Just hold me || Shadow and Bone || The grishaverse

Chapter eight

Notes:

Sooo.... yep, major SPOILERS of everything in the shadow and bone trilogy in this chapter.

Mention of Mal. Baghra is Baghra. Aleksander is infuriated.

-Flora

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Alina went straight to her bedroom and sat on her vanity chair.

She watched herself in the mirror for a few seconds and then lightly slapped herself.

"What are you doing?!" She whispered to herself.

Then she buried her face in her hands.

What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to do when he was so... normal?!

So caring!

By that time Alina understood that he genuinely cared for her, but it probably wasn't all... her... it was what she embodied, her persona, the sun summoner.

From what she had gathered he had waited for someone to be like him, to balance him, to stay beside him.

He didn't want to manipulate her and lie to her, but he did it anyway because he couldn't do anything else. In his perspective.

Alina looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were swollen, her hair a little messy and her cheeks were red.

"Why am I the fucking Sun summoner?! Ugh," she took her brush and started to comb her hair to something decent.

She even found a leaf in it.

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When she entered his room without knocking, he was there with two glasses in hand.

"You wanted to talk to me, I sensed it," he said staring intensely into her eyes. She nodded silently and went to take the glass.

When he gave it to her, his now free hand went to her hip.
This action was so intimate. It was like they had been lovers for years.

She hid behind her glass for a moment and then said: "Aleksander... Can I ask you a very bold question?"

His gaze was unshakable, "Go on."

Alina was ready, she didn't want to hold back, she had to do something. Her mouth opened to start asking him a very dangerous question but before she could emit a sound, someone started knocking insistently at the door.

"Moi sovregnyi, it's urgent."

"It has to be a curse!" muttered Alina under her breath.

Aleksander chuckled lowering his glass on the table but Alina noticed the irritated expression on his face.

"Come in," he said with his deep General voice.

Ivan entered the room and she was so lost in her thoughts that didn't even notice when he exited the room.

"Alina," she heard Aleksander.

Alina was brought back to reality and her gaze went from her own hands to his face.

He seemed concerned when he got near her and caressed one of her cheeks.

"I'll come to you tonight," he whispered on her temple before kissing it and distancing himself from her.

She nodded and together they went outside of the room, parting their ways and their hands.

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