An hour later, I was tossing and turning in bed with worry. Was Nikolai in danger? How did the man know where I lived and warn me against Nikolai? He had addressed Nikolai as ‘my lord’ and this made me wonder how much power Nikolai had.
I decided to bite the bullet and call Nikolai. He answered the call after the fifth ring.
“Hello,” he responded over the line. “Why are you still awake? It's almost 2 am.”
“I can't sleep, Nikolai. Are you safe?” I asked.
“I am safe,” Nikolai responded after a moment.
“From the sound of your voice, you seem to be holding back. You never filter what you want to say, Nikolai.”
“Ivan.” Nikolai’s voice was laced with longing.
“Do you miss me, Nikolai? If you had not informed me that the man was still watching us, I would have gone down on my knees and given you a good lick.”