Page 66 of Brotan

Pain tears through me like white-hot metal. Broken ribs. Bullet holes. All of it nothing compared to the gut-punch of seeing Ryker's blade pressed against Maya's dress, those damn sequins catching the light while her eyes caught mine.

I drift between consciousness and darkness, fragments of the warehouse playing behind my eyelids. Maya's voice cutting through the chaos. The expression on Quinn's face when I refused to stay down. Granite's unexpected intervention. The bullets tearing into my flesh.

Maya's hands are on me now, gentle yet firm as she digs for the bullet in my shoulder. The sting of antiseptic. Her quiet instructions to someone helping her. The clubhouse reeks of blood, overlayed with her vanilla and wildflower.

"Hold him down," she instructs, her doctor voice steady despite everything. "This is going to hurt."

Hands press against my chest and legs—too many to count. My brothers holding me still while she works. The pain spikes as she probes deeper, and I fight the roar building in my chest.

"Got it," she says.

Metal clinks against a bowl. The bullet. Evidence of how close I came to losing everything.

I force my eyes open to find her leaning over me, surgical mask hiding half her face, but not the exhaustion in her eyes. Blood—my blood—spatters the evening gown that clings to her body. The sequins catch firelight, transformed from elegant to battle-worn. She's never looked more beautiful.

"Hey," I rasp, my voice like gravel through a wood chipper.

Her eyes snap to mine, widening. "You're awake."

"Hard to sleep with someone digging around in my insides."

A small smile curves her lips beneath the mask. "I gave you enough sedative to put down a horse. But I suppose orcs metabolize differently."

"We're stubborn that way."

She turns away, dropping the bullet and forceps into a metal bowl with a clatter. I catch her wrist before she can step back, my fingers smearing blood across her skin.

"You came for me," I say, the words inadequate for what burns in my chest.

"Of course I did." She peels off her gloves and tosses them aside. "You'd have done the same."

"Without hesitation."

"Then we understand each other."

The room tilts, darkness creeping into my vision like oil spilling across water. I fight it, needing to say more, but my body betrays me. The last thing I see is Maya's face, mask pulled down, lips forming words I can't hear as I slip under again.

When consciousness returns, the pain has dulled to a persistent throb, like some bastard's using my insides for a punching bag. Nighttime shadows fill the clubhouse room, broken only by a small lamp in the corner. Maya sleeps awkwardly in a chair beside my bed, her ruined gown exchanged for what looks like borrowed sweats and a t-shirt several sizes too big. Her face is slack with exhaustion, dark circles beneath her eyes stark against her skin.

She saved me. Not just my life, but something more vital, the part of me I thought died in the camps.

The door opens with a soft click. Ash enters, carrying a tray of food, his movements silent despite his size. His eyes find mine in the dimness, widening slightly before his expression settles into careful neutrality.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," he says, setting the tray on the nightstand.

"Barely," I mutter, taking inventory of my injuries. Bandages wrap my shoulder and abdomen, both wounds throbbing in time with my heartbeat. "Quinn?"

Ash glances at Maya's sleeping form, then back at me. "Dead."

"Granite?"

"In the wind. The kid realized Quinn set him up to be the executioner. Turns out orcs don't appreciate being used as weapons against their own kind." Ash's mouth quirks. "Took Quinn out before disappearing. Smart move.He's got enemies on both sides now."

Relief washes through me. "Maya's safe then."

"For now. We've got brothers watching just in case, but without Quinn..." Ash shrugs. "The threat's gone. Permanently. Hammer's putting out feelers to help the kid find somewhere to start fresh. Young blood like that shouldn't go to waste."

I close my eyes, letting the knowledge settle into my bones. For the first time since crossing the Rift, something like peace spreads through me. Maya is safe. Quinn can't use her against me again. We might actually have a chance.

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