the chandelier lights blurring overhead, the railing too far above. How did I end up on the ground? Then the memory slams back harder, clearer. Pavel, charging, rage in his eyes. I tense, try to push myself upright, but my hea
