Page 27 of Savage Princess

I don’t hear the click of the door opening. I don’t hear the footsteps behind us or the sound of a gun cocking. I’m focused on Elena, all of me wrapped up in her. I’m fighting not to come yet, to prolong it a little more, when she suddenly turns her head to one side, and I see her eyes go wide as they focus on something behind us.

A second later, she lets out an ear-splitting scream.

Elena

Idon’t even believe that it’s happening at first.

I feel like I’m hallucinating. One moment, there was nothing but Levin and the exquisite feeling of him inside of me, his gaze fixed on mine as he pinned me to the bed, the pleasure bursting over me in wave after wave as I came hard—and then I turned my head as I arched into him, and I saw that we weren’t alone.

Neither of us heard the door open. Neither of us heard them come in, too lost in each other. By the time I see the four men dressed all in black, balaclavas pulled over their faces and guns in their hands, they’re halfway to the bed.

I’m too stunned to speak. All I can do is scream.

Levin jerks back, slipping out of me as he turns to one side, and he sees the men in the next instant. I see his hand go to the nightstand, grabbing his gun, and the sound of him shouting,Elena, get downas he raises it, and the men aim at him.

I fling myself to the floor, my skirt still up around my hips, crawling beneath the bed as I hear gunshots above it. I flinch with every one, waiting for the moment that a bullet pierces through and hits me, or a hand grabs me and drags me out, as I crawl on my belly to the other side of the bed. I hear the sound of a body hitting the floor with a heavythud, and all I can think is that I hope it’s not Levin.

Glancing sideways, I see black cargo pants on the now-still body, and let out a breath. It’s not Levin. But I can hear the noise above me, the sound of a punch being thrown, a crack, a groan as a fist lands, and another gunshot. I look at the body again and see his gun still in his outstretched, limp hand.

My heart is pounding in my chest.Is this ever going to be over?I thought we were safe here, that I could have a night with Levin, that everything would be fine until we got the passports. But again and again, I’ve been wrong.

It’s tempting to stay beneath the bed, to hide until it’s all over. But if there’s one thing I’m quickly learning about myself, it’s that I hate feeling helpless.

I don’t want to be the damsel in distress. I want to have a hand in saving myself.

I reach out before I can talk myself out of it, grabbing for the gun and snatching it out of the man’s hand. I hear another shot, anotherthud, and Levin’s groan. I squirm across the carpet to the other side of the bed, crawling out from under it as I crane my head around the edge.

Two of the men are on either side of Levin, one of them grappling with him as the other tries to get a clear shot without hitting his ally.I could take out one of them,I realize, my heart galloping painfully as I lift the gun with shaky hands.I could make it so that Levin only has one left to deal with.

I don’t think I can kill a man. But I can help.

I fire at his leg. I’m aiming for the knee, but it goes low, into the back of his calf. I shoot again as he screams and goes down, the bullet hitting the base of his spine, and he topples forward as I watch in mute horror as the other man, the one Levin is fighting, is distracted just long enough for Levin to get a grip on him.

I’m certain that the crack I hear as Levin breaks his neck will haunt my dreams for a long time. And I’ll never unsee the look on Levin’s face as he aims the gun, shooting the man I brought to his knees squarely in the forehead.

My entire body is shaking. I’m still clutching the gun, and Levin strides towards me, fixing his jeans as he crouches and slides an arm around my waist to get me to my feet.

“Give me the gun,” he says, and I shake my head.

“Are there more?” My voice is trembling as much as my hands are.

“I don’t know.” He reaches down, helping me adjust my skirt so it falls from where it was bunched around my waist. “We have to go. Someone found us. Elena, give me the gun.”

“No.” I swallow hard. “I don’t want to be helpless.”

Levin swears under his breath, glaring at me as he lets go of my waist and strides back to the bodies, jerking down the balaclavas and yanking up the men’s sleeves and the hem of their shirts. He swears again as he sees the tattoos covering their skin, ink that means nothing to me but clearly means something to him.

“I know this gang.” He motions for me to come closer. “Diego must have hired them to come after us. We need to get out of here—there likely will be more.”

I nod mutely, looking at the bodies as I skirt around them, following Levin to the door. Vaguely, I can feel the ache in my ankle as I walk, but it feels like a distant throbbing, something I can’t quite focus on over the pounding of my heart and the rush of blood in my ears.

“Stay next to me,” Levin says. “And if you’re not going to give me the gun, for fuck’s sake, be careful with it.”

I ignore that last comment, nodding as he opens the door. “Stay close,” he repeats. “And stay behind me.”

We’re only ten feet or so outside when another gunshot whizzes past us.

“Fuck!” Levin snarls the word, grabbing my arm. “Elena, run!”

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