Page 79 of Sacrifice
"I thought he was going to die. When I saw the blood..."
"Takes more than one bullet to kill a man like Emil." She pulls back, studies my face. "You love him."
It's not a question, but I nod anyway. "Yeah. Gods help me, I do."
"Nothing to be helped. Love's not a weakness, baby. It's what makes all this worth it." She glances at Emil. "And that man would walk through hell for you."
"He already has."
"No. Hell's what's coming for whoever ordered this hit." Her expression hardens. "But that's tomorrow's problem. Tonight, you take care of each other."
The clubhouse is filling up now, brothers arriving after getting word of the attack.
Magnus appears, face grim as Emil recounts what happened.
Fenrir, Emil's father, hovers nearby, tension in every line of his body.
He keeps looking between Emil and me, something unreadable in his expression.
I wonder if Fenrir approves of me with his son, or if he thinks I’m not worth the trouble.
Plans are already forming, retaliation being discussed in low, violent voices.
I catch fragments—"scouts reported," "safe house in Ocala," "time to send a message."
But I can't focus on any of it.
All I can see is Emil, wounded because of me, still trying to coordinate with everyone despite the pain I know he’s in.
My protector. My man. Mine.
But I can't focus on any of it. All I can see is Emil, wounded because of me, still trying to coordinate security despite the pain. My protector. My man. Mine.
"I need to get out of here," I tell him quietly. "It's too loud, too much."
He looks at me, sees something in my expression. "Yeah. Okay. Magnus, you good?"
"Yeah, all good." Magnus's expression is grim. "She doesn't leave this compound until we handle this."
"Wait, what?" I look between them. "I'm staying here?"
"Non-negotiable," Emil says. "Someone just tried to kill you in a public place. You're not going anywhere until we deal with the threat."
"But my job?—"
"Will understand. Or they won't, and you'll find another one." His voice is firm but not unkind. "This is about keeping you alive, Saga."
"For how long?"
"As long as it takes. We're meeting with Doran tonight to coordinate. Should have a better timeline after that."
I want to argue, to insist I can't just hide indefinitely.
But the image of Emil's blood, of bullets sparking off concrete, is too fresh.
"Okay," I give in. "But I need some air first. Just... not in here with all the noise."
"Come on," Emil says, guiding me toward the back stairs. "My room has a balcony."
