Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
The man carrying me rushes for the patio doors, but then I feel him lunge forward as he begins to lose his balance, and I brace myself for the crash through the glass doors. I think he’s been shot, but I can’t be sure. I’m slammed to the ground, the thud against the cold concrete, knocking the breath from my lungs as I’m dragged outside by one ankle.
I bite down on my lip to keep from screaming in agony as I use my wounded leg to kick at the scarred face of the man who’s trying to keep hold of me. Finally, a scream breaks free from my lips as I kick once more, hitting him in the jaw, and his hand releases my foot. But I’m in too much pain to get away. I roll over, hoping to locate Judah, Valen, or Kai in the melee.
And that’s when I see him…
I watch as Kai comes up behind the man with the scar, and I look on in fascinated horror as he takes a sleek cable and wraps it around the oaf’s large neck and tugs tight. I’ve never seen violence like this before. Not even in the cinema.
The wire cord doesn’t look like it could do too much damage, but it does. It cuts into the flesh, slicing slowly but surely, as if the neck of this man was nothing more than butter with a hot blade slipping through it easily. But it’s also Kai’s strength that shocks me. I knew he worked out and provided the training for all the up-and-coming soldiers, but watching him in action for real is very different.
Blood spurts from the neck of the man Kai has in a stranglehold, and it doesn’t take him long to gurgle his last breath and fall to the ground.
“Are you okay, princess?” Kai is by my side, lifting me into his arms.
He carries me into the dining room that looks like a hurricane has been through it. More of Judah’s men are here now—more soldiers, Capos, and even a few of Kai’s students.
“We’re at war,” Judah declares as he walks up to us, his hazel eyes hard and cold as they land on me.
I don’t want to hear what he’s going to say next, but I know I don’t have a choice. Something has happened. Something I prayed would never come.
And then he says it…
“Your father has started something he’s never going to be able to finish.”
UNRIVALLED DESIRE
KAI
“You’re hurt,” Judah says as he looks at me while I’m working on Brielle. “I’ll get—”
“I’m fine.” I tell Judah who’s staring at the wound in my side.
It’s not fatal. He doesn’t need to worry, but he always does. That’s the reason I fucking love this man so much. He and Valen have always been by my side, and I could never live in a world without either of them. And now Brielle is a part of our dynamic.
“You’re going to need stitching,” Judah says. “I’ll do it.” We’ve all been trained in how to deal with injuries. It’s important to know how to fix any wound in our line of work. More importantly, how to get a bullet out. “Sit down, let Valen work on Brielle’s leg.”
Sighing, I settle beside our girl and allow Jude to take control of the situation. The pain of the bullet is taking its toll on me, and I know I’m going to have to allow him to remove the fucker. I lie back as Valen gets to work on Brielle, and I wince when Judah makes a small incision around the bullet entry site. I’ve been through this so many times before, but it never gets any easier.
“Everyone out,” Judah announces loudly, ordering the men to leave, his tone filled with ice. “I want the grounds thoroughly searched. Do not leave any stone unturned. If there are more intruders, I want them found and brought to the dungeon.”
Judah lifts the tweezers from my wound, having captured the bullet between the prongs. The clink of metal hitting metal when he drops it into the bowl beside him echoes around us. And then, the stitches start. Thankfully, I don’t need too many.
Once I’m all fixed up, I’m on my feet and worried about our princess. I’m thankful she hasn’t been hurt badly, and when she looks up at me with that sparkling gaze, my chest tightens.
Once we have our privacy, Judah moves to the windows, shutting us in the dimly lit room as Valen finishes up working on Brielle’s leg. A soft gasp from her lips as my fingertips brush up her inner thigh makes me smile. The pain from the wound must be horrific for her, but I wonder if we could distract her in some way.
“How are you feeling?” I whisper as I lean in to press my lips to hers. It’s a gentle feather of a kiss, and it makes her tremble.