Elena.>>>>
The world was spinning, my body heavy, my legs barely holding me up. One minute, I was stumbling through the dark with the salty wind in my face, the next, there he was. Damien.
His arms came around me like steel, crushing me against him. I could barely breathe, but God, I didn't want him to let go. His scent hit me instantly — cedarwood and danger — and I almost broke right there.
" little lamb…" His voice cracked, low, like the word hurt to say. "You're safe now. I promise"
Little lamb, he hasn't called me that name in years.And I still remember the last time he did was when I broke him without a minute's thought.
Safe he said.
The word felt almost foreign. I was still shaking, every nerve screaming from the fear, the fight, the hours in that damp, stinking room. My voice didn't work, so I just clung to him, fingers fisting in the back of his jacket.
His hand slid up into my hair, holding me like I might disappear if he loosened his grip. "You're freezing." He pulled back just enough to look at me, and the sight in his eyes… God, I'd never seen Damien Blackwood look like that. Wild. Desperate. Like a man who'd been walking through hell and just found his way out.
"Who touched you?" His voice dropped, sharp and lethal now. "Tell me who laid a hand on you, Elena. And I'll make sure they don't touch anything else for the rest of their lives."
I swallowed hard, shaking my head. "Not now… please. I just want to go home."
Something dark flickered in his eyes, but he didn't push. He just scooped me up without a word, carrying me like I weighed nothing. His chest was solid, his heartbeat hard against my cheek, and for the first time in about twenty-four hours, I felt like I could breathe.
Lucas appeared ahead of us, gun still in hand, his expression tight. "The perimeter's all clear. Adrian's men scattered."
"Find Adrian," Damien said, his tone cutting through the night like a blade. "Alive. I want him to see what happens when he touches what's mine."
The way he said it — pure, cold fury — made something twist in my chest.
By the time we reached the car, I was half-asleep against him, exhaustion hitting me like a tidal wave. He slid me into the back seat, his coat wrapping around me. Then he climbed in beside me instead of the front, pulling me against him again like he couldn't bear the distance.
I don't remember much of the drive. Just his thumb brushing over my knuckles, his jaw tight, his eyes never leaving me for more than a second.
When we reached the safe house, Damien carried me inside. Warmth hit my frozen skin, and the sight of soft light made my throat close. It felt too normal after what I'd just been through.
He didn't let go until he set me on the edge of the bed. I caught his wrist before he could pull back. "You came for me," I whispered.
Damien knelt in front of me, cupping my face in his hands. "I'll always come for you, Elena. Even if I have to burn the whole damn city down."
And the way he said it… I knew he meant it.
Damien's POV>>>>>>>>>>>>>
She was sleeping now.
Or maybe passed out from exhaustion. I couldn't tell.
I'd sat there for hours, on the edge of the bed, one hand resting on her hip just to feel the rise and fall of her breathing. Every time she shifted in her sleep, every soft sound she made, I had to fight the urge to pull her closer.
I wasn't used to this—this gnawing feeling in my gut like someone had taken a blade to it. I'd been in firefights. I'd been ambushed. I'd had a gun to my head more times than I could count. But none of that compared to the twenty-two hours I didn't know where Elena was.
Twenty-two hours of imagining the worst.
Lucas stepped into the room quietly, setting a steaming cup of coffee on the table. "We've got eyes on Adrian's compound."
I didn't look away from her. "Where."
"Warehouse district. Old shipping yard."
"Security?"
"High. And…" Lucas hesitated, "we found the guys who were.....holding her down before she escaped."
My jaw clenched so hard I heard the grind of my teeth. "Alive?"
"Yes. But barely."
"Keep them breathing," I said, my voice ice. "They'll wish I'd killed them quick."
Lucas nodded, but I could feel his eyes flick toward Elena. "She's lucky you got there when you did."
No. She wasn't lucky.
Luck had nothing to do with it. My little lamb had bite, a lot of bite apparently because she was already out there running to safety on her own before I got there, she had beaten two men much bigger than her size on her own and I was so fucking proud of her.
I would have ripped apart half the city, pulled every favor, paid off cops, burned alliances to the ground—all to find her. And I would've done worse. Much worse.
When Lucas left, I leaned forward, brushing my knuckles down her arm. "I should've gotten to you sooner, sweetheart."
Her lashes fluttered, just a little, but she didn't wake. Still, I kept talking, my voice low. "When you're strong enough, I'm going to make sure no one ever touches you again. Not Adrian. Not anyone. You're mine, and I take care of what's mine."