And so I leave, pushing through the forest in hopes of finding any sign of Dani.
Andrei is going to wish he never set eyes on her.
But by the time I’m done with him, he won’t have any eyes left anyway.
Twenty-Eight
Dani
Ipush through the underbrush, completely lost in the dark. I got turned around maybe ten minutes ago, and I have been trying to find my way to where I last saw Kayden ever since.
When he was shot, I let loose a scream as the world slowed and my heart completely stopped beating. All I could focus on was Kayden as he looked at the blood staining his shirt at his shoulder. He stumbled as he looked back at me and the second shot had me jerking back into realtime, my heart beating out of my chest as it tried to keep up with the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I lost sight of him when he dropped to the ground, and I’m hoping against all odds that he’s still alive.
Gunshots go off to my left and I debate where to go. Could Kayden be laying somewhere, dying? Or is there a chance that those gunshots are his? I have to believe that Kayden survived. I make my decision and start fumbling toward the sound of gunshots until they suddenly stop. Fear grips my heart as I stop to listen for any sounds.
I stoop down behind a large prickly bush and strain to hear anything besides my own heartbeat and ragged breathing.
I stay there for a few minutes as I try to control my heart rate, knowing I have to find Kayden. I can only hope that he broughthis team with him. If it’s just him and he’s wounded, I doubt we’ll make it out of this alive.
A few minutes later I hear footsteps coming from the direction I came from, and I hide deeper in the bush, the thorns cutting my skin.
Whoever it is stops just on the other side of the bush I’m hiding in, and I peek through the branches to get a clear look. I can just make out Andrei’s face and he looks pissed. He holds a handgun at his side, and I do my best to control my breathing. Andrei’s gaze swings over to my spot in the bush and a bubble of fear escapes up my throat. I slap a hand over my mouth to stay silent as I squeeze my eyes shut.
Relief floods my system as I open my eyes at the sound of Andrei’s footsteps stalking off through the trees.
Standing up and taking a cautious step backwards, I bump into something, and before I can turn around, a hand closes over my mouth, smothering the scream I was about to let loose.
“Be very quiet, Dani,” they whisper, their lips brushing the shell of my ear.
My eyes widen in disbelief and I spin around, a sob catching in my throat as I throw my arms around Kayden.
“I didn’t know if you made it, Kayden. I thought you might have died,” I whisper as tears stream down my face.
“Not quite, angel. It’s gonna take a lot more than that to take me down.”
I pull back, grabbing his face so I can pull his forehead down to mine. “I’m so sorry I left. It was so stupid, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I got here and by the end of the night I was already wanting to come back to you. I’m so sorry, Kayden.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Dani. This is all my fault, I shouldn’t have said what I said back at Eden. I was being rash and the words tumbled out before I could really think themthrough. I would never chain you up, angel. As much as I want you to be mine, I could never do that to you.”
“Iamyours. Always,” I say, looking him in the eye.
His fingers grip my chin as he lays a soft kiss to my bruised lips. I wince, and there’s no hiding the reaction from him.
“Sorry!” he whispers fiercely. “Every single one of those fuckers is going to die.”
“Andrei just passed through here,” I say. “He had a gun.”
“I know, I saw.” He runs a hand through his short hair. “Here take this.”
“Wha—” I say as cold, heavy metal is placed in my hand.
“Ever shot one of these before?” he asks quietly.
“Of course I have, I took lessons a year ago.”
“Good, it’s already locked and loaded.”
Kayden grabs my hand and I realize his hand is slightly sticky.
