Page 51 of Reckless Royalty

She clings to me, her fingers digging into my arms like she’s afraid to let go. I feel the warmth of her tears against my chest, the way her body trembles against mine, and I can’t fucking stand it. I can’t stand seeing her like this.

I rock her gently, murmuring soft reassurances even though I know she can’t respond. She won’t talk, not now, not like this, but I need her to know that I’m here. That I’m not going to leave her.

“You’re okay, Maddy,” I say again, my voice rough with emotion. “He’s not going to hurt you. No one’s going to hurt you. I promise.”

I glance over at the man lying unconscious on the floor, my hands itching to hit him again, to make sure he never comes near her again. But right now, I can’t leave her. I can’t let go of her.

She’s all that matters.

“Mihai,” she whispers, her voice so soft I almost miss it.

I pull back slightly, looking down at her in shock. She’s staring up at me, her eyes still filled with tears, but there’s something else there too. Trust.

She spoke. It’s the first word she’s said since I’ve known her, and it’s my name.

I feel my chest tighten as I hold her. The thought of losing her, of not being there in time, it… fuck…

“I’m here,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She buries her face in my chest again, her body still trembling, but I can feel her start to calm down. Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I shoot the guys a message and focus on her again.

After a while, her breathing evens out, the panic fading bit by bit. I keep holding her, keep whispering to her, and eventually, the shaking stops. I look up and see Connor by the door, his lips pressed in a thin line.

“Let’s get these cuts cleaned up, okay?” I say, breaking the silence.

She nods and I lead her to the on-suite so I can clean her up better. I pull out the first-aid kit and as I tend to her wounds, I realize something.

I’ve never felt fear like this before.

Not until I saw her on the ground with that asshole on top of her. Not until I heard her scream my name.

And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I never hear it like that again.

MIHAI

I’m sitting on Maddy’s bed, her small frame curled up in my lap, clinging to me like I’m the only thing tethering her to reality. Her face is pressed against my chest, her hands fisting the fabric of my shirt, and she’s not letting go.

And honestly? I don’t want to move. Not yet. Not while she’s still clinging to me like this.

The guys are talking, but I’m only half-listening. My focus is on Maddy—how she’s trembling against me, how her breath is still shaky and uneven.

She hasn’t said a word since that first broken whisper of my name, and I’m not sure she’s going to anytime soon.

And fuck, it kills me to see her like this.

Nikolai’s pacing, running his hand through his hair, his face twisted in frustration. “This shouldn’t have happened,” he snaps, his voice sharp. “How the fuck did they get in? We’ve had security on lockdown since day one. This is supposed to be our safe haven.”

Giovanni, sitting on the arm of the chair, nods grimly. “There’s a mole closer than we fucking thought. Has to be. No one gets through our security without inside help.”

The word ‘mole’ has me seeing red. It’s the only thing that makes sense, but it’s still hard to process. Our fortress, the place we considered untouchable, was breached. And Maddy—my Maddy—was caught in the middle of it.

Connor stands near the door, his arms crossed, looking more serious than usual as he plays with his knife. “I’ll get on a conference call with our fathers, they need to know what’s going on. This is a fucking breach of trust.”

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, my hand running through Maddy’s hair as I try to keep her calm. She won’t let go of me, not even for a second, and I’m not sure I want her to.

Nikolai’s still pacing, practically vibrating with anger. “We need to deal with this guy. Get whatever information we can out of him. I want names. I want to know who sent him and why the hell they thought they could come after us in our own fucking home.”

Giovanni cracks his knuckles, a dark glint in his eyes. “Oh, we’ll get it out of him. One way or another.”

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