Page 75 of Savage Reign

In an instant, my hand is around his throat, slamming him against the wall. “You didn’t notice she was missing for four fucking hours?”

He chokes, clawing at my grip, but I don’t loosen it.

One of the newer and clearly less intelligent guards rises from his seat. “She’s usually in her room, but you said we couldn’t look at that camera feed, so?—”

Before he can finish, I spin and press the barrel of my gun to his forehead. “It’s probably a good idea for you to shut the fuck up.”

The color drains from his face, and I have to suck in a deep breath not to pull the trigger. “Let me make this clear. If something’s happened to my wife, you’re all dead.”

I’ve wasted enough time talking with these idiots. Yanking my phone from my pocket, I frantically navigate to the tracking device app connected to her ankle monitor.

My stomach drops when I realize where she is. Deep in the woods at the far end of the property, and she isn’t moving. Dread grips me, and I bolt outside, breaking into a run through the freezing rain.

My men will pay for their incompetence, but the person most to blame is me. She’s mine to protect, and I failed her. The realization is a knife to the gut.

SOFIYA

My ankle throbs with pain, and my skin feels like ice, but all I can do to stay alive is huddle into myself. I’m so cold that I’ve stopped caring about what happens to me.

A deep, menacing growl tears through the stillness. My stomach clenches. Is this it? Am I about to die here, ripped apart by a hungry animal? I grab a broken branch nearby, ready to defend myself with what little energy I have left.

Then Nikolai emerges from the shadows like a man possessed. Relief crashes through me. His hair is disheveled, his chest heaving, and when his eyes find mine, they are filled with panic.

He drops to his knees beside me, his hands cradling my face. “Fuck, baby. Look at you.”

I flinch, waiting for the anger, but it doesn't come. His thumb brushes my cheek gently.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, scanning me for injuries.

“My ankle. I don't think I can walk,” I say, my teeth chattering.

He swears under his breath, his eyebrows pulling together as he scoops me into his arms, holding me close. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

My exhausted brain can't figure out why he's apologizing. All I can focus on is his warmth chasing away the cold that had seeped into my bones. My fingers grip his shirt like he’s the only thing keeping me grounded.

“I thought I was going to die out here, and it would be all my fault. I’m such an idiot.”

“Don't say that,” he insists, his voice strained. “You're safe now. I’ve got you, Sofiya. I swear, nothing’s going to hurt you again.”

His hold on me tightens, his heartbeat pounding against my ear as he moves through the trees with purposeful strides. A sob catches in my throat, and before I know it, I’m crying. I clutch at his shirt, clinging to him as if letting go would shatter me completely.

“Why do you care?” I gasp, the question slipping out between tears.

I raise my head to look at him through watery eyes. His face is hard, but his gaze is so tender it sends a pang through me. “You're my wife,” he simply says, like it's the only explanation needed.

I bury my face in his neck and let it all out.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

NIKOLAI

Sofiya is cradledin my arms as I climb the stairs, her cold, fragile body pressed tightly against mine. She’s no longer shivering as violently as she was in the woods, but her skin still feels like ice.

The image of her crumpled form—her dress torn and muddy—is seared into my mind. It’s something I won’t be able to erase anytime soon.

She’s wearing a flimsy sundress and slip-on shoes, the worst possible choice for venturing into the woods. I’d question her sanity if I didn’t already understand her reasoning. She was trying to get away from me, looking for a way to escape. I don’t blame her for that. She hates me for using her to hurt her family.

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