Page 73 of Savage Obsession

And then, I pull her to me, hugging her trembling body as she clings to me.

The war is over.

And she is safe.

31

Yelena

The ride from the hospital back to the penthouse is silent, but the air is thick—charged with everything unspoken.

Aithan’s hand is wrapped tightly around mine, but his grip is too firm, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go.

I don’t speak. I can’t.

The weight of everything—the blood, the bodies, the fact that I came so damn close to dying—it presses down on me, wrapping around my chest like a vice.

I should feel relief. I should feel… something.

Instead, I feel nothing. I feel empty.

Lazaro is dead.

His blood stains Aithan’s hands.

His body rots in that warehouse.

But the war didn’t just take him down.

It took pieces of me too.

I close my eyes, pressing my forehead against the cool window of the car. The city lights blur past.

I should feel safe. But I don’t.

Aithan notices.

"Agápi mou, talk to me." His voice is low, raw. More emotion than he ever lets anyone hear.

I don’t answer.

Not because I don’t want to.

Because if I do, I might break.

As soon as we get back to the penthouse, I head straight to the shower as if I can scrub the memory of what had just happenedaway. After bathing, I sit on the edge of the bed, knees drawn to my chest. My arms wrap around myself, but I can’t stop shaking.

Blood. Thick, warm, and sticky still feels like it’s on me. I shudder at the memory of being under Lazaro’s feet with his gun pointed at me.

What if Aithan hadn’t busted in when he did? No doubt my skull would have been blown open.

Then there is the sound of the gunshot, the feel of Lazaro’s body hitting the ground — it’s all replaying in my head. Over and over.

I feel Aithan’s presence before opening my eyes. He is kneeling in front of me, his large hands covering mine. “Yelena.” His voice is low, rough.

I meet his gaze, my throat burning. “I almost died.”

“I know,” he says, his eyes dark with guilt. “And I almost lost you.”

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