Page 80 of Royal Guard

“Let’s get this over with,” muttered General Novak.

One of Lukin’s men grabbed me and pushed me towards Kristina. We stumbled into each other and I put my arms around her protectively. They pushed us until our hips were against the metal safety rail. Beyond it, the dam fell away into the darkness: I couldn’t even see the bottom of the drop, just hear the water thundering down, hundreds of feet below.

“You can’t just kill us,” Kristina said desperately. “People will ask questions!”

“You came here to be alone with your American lover,” said Aleksander sadly. “Love made you foolish:you sneaked out without your guards.” He nodded at Lukin. “A Garmanian assassin had slipped past our security. You died in each other’s arms.”

She looked up at me, eyes full of hope. It made my heart twist because I’d failed her so utterly. “I’m sorry,” I said.

She shook her head. But itwasmy fault. I was meant to protect her and I hadn’t seen this coming: not General NovakorAleksander. I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to control my anger. I thought of all the times Aleksander had thanked me, lying right to my face.I’m an idiot.I’d let the politicians betray me all over again.

Kristina pressed herself to me and I pulled her close, as if I could stop what was going to happen if I only held her tight enough. She rubbed her cheek against my chest. “Please tell me you have a plan,” she said, her voice cracking.

Think!But I didn’t. I didn’t have a damn thing. I shook my head and squeezed her even harder.

“Him first,” someone said in the darkness. I think it was Novak. “Then her.”

I felt cold metal against my scalp. The muzzle of Lukin’s gun.

“You can kiss her, if you like,” said Lukin.

I glared at him. The sick son of a bitch. All those children,dead.The FBI agents, the King... and now Kristina.All so he could get out of jail. Didn’t he realize that Novak and Aleksander would wipe his country out? Or did he not care, as long as millions of Lakovians died as well?

And then there was my dad. A sweet guy who’d never done anything but fight for his country and try to protect Kristina and me. Lying in a hospital bed,barely clinging onto life.All I need is one good punch.But the gun was mashed right up against my head and the bastard was grinning. He wanted me to make a move.

And I had to kiss her. Just one last time.

She tilted her head back and those perfect, silken lips parted. To start with, the rage was pounding through me. I kissed her hard and deep. I wanted her, them,everyoneto know she was mine, even in death.

But as always, she calmed me. As soon as our lips touched, it was like cool water running over my heated soul. It became about simple, sweet love. All the good she’d brought into my life, all the ways she’d changed me. I didn’t give a damn, anymore, that I was just a grunt. We were right together. I lost myself in the kiss, running away with my princess—

“Enough,” said Aleksander.

Cold reality returned. Kristina drew back from me, panting with fear, blinking back tears.

Lukin cocked his gun. The muzzle ground against my scalp.

And in that second, I saw it. Kissing her had cleared my head. She’d taken away the anger and without it, I could think. I couldn’t save myself. But maybe I could save her.

My arms tensed around her. I gave her a quick nod, the only warning I had time for.

And then I heaved us both over the safety barrier and off the dam.

The muzzle of the gun scraped through my hair. Lukin had been taken by surprise. Maybe there was a chance—

There was a boom as the gun went off. Blinding pain exploded across the back of my head.

And everything went black.

59

KRISTINA

I was falling,head first, into pitch blackness. I could feel the air rushing past me, faster and faster, the only evidence that I was speeding up—

And then, as my body spun, I glimpsed the wall of the dam, concrete blocks whizzing by just inches from my face, and I wished for the blackness again. If I clipped it, if I even brushed it with a hand or foot and went cartwheeling into it—

I tightened my arms around Garrett... but he was a dead weight against my body. I was too close to see his face and I didn’t dare loosen my grip or we might be torn apart. And I wasn’t brave enough to get through this on my own.

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