Beauty and the Assassin

That explains everything. He can irritate you just by existing. “What did he do?” I want the specificity of his crime so I can decide how many limbs of his I should break. I’m not going to kill him, since that would upset Lizochka and Thomas. But you don’t need all your limbs intact to live.

“He didn’t do anything except say hi,” Angelika says.

That “saying hi” could’ve been upsetting to the little fawn. It’s the man’s fault. He has the most annoying voice. Actually, everything about him is annoying. I wish Lizochka hadn’t fallen in love with him.

Anyway, I’ll break his right leg. Being stuck on crutches will do wonders for his personality and character. He might quit saying “hi” from now on, and humanity will be better off.

“Please don’t hurt him,” she says, giving me an “I know what’s in your head” look.

“What do you mean?” I frown, all affronted innocence. For some reason, Angelika can read me surprisingly accurately at times. Somewhat disconcerting, since nobody else can. It’s as though my shield slips without me noticing when I’m with her.

“I know that look. You’re thinking about hurting him.”

“No, I’m not.” I’m planning to hurt him. Two very different things.

“He didn’t do anything, honest. It’s me.”

“How so?”

Sighing, she reaches for her glass of burgundy and drinks it. “It’s just…” She sighs again. “He’s so in love with Elizabeth.”

Yes, which is another reason—albeit a minor one—he’s alive.

“They’re such a team,” she adds. “A unit. A family.”

I process that, unsure of how exactly that’s making her distracted. Or why seeing Lizochka and Dominic together is worthy of two sighs from the little fawn.

“They anchor each other. No matter what happens in their lives, they’re going to be okay as long as they have each other.” She sighs again. A tinge of longing threads the soft exhalation of breath.

Ah. She wants the same for herself. A team. A unit. Family. An anchor to keep her grounded.

But she already has that. We’re together. We’re a team. A unit. Family in all but name.

Before I can respond, she adds, “What they have is so tight and strong, it feels permanent.”

“Divorces are easy to get,” I point out.

Angelika shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s in their future. You can tell with some couples, you know? They’ve made the ultimate commitment to each other, and they aren’t going to break it.”

Sudden clarity slams into me. She wants commitment, something that can reassure her. She lost her parents when she was a mere eighteen, and after that—for eight years—she was on the run. Although the last two years have been different, adjusting can be hard. Sort of similar to how people struggle to adjust to normalcy after a long battle with terror, whether it’s personal or something broader like a war.

“You’re one of my Five,” I tell her.

Confusion clouds her whiskey eyes. “Five what?”

“The five people whose safety I put above all else. It used to be four, but now it includes you.”

“Um. Thank you…?” Angelika looks at me uncertainly. “Who else is in the group?” she asks. Does she think it only has women?

“Lyosha, Lizochka, Thomas and—unfortunately—Dominic.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders relax.

“And just to be clear, you’re number one out of the Five.”

She blinks, then opens and closes her mouth a few times, like she’s struggling to find the right words. “But… Lyosha’s your son.”

“He’s a big boy, and he’s capable of taking care of himself. You, on the other hand, are too innocent and sweet. Besides, a man should always guard his greatest treasure with the utmost care.”