Page 120 of The Devil We Know

She frowns and asks, “And why not?”

“Because deep down, I'm far too submissive for you. You need a man who will meet you head-on and never back down.”

“And do you maybe have a recommendation?”

I squint at her, thinking over my response for a moment, before replying, “I think you already have someone in your sights.”

The smile falls from her face, turning somewhat coy as she shrugs again. “Maybe I do, maybe I don't.”

Part of me wants to razz Kaian about his impending future, but the other part prefers to watch it unfold in real-time. It's notlike I'm not an old hand at that, given my experience with Dare, Tony, and Declan. Watching the mighty fall to their woman is one of my favorite pastimes, after all.

I smile at her knowingly. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

She rolls her eyes and snorts as I walk further into the room, looking over the array of concrete boxes. A shiver goes down my spine, having spent some time in similar places and remembering it as being an unenjoyable experience.

“Do you think these other ones are empty?”

Camilla looks over the boxes and then says, “If anything, the two on either side of the open one might contain something, but you'd think they would be yelling?”

We both stop speaking, walk closer to the boxes, and bend forward, and then I smile. “I hear something.”

Camilla moves to the end of one box, and I move to the end of the other one, and we both use the control to slowly open the lids.

I drop the controller, moving over to the side of the open box and peering in to see Ivan's relieved face. I smile, kneeling as I say, “Well, how did you get here?”

He blinks up at me, intermittently squeezing his eyes shut until, finally, he squints at me. “Just lucky, I guess?”

I laugh. “Pretty lucky you didn't get blown up.”

He cocks his head at me and is silent, but then he says, “Good point.”

I look over at Camilla and ask, “Who's in that one?”

She looks over at me but says nothing, a look of concern on her face. So, I rise and walk over, kneeling next to her and looking into the box. “Do you think he's dead?”

Dread settles over me as I look at the still form of Seamus. Dread at the fact that it seems likely the man died saving one of mine. And also dread at what his death will mean for Jessica and me.

Camilla reaches her hand in, pressing it against his neck for not even a second before yanking it back. She looks at me, resignation in her eyes as she says, “Yeah, that seems dead dead.”

I reach a hand out, resting my fingers on the top of his hand, feeling how cold he is and that waxy, unworldly feeling that comes on when you're just shy of too late.

Ivan slowly climbs out of the box, rolling onto the floor and getting his bearings before finally rising to his feet. He limps over toward us, stopping beside me as he whispers, “He saved us.”

I look up at him in surprise because, given everything Seamus has said, the idea that he risked his own life, never mind the lives of his people, to save Darius is shocking.

Ivan laughs almost bitterly as he adds, “Well, he saved Darius. I just got to tag along.”

Camilla and I both stand, and I rest my hand on Ivan's arm as I ask, “Did you not have a chance to run?”

He smiles almost sheepishly. “Run to what?”

“Maybe run for your life?” Camilla interjects blandly.

He shakes his head and then answers, “Run for my life, knowing I willfully left someone behind?”

I smile, and Camilla snorts, “If saving that life would've been completely fruitless, yes.”

“Well, I guess in this case, it worked out,” he replies seriously. “If I had escaped initially when I had the chance, then I wouldn't have been there to lead the two of them to safety.”

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