Christian decided the safest plan was for us to get on a train away from our current location. Christian planned to travel from Novosibirk to Omsk; by overnight train as it would take around eight hours. When we arrived in Omsk we would travel to the outskirts of the city and find somewhere to lay low; there we would contact my parents.
We got on the next train possible; one that left at 3am. Christian continued to scan the area, his hand hovering over the small of my back as he practically herded me onto the farthest carriage.
We walked towards the restaurant area of the carriage. It was quiet; probably due to it being the early hours of the morning. A man was reading a newspaper, his eyes tired and heavy. A young couple were sat in the furthest corner of the carriage, the woman's head rested on the man's shoulder as he stroked her arms affectionately. I caught sight of their tattoos, Elisia and Jamie.
Lucky Bastards.
"Do you want some coffee?" Christian asked politely.
I groaned with relief, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."
"It's just a cup of coffee," Christian mumbled, his eyebrows raised as he walked towards the counter.
Christian made sure to face sideways so he could speak to the cashier while still keeping a close eye on me. I rested back on the cushioned chairs, running a hand over my face tiredly. All of my limbs were heavy, drained from the onslaught of running for my life.
"Here," Christian threw me a small smile, "You look like you need it."
"I'm going to ignore that comment." I laughed softly.
I gulped at the coffee; not even caring when it burnt my tongue slightly. The coffee was black and gritty, a striking contrast to the sweet lattes I normally ordered, but I swallowed down the fuel without question.
"So," I said hesitantly, "How are you feeling?"
Christian looked up from his coffee in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"How are you feeling?" I repeated, "I mean, are you ok? After everything that's happened." I leaned closer so I could whisper, "I'm sorry about Mateo."
Christian curled his lip at the mention of his dead friend's name, his hold on his styrofoam coffee cup tightening.
"Not here, Nadia." Christian dismissed lowly.
"I'm sorry." I apologised softly.
Christian refused to look at me for a moment before he took a deep breath. His dark eyes finally met mine and he nodded; acknowledging my condolences at least.
We sat in silence for a few minutes; both of us drinking our coffees. I went up to order a muffin after my stomach had growled for the fifth time.
"Where are you going?" Christian questioned immediately, standing along with me.
"Possessive much?" I teased.
He looked at me darkly, not finding my joke amusing.
"I'm going to get a muffin." I sighed, "Do you want anything."
"No." Christian shook his head and slowly took his seat once again.
"It's fine, Christian." I reassured him when he failed to relax, "I'm right over there."
Christian nodded, "I'm watching though."
To anyone else, this sentence would have seemed creepy, but it brought me comfort. After everything we had been through I would be worried if Christian wasn't on alert. His concern for my safety was touching.
"Thank you," I said appreciatively.
I threw him a smile over my shoulder as I walked towards the counter.
"Morning Miss." The man behind the counter greeted me in a heavy Russian accent.
"Morning, can I have two coffees, one black and one with milk and sugar," I paused as I browsed the selection of muffins, "and one chocolate chip muffin and one..." I trailed off, torn between two flavours, "and one white chocolate and raspberry muffin, please." I finally concluded.
"Of course." The man smiled before busying himself with the coffee machine, "Long night?"
"Excuse me?" I replied, unsure if he had been directing his question at me.
"Sorry, I was just asking if you had had a long night," The man repeated; his cheeks blushing slightly, "You and your boyfriend look worn out."
"Boyfriend?" I laughed at the thought.
"Forgive me," The man mumbled quickly, "I assumed by the way he was looking at you..."
I turned around to see that Christian was watching us like a hawk; his dark eyes suspicious.
"Chill out," I mouthed at him, my eyes wide.
Christian only shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.
"He's my..." I struggled to come up with a word to describe Christian, "He's just very protective."
"That's part of being a soulmate." The man snorted slightly. He passed me the two coffees and I noticed his eyes flickered to the tattoo on my wrist.
I started slightly, pulling my wrist back quickly. The coffee I had been holding dropped; the brown liquid spilling everywhere. The man behind the counter had stilled and I backed away slightly.
"Is there a problem?"
Christian was behind me, his hand on my shoulder as he forced my body behind his.
"Of course not Sir," The man stuttered, wiping away at the coffee with a wet cloth, "How clumsy of me. I will get you some new ones immediately, sit, sit, I'll bring them over."
Christian watched the man closely before he backed away, tugging me with him.
"What did you say to him?" Christian hissed under his breath once we were sat at the table once again.
"Noth...Nothing!" I replied defensively, "He just freaked out when he saw my tattoo."
"Your tattoo." He repeated in confusion. He reached forward and pulled down the sleeves of my grey jumper, "Hide this."
"But why?" I pressed, "Why would seeing my tattoo freak that guy out. I mean, everyone has one."
"That's what I'm worried about," Christian told me darkly.
"Here you go," The man behind the cashier stumbled over, two fresh coffees and a bag of muffins in his hands, "So sorry about that again, there's a free muffin on the house for you. As an apology."
"Thank you," I said, shooting him a fake smile through my worry.
"Come on," Christian urged as soon as the man was out of earshot, "We'll go to our carriage, we need to get out in the open."
I nodded and he grabbed my hand; leading me through a few carriages before we arrived outside door 209. He slid the door open and ushered me inside. The room was small and simple; with wooden walls and two white twin beds. The lights were dim and relaxing and I realised how nice it would be to just curl up and sleep for a few hours.
"We need to get off this train," Christian told me as he bolted the door.
"How? The next stop isn't for a few hours." I said worriedly.
Christian nodded, "Then we'll stay in here, as soon as the next stop comes, we run. We don't leave this carriage unless it is absolutely necessary."
"Ok." I nodded.
Christian stared at me for a second and I looked for any signs of fear in his eyes; I didn't find any. It amazed me how he could keep his cool after everything that had happened; the training at St. Stark must have been brutal.
"Get some rest," Christian instructed, motioning to the bed.
"What about you?" I said concerned, "You haven't slept since I ran away."
"I can manage." Christian dismissed.
"No, you sleep for a bit, I'll keep watch." I ordered, "Just a half-hour, I'll wake you up." I continued when he opened his mouth to protest, "The door is locked, if I hear anything I promise, you'll be the first to know."
Christian looked like he wanted to argue but he faltered when I gave him a warning look. He sighed and nodded. I watched as he awkwardly laid down on the bed, not even bothering to wrap the covers around him. I sat on the other bed, crossed legged and looking at the door.
"Why did you run away?" Christian asked quietly after a few minutes.
I looked at him; he was lying on his back, his eyes on the ceiling and his hands behind his head.
"To be honest," I took a deep breath and fiddled with the white comforter by my feet, "Part of me doesn't even know. I just felt like I had to."
"Why didn't you go to your little boyfriend?" Christian questioned.
"Little?" I laughed, "Dominic wasn't little."
"He was puny." Christian scoffed, turning to look at me briefly.
"He was not!" I protested.
We were silent for a moment, the only sound was the train running smoothly and the rain against the windows.
"I didn't go to him because he wouldn't understand." I said after a moment, "I...I thought we were in love." I laughed sadly to myself, "but as soon as he found out that he wasn't my soulmate, that this damn tattoo wasn't his name, he couldn't get rid of me fast enough. He didn't even fight for me."
"Those aren't the rules," Christian said lowly.
"Rules?" I frowned.
"You're not supposed to love someone who isn't your soulmate." Christian told me bitterly, "Their perfect for you, you shouldn't want anyone else."
"Was your soulmate?" I asked before I could stop myself, "Was your soulmate perfect for you?"
"She was," Christian mumbled; so quietly I could barely hear him.
"Was?" I frowned.
I turned to look at him only to see that he was asleep. I saw the large rings under his eyes; black with exhaustion. His lips were parted, soft breaths lifting his chest. He looked so young, a man and not a warrior. I hesitantly lifted the blanket on the end of my bed and draped it over him; he stirred slightly, his eyes flickering open, but when he saw it was just me he drifted back to sleep.
I smiled to myself before tucking into the bag of muffins and coffee.
ღ ღ ღ
I let Christian sleep for an hour before I woke him up. He was annoyed that I had let him sleep longer than we had agreed but I could tell that he felt a lot better. Christian urged me to get some sleep and I reluctantly agreed.
I had an awful sleep; my dreams plagued by parents dead bodies and a man with my name Nadia Wolfe tattooed on his wrist, chasing me through the dark streets of Russia.
"Nadia." Christian snapped, his hand was on my shoulder as he shook me awake roughly, "The next stop is soon, we need be ready."
"Christian?" I mumbled tiredly.
My eyes were heavy as I took in my surroundings once more. Everything was blurry and the lights seemed too bright. I groaned and tried to sit up, but my head pounded violently. I slumped back on the bed, my limbs heavy and uncooperative.
"Nadia!" Christian hissed, "I know you're tired but we need to move."
"Christian," I whispered.
"Nadia?" Christian said in concern. He kneeled beside me and pressed his hand to my forehead, "You're burning up."
"I feel sick." I groaned.
I only reinforced my words by heaving myself up and vomiting violently. I could feel sweat dripping down my back and I gripped the bedsheets dizzily.
"The muffins." Christian growled, he showed the empty paper bag to me, "Nadia, did you eat these?"
"I was hungry," I confessed meekly.
"That man," Christian snapped, "He's drugged you."
"Why is everything spinning?" I whined.
Christian hoisted me up; ignoring my groans as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He supported my weight as he made his way towards the carriage door.
"I'm going to get you out of here," Christian reassured me, "Just hold on to me ok?"
"That bastard!" I wheezed as I stumbled down the hall, "Why would he drug me?"
"I don't know," Christian said as we walked through another carriage.
I pinched my eyes shut to try and get rid of the ringing in my head. I was stumbling slightly but Christian kept pulling me up; almost all of my weight was on him.
"What are you doing?"
I managed to make out the man who had given me the muffins; the cashier with the heavy accent.
"You son of a bitch!" I slurred, pointing accusingly at him, "You drugged me!"
I tried to lunge forward to hit him but it only resulted in me nearly falling to the floor. Christian gripped me, tugging me back so I was behind him but still leaning on him to stay upright.
"You can't run, they're already here." The man said sadly.
"Why?" Christian snarled, "What is your place in all of this?"
"You have a price on your heads," The man informed us coldly, "My wife and I need the money. She's sick."
"A price on our heads?" Christian snapped, "What are you talking about?"
The man laughed cruelly, "That's right, you are your girl are fugitives."
"Christian, we have to move," I whispered.
Christian glanced at me and slowly moved me in the direction of a chair. I slumped onto it, my limbs still not quite under my control.
I gasped when Christian lunged at the man in front of him, punching him squarely in the face before he slammed his head down on a nearby table. The man slumped to the floor, a pained laugh escaping his lips.
"You can't protect her, they're coming." The man wheezed.
Christian punched him again, a violent grunt sounding from his chest as he knocked the man out cold.
He ran to my side once again, his arm surrounding my waist as he lifted me. He lifted me into his arms, pulling me to his chest while his other hand supported his knees. He ran through the carriages; my weight barely affecting his stamina.
He set me on my feet when we were in the furthest carriage.
"Can you stand?" He asked me gently.
I nodded, I could stand but I was still swaying slightly. Christian nodded and quickly wrenched the emergency exits of the carriage. The harsh wind flooded the carriage, causing my hair to whip around my face wildly. The train was still moving at top speed as Christian glanced over the edge.
"What are you doing?" I asked fearfully.
"We have to jump," Christian replied calmly; as if this were a normal thing to do.
"What?" I yelled, "You're crazy!"
"They are coming, Nadia!" Christian reminded me, his voice strained, "Now do you trust me?"
I stared at the man in front of me, his back to the open carriage door. I couldn't see the ground, all I could see was black. I could die, I could break my neck jumping out of this moving train.
Christian sensed my hesitation but he still held his hand to me.
My body was shaking; I was so scared. I was shaking my head furiously, not believing what I was about to do.
But I trusted Christian.
I took his hand and he smiled.
We walked towards the end of the carriage. I took a deep breath.
"Jump."
We jumped; a scream erupting from me as I fell blindly into the darkness below.
Authors Note
I know, I know, another update already? You guys didn't have to wait another year! I hope that regular updates will continue, I can't make any promises but I'm really excited about this story and can't seem to stop writing it! I hope you all liked this chapter, the plot is beginning to progress and Christian and Nadia can't seem to stop nearly dying! Please vote and comment as I would love to have feedback and hear from you all.
Thank you so much for reading x