Page 105 of Monsters Carve Thrones

Waylon's head snapped back, blood painting the wall behind him. His body sagged, limp, lifeless. I stood over him, shoulders shaking.

Then I felt Rafe’s gentle hand on my back. “Good girl,” he said, voice rough. “You did it, baby.”

Chapter 19

RAFE

We emerged into the open air, and for the first time in weeks, I couldbreathe.The estate behind us was eerily silent. The kind of that only followed death. We had ended it. Every last one of them. No one would ever hurt her again.

Kieran and Nico flanked me, their breaths hard, guns still in hand. I glanced behind us once, just to be sure, but there was no movement. Just smoke curling from broken windows and blood staining the steps. I swung my head back, and my gaze landed on Adela in front of me.

My girl.

God,my girl.

She stumbled toward the black car waiting at the tree line, where Laura stood with a gun in one hand and her other arm blocking the housekeeper. She’d helped keep Adela alive. I’d thank her properly.

But before I could reach the car, Adela faltered. Her steps slowed, and her shoulders trembled. Then, her whole body began to shake.

“Adela.” Her name left me in a whisper as I moved. She was gripping the car door, knuckles white, her eyes unfocused. “No, no, no–baby, I’ve got you.”

The housekeeper was already reaching for her, murmuring soft things in Russian as she helped steady her, but Adela’s knees buckled anyway. I caught her before she hit the ground.

Her body collapsed heavily into mine, shaking, sobbing, soaked in blood and dirt. The adrenaline that had carried her this far had finally given out. I lifted her gently, my heart breaking for her. I set her in the back seat, cupping her face between my hands. I couldn’t stop touching her. Her cheeks. Her hair. Her lips.

She was real.

She wasalive.

“I’ve got you,” I whispered. “I’ve got you, little doe.”

Her hands clung to my shirt, her sobs wrecking me as they tore through her. I could feel every one of them in my ribs, in my bones, in my fucking soul. “I never thought I’d see you again,” she cried. “I thought I was going to die today trying to get out. But you guys came for me.”

Laura and the woman watched with concern, their faces shadowed, as they stood protectively by the car. I glanced up at them through the open door. “Who…” My voice cracked. I had to clear my throat. “Who are you?”

The woman stepped forward. Her eyes were warm, soft, and tired. “My name is Olesya. I was the housekeeper for Mr. Waylon. She saved me, too.”

My throat clenched. “Thank you,” I rasped. “For helping my wife.”

She smiled, and it lit something in me. “She’s the brave one. I only followed her.”

I turned back to Adela, stroking her damp hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and found mine.

Nearly three months.

Three months of rage. Blood. Nightmares.

And now I was holding her.

“I need to grab files,” I said to no one in particular, my voice low and ragged. “Documents. Anything that could be useful.”

Kieran’s hand landed on my shoulder. “We’ll go,” he said. “You stay with her.”

I looked up, startled by the weight of those words.

Nico gave me a tight nod. “She needs you.”

My throat ached. I couldn’t speak. I just nodded, and they turned back toward the house. I slid into the backseat beside her. And the moment the door shut behind me, she broke completely. Her cries turned desperate and raw, like an open wound that finally had room to bleed. She curled into me, and I held her as tight as I dared, whispering into her hair, my arms wrapping around her like I could shield her from all of it.