“Do not come near me, Sergei. I mean it,” she threatened.
He ignored her and took another step in her direction. If he couldn’t reach beneath the walls she’d built, she’d never allow him close enough again to try. “I have loved you since we were teenagers, Valechka. I love your insatiable curiosity and tendency to always get into mischief.”
“Stop it,” she ordered.
“I love your passion, your loyalty, and even your stubbornness,” he said, advancing another couple of steps. “You are fearless, strong, and the most beautiful woman I have ever known.”
“Stop saying these things!” she yelled.
“No,” he told her, inches away from her and knowing she was about to snap. “I will always love you, and I know you still love me.”
With an anguished cry, she withdrew a dagger and brought it down toward
