Page 4

A mess? Yes, it was. But it went far beyond shooting the delivery boys. There was always going to be hell to pay for this stunt. And now that it involved a stranger, the price would be doubled—if the others were merciful. Which they never were.

I sighed and holstered my weapon. The other leaders of our family might actually kill me this time.

But that was nothing new.

Although Iosif wasn’t supposed to be here, it turned out to be a blessing that he witnessed the scene firsthand. His testimony might just save me from the worst of the wrath.

As Iosif dealt with the soon-to-be-chum, I returned to the woman. The way she’d fought—theos! If she’d had any kind of physical advantage, she would have eviscerated those mercenaries. Stooping, I slowly lifted her into my arms. She was lighter than I imagined.

A fresh burst of rage bloomed in my chest. Dumping the mercenaries was too nice. No, the sharks needed to work for their supper tonight.

“Iosif! Use the nets,” I growled, adjusting my grip on the woman.

Thin steel, woven with openings, made creative nets that we drug over the water, where our catch could be picked apart by ravenous sharks as we looped around their hunting grounds, taunting the killers as we made them chase their dinner. It was exactly what these men deserved for hurting an innocent.

The stranger stirred in my arms.

“Hush, it’s going to be alright,” I promised...because it was. I would survive whatever punishment my family doled out, and I would protect her from their ire. “What’s your name?”

The serpentine sounds strung together, but as I lowered my ear I could just make out the word.

Serena.

Not a Slavic name.

I began to walk. The half-mile stretch of road between the bait shop and our little village was lost on me. I could feel the soft rise and fall of her chest. Those long, slender fingers twitched until they settled on my chest with a feather-light touch. She sighed, nuzzling into me.

So focused on sorting through this new development, it wasn’t until a neighbor shouted that I realized the gravel road ended and I was back home.

“Po po! What did you do now?” Dorothea called out from over her garden fence.

“Bring your witchcraft kit and hurry,” I instructed the aged woman.

Huffing and muttering pleas to the saints, my aunt waddled into her house. What was I going to tell everyone? Not that anyone in the community knew my plans. Not even the priest knew that I was finally going to take a wife even though the wedding was set for Sunday afternoon.

That gave me five days to find the real Danica.

“What do I do with you in the meantime?” I murmured, pushing through the front door of my house.

The woman in my arms didn’t stir. I leaned down, trying to hear her breathing. It was there. Soft but there.

If I hadn’t seen her fight off the mercenary, who outweighed her in muscle mass, I wouldn’t have believed such a tiny thing could do it. The mercenaries underestimated her. I saw themarks she left on their bodies. The blood on their throats looked particularly uncomfortable.

Pushing into the door in the back hallway, I carried my precious load inside. It wasn’t until I was standing before the king-sized mattress that I realized where we were.

My room—I brought her to my room.

Rage and frustration must have thoroughly rewired my subconscious because I meant to take her into the smaller room across the hall. For that matter, if I’d been thinking at all, I should have brought her to Dorothea’s house. It was too late for that.

Serena would stay with me. She was my responsibility.My guest.Which meant she should be taken to the guest room.

I looked over my shoulder, through the open door.

No, that wasn’t right. There was no way I was taking her there—or anywhere else.

Acting on instinct, I laid her on the bed and stared at the scene.

It didn’t make sense. It was full of problems, but my gut told me it was just right. I brushed my hand gently over hers. She whispered a sigh and curled into the pillow. That small gesture was enough to banish any lingering doubt.