Page 23

CHAPTER 22

ALEXEI

Song, Rescue, Lauren Daigle

As my lips press against hers, my entire being is set on fire. This was worth the wait. My first kiss had to be with my pchelka.

I never imagined it would consume me this much. I don’t know if I ever want to stop.

And she won’t have a clue what this was to me. That she has been the only woman I have had eyes for.

I saw her first kiss, with Vlad. She was seventeen and I followed him home. I wanted to slit his throat. I didn’t. Only because he made her smile. But then when he made her cry two weeks later, I made him pay and toasted marshmallows as I burned his corpse.

I pick her up into my arms and she rests her head in the crook of my neck.

She’s as light as a mouse.

I need to get her fed and checked by a doctor. I can feel her hip bones protruding out of her skin on my hand.

Fuck. I only have my bike.

Making my way out to the parking lot, I see car lights next to my bike. I know Nikolai’s Hellcat anywhere.

The doors swing open and Niki, Mikhail and Jax are striding towards us.

“She’s fine, I’ve got her.” I tell them.

Nikolai’s firm hand clasps on my shoulder.

“You could have got yourself killed,” he hisses under his breath.

“I don’t care.” I dismiss him.

He doesn’t understand, no one does.

I’d die for this woman.

“We’ll take her in the car, you follow on the bike,” Mikhail says sternly.

I don’t want to let her out of my sight.

Mikhail is the boss, I’ll listen to him.

I follow him to the car as he opens the passenger side for me. Lara clings tighter.

“I’ll be right behind you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I need you,” she whispers in my ear, making a shiver run down my spine.

“For eternity,” I whisper back and place a discreet kiss on her ear.

As I look up, it’s possible Mikhail caught that, but with me and Lara, everyone knows how close we are.

It isn’t unusual? Is it?

Shit.

What are they going to say? They know me. They know as well as I do, I’m not good enough for her.

I carefully place her on the seat, my fingers brushing her skin as I secure her belt. She looks up at me through her thick lashes, her blue eyes filled with tears.

I wipe them away.

“I’ll see you in a few minutes, pchelka.”

She nods and there's a tremble on her bottom lip. I want to kiss it better again. But I don't. Closing the door, I turn to her brothers, but notice Jax is looking at me weird. I slide my hands into my pockets and kick the rock on the floor.

I can’t concentrate on anything they’re saying. My lips are still hot, and I can taste her on my tongue.

Placing my hand on the metal of the hellcat, I don’t know why, but it makes me feel closer to her again.

“I’ll have a doctor meet us at her place,” Mikhail says, pulling out his phone.

“Jax, you wait for clean up. We need to confirm who those fuckers in there are.”

“You got it, boss.” Jax takes off back into the building.

Mikhail glances in my direction. “Lara is lucky to have you. You take ‘ride or die’ pretty damn seriously for her.”

Before I get a chance to reply, he’s heading towards the Hellcat and I make my way over to my bike.

Ride or die?

She could have died and I nearly didn’t get to her in time. I failed her.

A sinking feeling washes over me.

I’ll never be enough for her. I can’t even protect her. How am I meant to be anything else?