36. Nikolai #3
My chest constricts as I stumble up to reach Sienna, my hand cupping her face as I scan over her to ensure she wasn’t hurt. That she wasn’t bitten.
“Nikolai.” Tears spill down her cheeks. “You’re hurt!”
I let a small smile slip as my gaze softens, as if finally able to give in to the pain, savoring that I have such a large body if only to protect her.
“That was a fierce throw, mishka ,” I say in my native tongue. I couldn’t be prouder of her for trying to defend me as she threw that knife into the back of The Wolf’s head at the same time I blew out his brains.
Her eyes glisten as she says with the same lack of humor, “I did as you said and pretended to be aiming for my ex’s face. ”
My breath comes in shallow pants as I smile, still not letting her off the ladder, aware of the two snakes close by.
My mouth dries as I look down at myself for the first time, noticing the blood pouring from my leg and stomach.
I can feel the sting in my shoulder, and my leg feels like it’s ballooned to twice its size from that one unfortunate bite.
Though, I suspect there might be more now, none of which I noticed at the time.
“Nikolai!” Sienna screams as I lurch to the side. Fuck . I straighten myself up as Dmitri steps into view. His gaze is deadly, very different from how I imagined the business tycoon to act.
The distant flames streaking from the hound’s flamethrower seem to lighten his blue eyes, which look nothing like my own.
I realize the difference between us as monsters was most likely our mothers.
His did everything she could to run away with him and protect him.
And mine exposed me to save her own ass.
But at least I had Agata. Or, perhaps the difference is he found someone to fight for first. That he found purpose beyond himself.
Suddenly, being faced with him feels anticlimactic, as all I can think about is keeping my woman safe. Anything else is irrelevant.
“Dmitri, he’s been bitten!” Sienna screams, still trying to get down, but I lock myself against the wooden ladder, willing to die in this spot so long as she isn’t exposed to the slithering snakes on the floor .
The shooting has ceased, and the smoke billows out through the open doors. And I realize it’s done. I look back over at The Wolf where he lies facedown.
The Wolf has fallen, and so have his men.
The exhaustion begins to take hold, but I fight it. Dmitri comes to a stop in front of me, pure disdain in his eyes as he says, “We finally meet, half-brother.”
My jaw clenches. Logically, I know he won’t hurt Sienna, but my instincts to fight for her are still on high alert. I silently scoop her into my arms, ignoring her kicking and screaming as I look over my shoulder at Andrei and Agata, who carefully walk behind me toward the entrance.
I take two steps toward the hall, ignoring everything as I grit my teeth with determination to get her out safely, my leg dragging behind me.
“Let me down, Nikolai, please,” she begs.
The hallway becomes brighter as the room tilts.
“There are no snakes here. Put me down,” she insists as my strength wanes, and I can’t fight against her as she wriggles free.
I hear the click of a gun, and immediately whip around to protect her. But the red-gemmed hound isn’t pointing the gun at us; he’s aiming at Andrei and Agata. I go to step forward but stumble.
“No,” I rasp as Sienna moves in front of them, her gaze burning with rage.
“They’re with us,” she says .
“He’s one of The Wolf’s men,” Luca says from behind her, Dmitri and Dante flanking him.
“He protected us. They both did,” she says fiercely. I try to reach for her, but my knee gives out. I shove back up to my feet, though it takes longer than it should.
“ Mishka ,” I gasp. Luca’s gaze flicks to me momentarily. This is probably an ideal situation for him. He can easily get rid of any witnesses, including me, Agata, and Andrei.
Dante leans in and whispers something to Luca. Luca assesses me, then commands his hound to lower the gun. “Cuff them.”
Sienna goes to speak, but Luca quickly cuts her off. “If they are coming out alive, they will be cuffed until I know what to do with them. And if you want your lover alive, you’ll do everything I say.”
Her gaze burns, but she doesn’t speak, accepting it for the courtesy that it is. Dmitri is first to reach me as he tucks an arm around me. I try to shove him off but don’t have the energy as I focus on not dying.
Dante comes under my other shoulder, and they drag me out, my feet and legs hanging between them as Dante says, “Fuck, you weigh a ton.”
I go to insult him, but my tongue feels weighted either by swelling or simply all my energy going to keeping me conscious.
“Multiple bullet and knife wounds. And you got bitten by a fucking snake,” he comments, his tone sounding like he’s been inconvenienced.
“You’re a doctor. Shouldn’t you be able to keep him alive?” Dmitri bites, and the two bicker between themselves as I clench my jaw, wildly pissed off if I have to listen to them while being dragged into the afterlife. Then again, I imagine this is exactly what hell feels like.