Chapter 39 - THE MIDNIGHT REVIEW
Hours later, long after the household staff had retired to their quarters and the estate had settled into absolute stillness, Victor woke up.
He didn't thrash or jolt awake the way he used to during the worst years of the campaign; his military conditioning simply brought him from deep sleep to absolute, hyper-aware consciousness in a fraction of a second.
Beside him, Elena was sleeping soundly, one arm thrown over the edge of the heavy wool blanket, her breathing slow and even.
Victor slipped quietly out of bed, pulling on a dark flannel robe over his trousers. He walked noiselessly across the hardwood floor of the master bedchamber and stepped out onto the private second-story balcony that overlooked the inner courtyard.
The night was bitterly cold, the air so sharp it burned his lungs with every inhalation. Above him, the stars shone with diamond-like brilliance against the velvet blackness of the northern sky. The snow-covered slate roofs of the outbuildings shimmered under the pale, ethereal glow of a half-moon.
He rested his forearms on the cold stone balustrade, scanning the perimeter walls. Down below, a lone sentry paced the stone path near the stables, his rifle slung securely over his shoulder, boots crunching rhythmically against the frozen snow.
Everything was secure.
A soft rustle behind him signaled the opening of the balcony door. Victor didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Elena stepped out into the freezing night air, wearing a thick woolen shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She walked up beside him, resting her hands on the balustrade, and looked out over the sleeping estate.
"Inspection at midnight?" she asked, her voice carrying a dry, amused lilt.
"Just checking the perimeter," Victor replied, sliding his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer against his warmth. "Old habits die hard."
"You're addicted to vigilance, Victor," Elena murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You can't turn off the general."
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"I turned him off the day I married you," Victor answered honestly, his dark eyes softening as he looked down at her face in the moonlight. "Now I'm just a man guarding his home."
Elena smiled, turning her face into the warm wool of his robe. "And you do a remarkably good job of it, General."
