21
Lucia
My eyes jerk open in the dark. Heart thudding in my chest, I wonder what caused me to wake up so abruptly. That’s when I hear the explosions and gunfire.
My fumbling hand finds the light switch and flicks it ON. Throwing the blankets off me, I climb out of bed and run toward the window. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness outside but soon, I’m able to see the groups of warring men.
Some fight. Others shoot. Explosions erupt all around them, making the windowpanes rattle hard.
What’s happening? I wonder as fear grips me by the throat.
Moving across the room, I try the door and find it locked.
No ordinary people would be attacking the Volkovs. Lilja told me enough about them earlier for me to understand their power in the criminal underworld.
Callum , my mind whispers. He’s the only one who’ll dare to retaliate against them. I know he won’t sit back while I’m being held by Damien and his brothers.
The Volkov brothers hate me. Their rage is something I can handle, even embrace. It’s Callum’s suffocating love that triggers the flight-or-fight instinct in me.
I want to run away and hide at once. There’s no way I can let these men find me here and take me back to my brother.
Going back to the window, I open it and look down. The third floor is too high. Even though there are no bars to stop me from jumping, I’d end up hurting myself.
Opening the window proves to be a bad mistake though.
A couple of scattered men notice me standing there and point toward me. I can’t hear what they’re shouting with the sound of explosions and gunfire in the background but I’m sure they’ve found what they were looking for.
Me.
Shit , I curse, stepping away from the window. The modestly sized room holds no other escape.
I’m trapped.
My body is still swathed in Damien’s shirt. It’s long enough to reach my mid-thighs. The sleeves are longer than the tips of my fingers. It’s modest enough for anyone but Callum would lose his mind if he saw me wearing another man’s clothes.
Heavy footsteps sound outside the doors. From the shouts and curses filtering into the room, I can tell they’re fighting. I jump as gunshots ricochet off the wall facing the corridor.
My heart pounds heavily. Fear chokes my throat. They’ll find me here any moment now and drag me back to Callum.
The doorknob twists, drawing all my attention to it.
My heart seems to leap into my throat, throbbing hard as I wait for those men to find me. As much as I resent the way Damien and his brothers treat me, I don’t want them to get hurt. A part of me still cares about them despite the horrors they unleashed on me.
I’ve loved them for so long, it’s hard to switch off those feelings in a matter of a few days.
The door is suddenly thrown open. Damien stands at the threshold, his wild eyes roaming the room until they find me.
Relief spreads through me at once.
I only have a moment’s reprieve as Damien whips around, blocking an attack from a man who’d sneaked up behind him. A dagger flashes in his hand as he stabs the man with neat, precise strokes.
His attacker slides to the floor, bleeding out as Damien stands over him.
More men in black attire swarm all around him.
“Give us the girl,” one of them demands in a low, threatening voice.
Damien scoffs. “She’s right there,” he says with a backward glance at me. “Go get her.”
The three men in the front march forward. They brandish their guns at him, their gazes, dark and merciless.
Terror flows through me. Blood pounds in my ears.
There’s no way Damien stands a chance against these armed men.
Damien bends his knees slightly, two long, slim daggers appearing in his hands.
Shock and wonder flicker through the dense haze of fear choking me. Damien is either brave or suicidal. How can he stand up to these men with guns? No matter how well he can fight, he has no chance against flying bullets.
“Don’t do this,” I whisper. “It’s okay to let me go.”
“No one takes what belongs to me,” he says without a backward glance. “Now, shut up and stand back.”
“Callum will never stop attacking you until he has me,” I warn. “If you want to protect your family, you should let me go.”
“I’m going to shove my cock in your mouth if you don’t shut up right now,” he growls threateningly.
The men raise their guns. Within those moments, Damien leaps forward, his daggers flashing like the wings of a steel butterfly as he stabs the men before they can aim and shoot.
The three men fall to the floor with loud thuds before they can wrap their fingers around the trigger. Rivulets of blood stream over the pristine white marble floor, slowly snaking toward me.
The three men die within a matter of seconds. Just how much blood is Damien willing to shed to protect me?
Without stopping, Damien attacks the rest of the men filling up the corridor. Gunshots and cries of shock and pain erupt outside the room, sending spikes of terror through me.
The sane part of my mind insists I stay back in the room. Going out into the corridor would put me in the path of the bullets flying in every direction.
I can’t let Callum hurt him again , I decide despite knowing the risks of leaving the room.
Walking to the door, I peer out. Bodies in black litter the entire stretch of the corridor. The white marble floor is completely drenched in blood.
Damien is like a true beast as he slashes at the hordes of men swarming up the staircase. The position sort of helps him. The narrow stairs prevent more than two men from coming up at once. Damien attacks them at blinding speed before they have a chance to gauge the situation.
He’s extremely talented. Lilja’s skills seem like a novice’s compared to his. He kills with speed and without a moment’s hesitation.
The sounds of explosions and gunfire coming from outside the manor gradually cease. It looks like the battle is coming to an end.
Damien turns around, his gaze falling on me. His heavily scarred face is painted with splatters of blood. The white shirt he wears is soaked in crimson.
Gazing at him and seeing him being alive sends a rush of relief through me.
I run toward him, uncaring about the way I stumble over the corpses that litter the floor. Throwing my arms around him, I squeeze him tight. “You didn’t die,” I say, hugging him.
“Don’t be silly,” he says in a deep voice that echoes through me. “It takes more than a bunch of mercenaries-for-hire to kill a Volkov. The only way to hurt a Volkov is to capture their heart.”
His hand gently rubs my back, the gesture soothing and comforting.
Why does it have to feel so good to be embraced by him? He’s still my captor.
Loosening my arms, I’m about to step away when something catches my eye. I peer around his broad torso and glimpse a man at the end of the hallway. A gun is aimed at Damien’s back.
“Get out of the way!” I cry. Mustering all the strength in me, I push Damien to the side.
His arm is wrapped around me, so we fall to the floor in a haphazard heap. A loud gunshot echoes around the hallway at the same instant. The bullet whizzes past my cheek, narrowly missing me.
I land on Damien’s chest.
Next second, I hear a short grunt. Scrambling to look toward the shooter, I find Damien’s dagger jutting out of his left eye.
I watch with sick fascination as the man’s knees eventually hit the ground. A moment later, he slumps on the floor with the rest of his companions.
“Lucia.” The way Damien calls my name sends my heart racing, but it isn’t from fear. A warm emotion washes over me as I look at him.
His glass-blue eyes aren’t filled with hate or anger. For the first time, he lets me see the desperation in them.
“Why did you do that? The bullet could’ve hit you,” he says, gazing deep into my eyes.
The scars on his face don’t bother me anymore. I look straight at him and wind my arms around his neck, my body lying on top of him like a protective, embracing shield.
“I won’t let you get hurt again,” I mumble into his chest. “Things will be different this time around. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you again. You can hate me. You can hurt me but I will never stop loving you.”
“Lucia...” His chest rumbles as he whispers my name again.
I hear the rapid beats of his heart as I lay my head against his chest.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he says but there’s no hate or rage in his voice. “I’ll never let you go.” With a sudden movement, he rolls over, forcing me to lie underneath him.
His gaze darkens. “This isn’t the place for such talks.” Getting off me, he kneels beside me and slips his arms under me. “Let’s get you somewhere safer.”
He hauls me into his arms and carries me back inside the room that acts as my prison. Slamming the door shut, he places me on my feet.
Before I can take a step away from him, he shoves me against the wall by the door and captures both my wrists. Forcing my arms over my head, he captures my lips in a searing kiss.
My tongue sweeps over his, causing him to suck in a breath. Catching my bottom lip between his teeth, he nips lightly.
A moan escapes me.
His hold on my wrists loosens. When I don’t attempt to throw him off me, he runs his hands down my body and pushes them under the shirt I wear.
The scorching heat of his hands sizzles my skin, sending tendrils of pleasure through me. The scent of dark chocolate and bourbon wraps around me, drowning my senses in hot lust. I press my lips to his as our tongues dance around wildly. He wants to consume me and this time, I’m willing.
Maybe it’s our pent-up emotions. Maybe it’s our close brush with death. We both feel an urgency that neither of us can ignore.
Those men could be back anytime. I’m sure he’s as aware of that fact as me, and yet, a reckless heat devours us.
I want to feel anything but the terror of being dragged back to Callum. My fingers dig into the thick swathes of Damien’s dark hair and pull, forcing him to keep kissing me.
His hand slides down to cup a breast and squeezes hard.
I moan into his mouth while he proceeds to pinch my nipple, making it tighten in his grip. He gives it a sudden twist, making me yelp.
His dark gaze meets mine.
I don’t tell him to stop. The heat of his body and his familiar scent wrap around me like a cocoon. I want him inside me, the man who holds my heart and life in his hands.
My body arches against his, seeking his warmth and hardness.
Releasing my breast, he uses both his hands to clutch at the open collar of my shirt. The sound of ripping fabric erupts between us as he tears it open. Buttons ricochet off his chest as he growls and grabs onto both my boobs possessively.
My breathing turns into harsh pants as he slides the shirt away from my shoulders. I reach down and brush my hand over the hardened bulge at the front of his trousers. My fingers fumble with the button and zipper there until I can free him.
He groans into my mouth as my small hand wraps around his heated flesh. My touch seems to drive him insane, so I tighten my grip and move my hand up and down his thick length.
His reaction sends a rush of power through me. Fisting him firmly, I pump him hard and fast.
A rough chuckle escapes him as he meets my gaze. “You like playing with fire, Princess.”
I don’t reply but continue pumping him, making him shut up again and groan.
His hand slides down my belly and brushes over my pussy. His fingers easily slide between my wet folds and push inside me.
“Damien,” I moan as my inner walls clamp around his digits as he drives them deep inside me. “Are you sure it’s safe to be doing this right n—”
He shuts me up by forcing his lips on me and sweeping his tongue along mine.
I instantly forget everything I’d been worrying about and melt against him. It doesn’t matter who’s out there. We’ll be finishing what we started.
He pulls his fingers out of me, leaving me clenching emptily. I almost start protesting, but he’s bending at the knees to position himself.
My hand slides off his cock to cling to his broad, muscular shoulders as he prods the tip against my entrance. A groan escapes me as he pushes the thick head through my slick folds.
“Fuck,” he grunts as he plunges deep inside me with a single hard thrust. “You’re still so fucking tight, Lucia.”
I whimper at the sudden discomfort of being stretched to my limits. My fingers dig into his shoulders as I wait for the uneasiness to wane.
He stays buried deep inside me, allowing me to adjust to him.
As soon as soft moans escape my lips, he starts thrusting into me. My hands roam all over his back, feeling the way his muscles tighten and bunch as he plunges inside me.
The wall behind me supports my weight. One of his hands grips my waist while the other squeezes my taut nipple. The combined effect has me moaning and whimpering as he slams into me.
His mouth slides along the column of my throat and suddenly, he bites me at the spot where my collar bones meet. Both his hands grip my hips now, his hold so tight I wonder if he still thinks I’ll run away.
“Fuck! I won’t last long,” he grunts harshly. His thrusts turn short and powerful as my walls clamp around his pulsing length.
Moans and the strangest sounds escape me, my insides coiling into that familiar moment of intense pleasure, ready to explode.
“Fuck, you’ve gone tighter!” he grates through clenched teeth.
His grip on me tightens as his thrusts turn harder and faster. I know he’s close to losing control as well.
My insides clamp around him harder. We hold onto each other tightly as we reach our pleasure together.
“Ahh, fuck,” he groans as he suddenly shatters inside me.
Molten jets of his cum burst deep inside me, filling me to the brim. My mind swims with pleasure, erasing every stray thought as I pulse and ripple around him.
I slowly look up at him, taking in his beautiful blue eyes and the thick scars that slash across his face. Harsh pants escape him as he meets my gaze, searching for something in me.
When I continue staring at him, he pulls out of me gently and steps away.
My knees give away but he’s there to catch me before I can hit the floor. Bending down, he hauls me into his arms and carries me to the bed.
The adrenaline in my veins starts to fade, leaving me feeling exhausted and disoriented. I lie on the mattress as my body cools. Turning toward him, I tug his hand, wanting him to lie beside me.
“I’ll come back later,” he says, loosening my fingers from his wrist. “They’ll need me.” With that, he covers my body with a blanket and turns away.
Next moment, he’s out of the door and locking me in.