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Chapter Twenty-two
Power seeped from her body’s bones. Cold. She was so cold. And for the life of her couldn’t see, couldn’t open her eyes. Couldn’t feel Sevastyan. Horrified by the lack of feeling in her arms and legs she tried to move but the weight of a thousand pounds held her down.
A sharp pain bloomed across her shoulder and shot through every nerve ending from the top of her head to her smallest toes.
Darkness consumed the space around her, and the voices in her head went silent.
Rough edges of broken cement tore into the tender flesh of her bare feet as she stumbled the length of a dark alley before her, high walls closed in on either side and one single source of light shimmered at the end. She could make it.
The loud solid thump of footsteps drew her gaze to the darkest part of the alley behind her. A man came to a stop, reaching for her and the sudden injection of dread and fear into her veins catapulted her into movement, pushing her feet to move faster despite the pain.
Hushed whispers chased her, reached for her, and tangled in her hair. Like fingers knotting around the long lengths, the voices pulled and she stumbled. Soft brushes of fingers turned bruising against her shoulders, and the voices grew louder, stronger. Forceful.
They couldn’t catch her. She needed to run faster, but the end of the alley where she stood never came. Darkness wrapped around her, fed and consumed the very life force from her.
Arms wrapped around her waist and yanked right before the wet cement came rushing up to meet her face.
Forceful and strong, a deep voice pulled her eyes open. “What are your fantasies, cariña?”
Fear gave way to lust as the softness of silk cushioned her back and a hard, comforting body held her tight.
Heart racing, she moaned as a dark head dipped and a warm mouth wrapped around her aroused nipple and pulled, and her clit throbbed as if a thread connected the two.
She gasped. “Again,” she begged, her back arched off the bed. She tried to focus on his face but a blurry shimmer of white blocked everything from view. Was she dreaming? Dead?
A deep guttural voice broke through her lust and the dread that had diminished rushed in like a broken dam and then all the images hit. Bits and pieces of Sevastyan flashed through her mind. Lucian and Roman too.
The stench of death pushed those images aside next. She fought against the rolling memories that wouldn’t stop until a strong set of hands brushed over her skin.
Rhia’s eyes peeled open and she looked up into Sevastyan’s frantic face. A stab of pain brought her hand to her neck.
She worked her throat a couple of times and forced her eyes to open. Bright white light hit her retinas and the sound of beeping filled her ears. “Where am I?” she hissed through clenched teeth at the sharp pain.
Warm hands took both of hers. “The hospital. You’re safe, cariña.”
Safe? She felt like she died. “Does this mean it’s over? I’m not dead?”
“Milaya. No, you’re not dead though you did scare the shit out of us a couple of times in the ambulance.” Sevastyan’s tone grew strained.
“What happened, Sevastyan?” All she could remember was taking a blow to the back and then lights out.
“It’s over. We stopped the bad guys. Roman, you, Matteo, me. Lucian.”
Her heart seized and she blinked rapidly fighting back the tears. “Lucian. Is he okay? I need to go to him.” That pesky beeping sound increased and a hand came down on her uninjured shoulder, drawing her eyes to Matteo’s.
From her other side, Sevastyan brushed aside a clump of curls from her face, his expression stoic. Slowly he leaned in and settled his forehead against hers.
She tried to push him away and sit up, fearing the worst, but he held her in place.
“Shh. Wait, milaya. Let your body have a minute. It’s taken a lot of punishment in a very short time.”
Rhia breathed deeply. “How long have I been here? Where’s Lucian?” she asked again.
The bed dipped on her right. “He’s in the next room. He’s okay. Rest. You’ve been here three fucking long days and the faster you get better the faster we can take you home.”
“That close, huh?”
“Too fucking close. Dimitris almost won.” Sevastyan looked to the ceiling as if offering a silent prayer before he brought his gaze back to her. “It was close with Lucian, too. Lucky for us the detective showed up, ambulances in tow.”
