Page 55 of His Queen

"I have lost everything. I thought I had lost you." She starts crying harder.

"Shhh shhh, my love shhhh it's ok I'm ok." I kiss her on her forehead.

I hold her to me and feel her shake as she cries. I hate seeing her like this. I never want her to be hurt again.

"Rose you need to tell me what happened," I say gently.

She tries to shake her head but I know I need to know. I need to know what he did to her.

"Not right now this isn't the place." I turn to see Demetrius standing in the door. "I am glad to see you awake brother. Rose has been beside herself. We need to talk."

She looks up at me. "You came for me."

I nod "Always, Rose, I will always come for you." I hold her to me a little tighter.

"Thank you, Demetrius, thank you for everything."

"Don't thank me Rose you know I would do anything for you and Vlad. Just get some rest. Vlad you need to make her eat. I managed to get her cleaned up. But I couldn't bring myself to force her to eat. You should be released in a few days. After that, we have to discuss what happens next. I brought some of your things for when you get out." He smiles at me.

"Thank you," I say and then look down at Rose. She is fast asleep in my arms. I kiss her head letting my lips linger. I pull the blanket over her and kiss her again.

"She looks better than she did when we found her," Demetrius says. "But you still look like shit."

"How is she?"

He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head. "Not good. They really did a number on her. I had the men gather the ones who were left alive. I have Salvatore in a box with a note ready to be shipped back to the Don. I want to deal with him my way."

I nod. "I know you do. I will help you."

"You won't be helping anything. You need to heal and help Rose heal. What would you like done about the others?"

I shake my head "I need to know what happened to her."

He nods with a knowing look. "I understand. I told the doctor what I could but they know to let it go. I need to arrange some things I will be back later to check on the both of you."

"Thank you, brother. I appreciate you personally taking care of her when I couldn't."

He nods "Always. You are my brother, and my second in command. If there is anything you need, I am here." He gives me a nod and then walks out of the room. I feel better knowing that Rose is here and safe. But I still can't get the thought of her being taken out of my head. The thought that she has been through this and I wasn't there to protect her. I lay back down and close my eyes. I want to sleep but I don't want to wake up without her there. I keep thinking about what happened and wondering how I could have made things turn out differently. I hate knowing that she has been hurt. I know there isn't anything I could have done at the time.

That doesn't stop the guilt that creeps over me. I know that she was a prisoner for days. I know that she was forced to do things I can't even think about. I want to kill every man who touched her. I want to burn their bodies in a pit of fire. I want them to suffer the way she suffered. Now I completely understand why Demetrius did the things he did to anyone who touched Luna. I understand his rage. I understand his pain. I will do anything to protect Rose. I would rather die than let anyone take her from me. I lay there with her sleeping beside me and try to push the thoughts from my head. I close my eyes and try to sleep but it never comes.

Chapter 36

Rose

Ican'tlosehim.I won't lose him. I can't live without him. The world is spinning around me. I can barely breathe. I can hear him talking, but I can't understand what he is saying. I feel like I am falling down a deep, dark hole. My mind is reeling, and all I can think about is Vlad. Demetrius is kneeling next to me. He looks so worried. He is wiping the tears from my face. I can see the sadness in his eyes. He knows what this means. I try to hold on to Vlad, but he is slipping away. My love is slipping away.

"I am so sorry, Rose," Demetrius says to me. "Let us get him out of here. A helicopter is on its way." I look at him, but I can't register what is being said. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me. "Rose! Let go of him. We have to get him out of here and to a doctor. The bullet is still in there." He says.

I look over at Vlad and see the blood staining the floor and my dress. I am so terrified. I don't want to let him go. I don't want to let him die.

"Rose, let him go. Let go. If you don't, we won't be able to get him out of here."

I look at him and nod, looking down at my blood-stained hands.

Demetrius gets up, turns to the others, and yells, "Grab him and let's go. We have to get him out of here now.”

The rest of the group sprints ahead, swiftly lifting Vlad from the ground. Meanwhile, I remain on my knees, isolated on the cold floor. Agonizing pain surges through my chest as if my heart is shattering into pieces. It feels as though my very soul is drifting away from my physical body. Gradually, I sense myself being elevated from the ground, and as I gaze upward, Demetrius’s face comes into focus.

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