Page 129 of Betrayal and Vows

I don’t know where we’re going.

It’s the first time I’ve even thought about it.

I trust Dmitri. He’s got a plan.

I have to trust him.

I lean my head back against the worn leather seat and close my eyes. The adrenaline that carried me through the basement, the fight, the wedding is draining out of me.

Every muscle in my body screams. My ribs throb where that bastard cracked them with his baton. My shoulder feels like it's been ripped from its socket and shoved back in wrong. The cut above my eye pulses with each heartbeat, sending sharp spikes of pain through my skull.

But none of it matters. Not the pain, not the exhaustion, not the fact that we just declared war on the most dangerous men in Moscow.

Lena is alive. She's in my arms.

Breathing. That's all that counts.

Her weight settles me against me as the car rocks with Dmitri's aggressive turns. Even unconscious, even wounded, she fits perfectly. Like she was made to be held by me.

Mine.

The makeshift bandage around her arm is holding.

The bleeding has slowed to a seep. But she needs proper medical attention soon.

The bullet went clean through, which is good. I need to make sure there are no other injuries.

I need to ask if what Mikhail told me is true.

Did he…

I can’t bring myself to even think about it.

I’ll kill him if he put one finger on her.

I brush a strand of hair from her face.

Even pale and bloodstained, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

My brave little sunshine who stood up to monsters and chose love over riches.

Chose me over everything.

Chapter 22

Lena

Iwake to the feeling of being carried, my body cradled against Anton's chest.

It’s cold.

Or maybe I’m cold.

My arm throbs with each step he takes, but I don't care. I'm alive. We're alive.

It's dark—so dark I can barely make out the towering shapes of pine trees stretching endlessly in every direction.

Anton's steady breathing grounds me.