Page 152 of Merciless Queen

Vanessa goes for one of the men, sending a punch into his face and a kick into another. Like a dancer, she’s lithe, never staying in one place for too long while using everything she has against men who could easily overpower her—if they could catch her.

A nearby Bratva soldier takes on one of them, leaving her in a one-on-one fight with the other. She kicks his kneecap, crippling him until he drops to the ground, accidentally releasing his gun. She snatches it from the ground, points it at his forehead, and shoots, killing him quickly.

Then she turns for me, viciousness pouring off her in thick waves as she stalks forward. When I was passed out in her forest, I first believed her to be an angel coming to take me away, but then I woke up and the haze over my gaze fell, and there was no way Vanessa Volkov could ever be something as gentle as a celestial being. I now take the thought back. She’s an angel of war, come to claim her triumph.

Another one of Ivan’s men breaks away from the fight and looms over her, and she doesn’t see him about to take her down.

“Vanessa, behind you!” I yell, and with only a second to spare, she ducks to the side, narrowly missing his attack.

She readjusts her stance for his quick attack while her command rises above the noise. “Get Serafina!”

Lev immediately rushes from the fray with a final shot toward a man he was engaged with and runs for us, a knife in his right hand. He reaches my sister first and quickly slices through her bindings. She makes a sound of relief as she takes his hand, and he propels her my way.

“No, go! Get her out of here!” As much as being tied up while a fight is happening isn’t good, I won’t be able to live with myself if Serafina’s hurt. Once she’s out of here, it’ll be better.

Serafina’s shaky on her feet, her gaze darting around the room with a fear I wish I could save her from. Lev ignores my demand and drags her toward me, cutting through the rope and freeing my wrists. With an acknowledging nod, he drops the knife onto my lap and takes off for the door, pushing Serafina in front of him.

Once they’re out of my immediate view, I lean down to cut the rope around my ankles and with only a knife in my hand, join the fight.

Close by, Vanessa gets tripped and her gun goes flying well out of her reach. Her head thumps to the cement and for a moment, she doesn’t move. As her assailant stands above her, his own weapon in hand, I don’t think twice. Don’t wait to see if she’s awake.

I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his waist to take him down. He releases anoofof surprise, having not seen me coming. He swipes to knock me away, but I avoid his arm easily, and twirl Lev’s knife around in my hand until it’s blade down. It’s a small weapon but effective that with a bit of strength, I lodge directly into his throat. He gurgles, choking on blood, and dies quickly.

“That’s for trying to hurt her.”

I twist, finding Vanessa still on the ground, now partially sitting up. Her hand’s on the back of her head as a dazed gaze stares at the fight in front of her. She positions her other hand onto the ground to stand, only to immediately sway.

Despite the fact that turning my back on the numerous enemies around us could mean an instant death, I fall to my knees beside her, wrapping one arm around her back to help her sit up as I check the spot on her head, only breathing once I seethere’s no blood. The cut on her mouth is a different story, as is the one above her eye with a small trickle travelling down her cheek.

“You okay?”

“Knock on the head really winded me.” A smile ghosts across her face, but as fast as it appears, it’s stolen when she abruptly shoves me out of the way and a stray bullet clashes with the cement behind us.

A bullet that would have hit me had she been a few seconds slower.

I reach to help her up, lifting her as I go myself. “Should I start tracking the number of times you’ve saved me today? So far, I’m up to two.”

Her hand is still in mine when she replies, “You saved me too.”

I’m about to reply when her gaze catches on something above and I follow her trajectory, spotting it as well. One of Ivan’s soldiers, hidden in the shadows on the balcony, a sniper pointed at the warehouse’s doorway, right where Lev and Serafina’s about to exit from.

“Lev! Up, eight o’clock!”

Lev understands immediately and throws himself to the side opposite of Serafina, yanking her out of the sniper’s path. The two quickly dart from the warehouse and the sniper visibly growls with anger before heading for the metal staircase.

With my sister safe again, I turn to the nearest soldier while Vanessa does the same, rushing toward where Anastasia’s fighting, another about to come up from behind. I manage a single step before a sharp stinging pain ricochets through my arm, making me cry out. Instinctually, my hand immediately covers the pain, my finger coming away red, bloodied.

I’ve been shot, but only a graze. Regardless, it hurts like a bitch.

Vanessa looks up from her own battle, finding me immediately across the way. Her face flushes paler, her mouth opening as she rushes toward me. So focused on her, I don’t hear the steps until too late. Until the voice of the man who began all this utters in my ear and he wrenches my arms behind me, a gun’s barrel jabbing into my neck. The new angle sends a wave of fresh pain to the injury, my vision blurring around the edges.

“The next one won’t miss,” he says loud enough for Vanessa to hear. His next snarl is directed toward her. “Plemyannitsa, have them drop their weapons or he dies.”

A silence falls across the entire room as both sides cease fighting and look to Vanessa for direction. Her own people for her command, and Ivan’s for her surrender.

Vanessa breaks away, her shoulders rising with her deep breaths. Her tank’s been torn, one strap hanging ripped. The blood from her earlier cuts seem to have grown, with a deep red now dangerously close to one of her eyes.

She looks like death personified as she stalks closer. Like a queen about to slaughter the traitor and protect her throne.

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