Page 82 of Untamed Protector

He doesn’t move. Panic starts to rise, but I force myself to check his pulse. It’s faint, but it’s there. I gently lower him to the cold floor, desperate to find something soft for his head. My wrists are throbbing, and I see blood where the strap has been digging into my wrist. Every time I stop moving, the stupid light goes off! I’m exhausted, and I can’t see anything around me that can help–just that damn car, a useless hunk of metal. I pull Lucas close, rest his head on my lap, and try to talk to him calmly. “Hang in there. We’ll find out what happened and get out of here. Just hang in there, okay? Promise?”

I never liked Lucas, but I never wanted him dead. And definitely not when he’s stuck with me in a container with barely any light and hardly any air.

My eyelids fight to stay open. The nausea won’t quit, and the metallic tang of blood makes my stomach churn. Sleep feels like a tempting escape, but I know it’s a death trap. With a shaky breath, I push myself upright against the wall, scraping for anything to trigger that stupid light. The sound of screeching metal grates on my nerves, sending shivers down my spine. And then the world lurches—the entire container jerks violently upwards.

God, no. Not the Harbor Black Hole! Are they shipping us out and dumping us like trash at the bottom of the sea? With one move, Vargas could get rid of everything—me, the car, even Lucas. Strange. Lucas was always on my list of suspects. And now he’s lying unconscious next to the damn car. What if the walls are too thick for Gabriel to track the ring’s signal? What if he’s hurt or, worse, dead, back at his house? Then I’m truly done for. The car that nearly took me out will now take me to my grave, deep in the sea.

The container stops moving, and it feels like it’s being lowered to the ground. Maybe it’s being loaded onto a ship. That’s it, then! This is how we meet our end. I sit next to Lucas again and lay his head on my lap. I can at least try to shield him from any sudden movements of the container.

All I can do is pray for our souls.

With a bone-chilling sound, the door of the container creaks open. Bright light flows in from outside. I shut my eyes without thinking, then try to keep them partially open to see what’s happening. Quickly, I bring the hand with the ring to my mouth, trying to hide it.

I see someone coming my way, pulling me out from under Lucas and lifting me into his arms. It’s Gabriel. He says something, but I can’t hear it; I just see his lips moving. Then, darkness and silence.

24

Lexi

Iblink my eyes open. A woman with an unfamiliar face leans close, checking my arms and legs. She asks if I’m in any pain. I shake my head.

“Gabriel?” I call out, but I see Lena instead. She squeezes my hand and asks me to stay calm.

“Gabriel will be back soon. He’s in the port with the others.”

“Where am I?”

“We’re at Dominic’s. This is his sister. She’s a doctor. You’re fine, nothing major. You just had a shock. She’s giving you something to calm you down.”

“No, I don’t want to sleep. What’s going on? Lucas? Gabriel? Did anyone die?” I say, lifting myself up on my elbows.

Lena shakes her head as she gently pushes me back down to rest. Then it gets quiet again.

“How long has she been asleep?” I hear whispers around me. It’s a man’s voice—I recognize Gabriel.

“Not that long, maybe two hours. She’s been tossing and turning, talking in her sleep. She called out to you. Even Dominic’s sister was surprised by how resistant she was to the sedative. It’s like she doesn’t want to settle down. She wants to stay awake.” It’s Lena’s voice, and they’re talking about me.

My eyelids feel heavy, and my whole body aches when I try to move.

“Look, she’s waking up.” Gabriel comes over to where I’m lying. I can sense him next to me, but I can’t see him moving.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asks quietly, with a big smile. His body is pulsing. I force my eyes open and peek down at him. Judging by the way he sits with his right shoulder facing me, he doesn’t seem injured. But there’s a bandage peeking out from under his shirt, and if I squint, I can see his entire arm is wrapped up.

I want to sit up, but everything spins. “You’re hurt. God, Gabriel!” is all I can blurt out. My body can’t help itself and snuggles close to him. It hurts to stand, but his warmth feels good. I nuzzle my face into his neck, tickling my nose with his scratchy beard. I can hear his heart pounding under his shirt.

He wraps his arms around me gently. “It’s not too bad; it doesn’t hurt,” he murmurs. “But watching you being taken away right in front of me… that was awful. Lexi, I thought I’d die before I found you. Don’t push yourself. Just stay here with me until you can move.”

“I’m not in any pain. I guess I’m just dizzy from what the doctor gave me to calm me down.”

“Did somebody…?” Gabriel mumbles, trying to find the right words.

“No. They were afraid of you. I heard them say that if anything happened to me, the bodyguard would come after them.”

He leans closer, his breath warm against my cheek. A delicate kiss brushes my lips, soft as a butterfly’s wing. He takes a deep breath, gathers his courage, and pulls me close again, his lips latching onto mine in a consuming kiss. A sigh of relief escapes his lips as he looks me in the eye.

“I need to tell you something important, and I need to do it now. Do you feel well enough to listen?” he says. I nod, glued to him.

“When they took you from me, it hurt like hell. It was as if a piece of me was being ripped apart, a pain unlike anything I’ve ever known. I couldn’t understand what was happening to my body. My mind was racing, frantically searching for answers, but the pain was getting worse, draining me. I’ve never loved like this before, Lexi. It was terrible to realize how much you mean to me and then lose you. I’m not the guy you danced with at the Casino anymore. I’m a new man, and it’s all because of you. Lexi, I don’t think you realize how much I’ve come to love you.”

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