Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
They broke apart and then both dove simultaneously into the air, crashing into each other, raking and biting at each other’s head and neck. They crashed to the ground, teeth bared, legs locked together. The death lock was difficult to witness, claws raking, teeth biting, blood streaming from both cats.
Sonia stepped even closer. This was for all of them. Every single person Nikita Bogomolov had murdered to show how cruel he was. Everyone he’d murdered or had tortured for his amusement. His enjoyment. Every woman he’d raped and killed.
Gatita, warn Shadow.
He says to leave it.
Tell him I’m killing this murderous demon and sending him back to hell. Now. She poured determination into her voice so even Shadow had to hear it.
In one move, she pressed the muzzle to Nikita’s skull and pulled the trigger. Shadow was already rolling away, distancing himself from the blast. Nikita’s cat stared up at her, his eyes crazed. Slowly, they turned from amber to a dark color and she saw Nikita looking back at her.
She leaned close. “This bitch killed you. This slut. I’m going to live with my man and you’re going to die right here. We’ll burn you and bury you, and Sasha will have your empire.”
A large hand yanked her back just as Nikita’s leopard gave one last effort, his giant paw swiping at her thigh to try to open her artery. Joshua towered over her, swaying. Bloody. He wrapped her in his arms.
“Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
He was a mess. A terrible mess. “You’re bleeding everywhere. Where are the others? Evan and Kai and Gray? At least they should be here.” She got her arm around his waist and started walking him back to the house. All the open wounds as close as they were to the swamp were a recipe for infection.
“Nikita had a crew with him. We have to get them all. We can’t afford any of them left alive, although Sasha said he’d mop up.”
“Sasha said it?” She looked up at his face. It was drawn. A little on the gray side. He was giving her more of his weight than she liked. “When did you talk to Sasha?”
“I had a little chat with him while you were getting yourself kidnapped.”
She didn’t want to go into the house where there were dead bodies and blood everywhere, but she needed to sit Joshua down and get a first aid kit. “We need Evan.”
“You can handle it,” he told her.
She glared up at him. “You have no idea what I can or can’t handle.”
He flashed a grin at her. “Baby, you put that fuckin’ shotgun to his head and pulled the trigger. You can handle patching me up.”
“I could handle shooting you,” she said. “Patching you up is something I didn’t study.”
She got him past the dead body of the man Nikita had shot. Lying beside her stairs was the dead leopard. Filat. She glanced away quickly and continued toward the bathroom where the first aid kit was. “You wanted to have a chat with Sasha? Why?”
“If he was playing you, I was going to blow his head off.” He said it matter-of-factly.
“God, you’re so bloodthirsty. Sasha saved me.”
“I’m not wholly convinced, but signs point that way so I’m taking a wait-and-see policy. You stay away from him.” He lowered himself onto the bench she had at the end of the bathtub.
“Bossy much?”
“That jacket offends me. Take it off.”
“Sheesh, Joshua, stop bossing me around and let me take care of these wounds. Some of them are deep. You need antibiotics and stitches.”
“Butterfly bandages will work. I get ripped up all the time. Take off the jacket, babe. You must have another top around here somewhere.”
She hesitated and pulled the first aid kit from under the sink.
He caught her arm. “Just show me. I’m going to see sooner or later and he’s already dead. What do you think I’m going to do?”
She shrugged. “You’re a bit of a maniac. I don’t know. Go out and shoot him all over again?”
He grinned at her. “That’s a possibility.”
The jacket was already unzipped so she shrugged out of it, trying to keep from looking in the mirror. She knew there was a dark bruise over her nipple where Nikita had grabbed her so viciously. It still hurt. Not a single thing Joshua ever did to her hurt after, and yet Nikita had managed to do so without trying.
“I mostly hate that he touched me,” she confessed. “He makes my skin crawl.”
“He’s dead now, but you’re right, I want to put that gun to his head all over again.” He leaned forward to brush a kiss over the bruise. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here faster.”
“You got here,” she said briskly, feeling the burn of tears behind her eyes. To distract herself, she began cleaning him up when she really wanted to throw herself in his arms, have a complete meltdown and be comforted. “Thank you for saving my life.”