The sound slams into me, a rush of shock and desperate relief that lights up every nerve in my body all at once.
I push away from the wall, chest shattering open with a sob. “Aleksei!”
He turns, gun already half lowered, and the second his eyes land on me, everything stops. His whole body freezes, like his brain can’t catch up to the sight of me standing there.
The gun instantly slips from his hand and clatters to the floor. “Fiona…”
I run, ignoring everyone else around us and throwing myself into his arms. He catches me in an instant, holding me with that unyielding strength.
“I was so afraid,” he whispers.
“Me too.”
My legs wrap around his waist, arms around his shoulders, sobs wracking my body as I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. There’s blood all over him, but I know it isn’t his.
“I’ve got you.” Every syllable splits him open as he grips me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear. “I’ve got you, moya ptichka. You’re safe now. You’re safe. I will never let you go again.”
I pull back just enough to see him as I cradle his face in my palms. His eyes are glassy, a muscle in his chin twitching, but his mouth softens as he leans in and kisses me slow and deep, like he’s trying to make up for every second we lost.
When we break apart, I press my forehead to his.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry I left.”
His thumb brushes over the bruise blooming on my jaw, his other hand cupping the back of my head like he can’t bear to letgo. “You have nothing to apologize for. Not a goddamn thing. I should never have let you out of my sight.”
Footsteps echo behind us, and Konstantin steps into the room, clearing his throat.
“Shto?” Aleksei doesn’t look away from me.
“Elio got away.”
“We’ll find him.” Tension cuts sharp across his features.
Konstantin leaves us, and I shake my head, tears spilling before I can stop them, everything I feel for Aleksei crashing through me.
“She said you could be dead.”
He gathers me closer, words rough against my ear. “She lied.”
I swallow past the knot in my throat, and that’s when I notice the blood seeping through the cotton wrapped around his left arm.
“Oh my God. Aleksei, you’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.” He tightens his hold on me. “Just a graze.”
But it isn’t nothing. He bled for me. Fought for me. Came for me.
And in this moment, nothing else matters. He’s here. I’m alive. Those assholes couldn’t do what they planned.
My fingers bury in his hair, fisting tight, because I can’t breathe without him. His mouth crushes to mine, brutal and desperate this time, stealing whatever air I had left as heat explodes in my chest.
There’s nothing gentle about this. It’s claiming. It’s punishment. It’s him telling me without words that losing me nearly killed him.
His tongue devours mine like he’s trying to take back every second we were apart, and I give it all right back, kissing him with every frantic beat of my heart, every fear that gutted me, every piece of love I never stopped feeling. My legs tightenaround his waist as he presses me back against the nearest wall, his hand cradling the back of my skull so I don’t hit it.
He groans low in his throat when I bite his bottom lip, his grip tightening like he can’t get close enough. I can feel him shaking, barely holding it together, rage and relief bleeding through his touch.
When we finally pull apart, our breaths are tangled and shallow, lips swollen, foreheads pressed together.
