Page 251 of Never Fall for an Angel

Surely, I fucking imagined that.

“Mila, go!”

The fire roars, bright and blinding, but through the haze, I see her at the same time she sees me. She rushes for me, falling to her knees beside me.

“Mila, get the fuck out of here,” I grit when she reaches for me.

“NO,” she growls, trying to slip her arms around me. “I’m not leaving you here.”

“Mila—”

“Shut the fuck up and help me.”

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I raise on shaking legs, letting her help to steady me. Up in the smoke, it’s hard to breathe, and we both cough, trying to suck air into our lungs, but none comes.

Sebastian looks shocked, looking back and forth between us before he starts screeching.

“Talia!” he screams, but she doesn’t come.

Looks like her inherent selfishness won out, after all.

“Looks like it’s just you . . . brother.”

Sirens sound outside, but there’s no way in hell they’ll be able to get him out of here now.

“Mila,” Sebastian tries, tears slipping down his cheeks.

She takes one look at him and starts forward.

“Mila, please?”

“Go to hell.”

Sebastian’s screams of pain tear through the night sky as sirens draw near.

Mila and I stumble out onto the clearing, sucking in air through the smoke in our lungs.

My chest heaves with the force of each breath and is rippling with pain, but I ignore it when we both fall to the ground, panting.

Immediately, Mila throws herself into my arms with a soft cry, and for the first time since I made her my wife, I realize I fucking did something right.

“You came,” she whimpers, burying her head in the side of my neck while I hold her.

Fuck, I never thought I’d get to hold her again.

“Where’s Bella? Is she okay?” She pulls back to look at me through the tears in her eyes.

“She’s okay. Levi’s got her.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she rushes, and I take her face in my hands despite the agony radiating through me. “I couldn’t. He was going to hurt her.”

“Mila,” I try to focus on her gaze, but the world is spinning around me. A dozen blue and red sirens race up the path, but their lights go in and out. Like a poorly-timed dimmer switch. “I love you.”

Her eyes widen, filling with tears, and she closes the distance between us, pressing her lips to mine.

“I love you,” she whispers against my mouth, and I groan in satisfaction, holding her tighter.

The pain in my chest takes on a sharp edge as the adrenaline wears off, and I pause, feeling a sickening sensation rise in my gut.

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