Page 85 of Runaway Queen

“I’ll never leave you.”

“Good, because I’ll never let you. Now, lift up that little skirt, bend over this table, and let me love you. You showered this morning, and I need to make you smell like me again.”

“Nikolai!”

* * *

Later,when I was spent and tingling with pleasure, we headed back to the house. His hand took mine, and we walked across the grass toward home. Nikolai stiffened when he turned toward the porch. The tender, intimate atmosphere evaporated as tension radiated from his every move. He let go of my hand and pulled a gun from his belt. Fear laced up my spine.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He held a finger to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet, and jerked his head toward the door. I hadn’t noticed the small black gap down the side.

It was ajar.

29

SOFIA

Istarted forward before I could help myself.

“Leo!”

Nikolai’s arms went around my middle, and he held me back, clamping a hand over my mouth. “Shh, they might still be inside. Stay behind me. And take this.”

He set me down, releasing my mouth and pressing a wicked-looking knife into my hand. Where exactly he’d had it on him, I had no idea, but now the feel of it in my hand was reassuring.

I followed him to the porch, Leo’s name trapped behind my lips. I felt wild with worry. Nikolai led the way first, his gun ready to shoot and ask questions later. I edged in behind him. We got to the sitting room. The first thing I saw was red on the white sofa cushions. So much red.

I stifled a sob as I took in Bran, lying in front of the sofa.

“Yebat.” Nikolai was tense as hell as he approached, his gun trained on the corners of the room.

My mind seemed to detach itself from my body at the sight of the blood. Blood here, in my little humble house. Blood splattered on Leo’s coloring book that he’d forgotten on the sofa when he’d gone to bed.

I was running up the stairs before I could stop myself. Nikolai hissed my name, but I couldn’t stop. Nothing would stop me from going to Leo. Nothing.

I ran down the hall and burst into his bedroom, my knife hot in my hand. I’d kill them. If anyone had touched him, I’d kill them myself, and I wouldn’t need a weapon to do it. My bare hands would more than do.

I came to a stop just inside the room as Nikolai caught up with me.

The room was empty. The bedside light was toppled over, and a glass was broken beside it. The empty bed was rumpled.

Chiara and Leo. Both gone.

I turned wordlessly to Nikolai, my entire world dissolving. I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t do anything.

Nikolai’s arms surrounded me, and he held me when my knees failed.

“Sofia, I’ll get them back. I promise. No matter what, I’ll get them back,” he said quietly into my ear. “I need to call an ambulance for Bran.”

“He’s alive?”

Nikolai nodded. His words felt like they were coming from very far away, like I was sinking underwater.

“How are you going to get them back? Is this because of Edward Sloane?”

Nikolai shook his head and smoothed his fingers under my eyes, just as I realized I was crying.

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