Page 25 of Monsters Wear Crowns (Crowned Monsters Duet #1)

The helicopter touched down softly, and the door opened. A man was already waiting at the edge of the landing pad–tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in dark clothes. He nodded respectfully when Rafe stepped out first.

“Everything’s ready,” the man said. His voice was low and clipped.

Rafe turned, offering me his hand again. “Stay close. ”

For once, I didn’t argue.

As we moved toward the heart of the shipping yard, the air grew heavier.

The scent of salt and metal filled my lungs, and the sound of heavy machinery echoed around us.

But it wasn’t the environment putting me on edge.

It was the men. They watched Rafe like he was their king–and I realized, with a jolt, that was precisely what he was.

He commanded this place without saying a word.

And when their eyes slid to me, I felt it: the question.

Who the hell was I?

I kept my chin high, my steps even. Let them wonder.

Let them watch. Rafe led me deeper into the maze of shipping containers, the air thick with salt and rust. Every footstep echoed in the vast, open yard, the silence pressing in too tight.

Ahead, a man waited beside a container, his stance rigid, his hand resting near the gun on his waist. My pulse ticked up, but I kept my expression casual.

Rafe gave him a single nod. “Open it.” The heavy metal doors groaned as they swung wide, revealing the cargo inside. My breath stalled.

Weapons. Rows of them.

Another container.

Drugs .

Shadows poured over the stacked crates, each marked with codes I didn’t recognize but understood well enough. Rifles. Ammunition. Tactical gear. Enough to arm a small army. And get them fucking high as shit.

I swallowed hard. “Jesus, Rafe–”

“You wanted to see my business.” His voice was smooth, unaffected. “This is part of it.”

Before I could respond, a burst of static crackled over the man’s radio. “We’ve got company, boss.”

Rafe’s body went still, his head tilting slightly. Listening. Calculating. “How many?” he asked, his voice quiet and controlled.

“Two SUVs. No ID yet. ”

He turned to me slowly. My stomach clenched. Then–

A gunshot split the night.

The sharp crack sent a jolt through me, my breath seizing.

The echo rang through the shipping yard, bouncing off the steel walls, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.

My heart slammed against my ribs, but I didn’t freeze.

Years of being raised to expect the unexpected kept my instincts sharp.

I dropped low behind one of the containers, my heels scraping against the concrete.

Rafe didn’t move like a man caught off guard.

He moved like a man who had been expecting this.

“Stay down,” he ordered, his voice low and even, but with a lethal edge.

His hand slid inside his jacket, drawing a gun in one fluid motion.

The sight of it should have sent me into full-blown panic.

Instead, it steadied me. He stepped away, his focus locked on the shadows beyond the floodlights.

Another shot rang out, sparking off the metal inches from my head. I flinched, my pulse roaring in my ears. The night exploded into chaos.

Rafe whirled, his eyes finding mine. “ Stay fucking down, ” he repeated, harsher this time.

I didn’t get a chance to argue. A figure moved in the darkness, and Rafe fired without hesitation. The body dropped, and the world narrowed to chaos, the thunder of footsteps, the crack of gunfire, the metallic scent of blood in the air.

And then, I saw him too late. A shadow moving fast, slipping around the far edge of the container.

A glint of metal caught the dim light–a gun.

My eyes narrowed. I twisted, instinct screaming at me to move, but he was faster.

His hand clamped around my arm like a vice, yanking me back so hard I nearly lost my footing.

“Rafe!” I shouted, struggling against the iron grip.

The man spun me, slamming me into the cold steel wall. The impact sent a shock through my spine, knocking the air from my lungs. And then–

The press of a gun against my ribs. I stilled, my pulse quickening.

“Stay quiet,” the man growled, his breath hot against my cheek.

I bared my teeth. “Drop fucking dead, little dick.”

His fingers twitched on the trigger, but I spat on him. Fuck this weak man.

“That’s enough .” Rafe’s voice sliced between us like a sharp, brutal, absolute blade.

The man holding me went rigid.

I turned my head. Rafe stood a few feet away, his gun leveled, unwavering. His expression was calm, collected. But his eyes…ice and fire. Controlled rage coiled beneath the surface, waiting to snap.

“Let her go,” he said, his voice soft yet fucking horrifying.

The man’s grip tightened. “Not a chance. Not this pretty little thing.” His free hand drifted lower, fingers skimming over my hip.

Wrong move.

Fury flared hot in my chest. I lashed out, driving my heel into his shin with every ounce of force I had.

He snarled, his grip crushing. “Fucking bitch! ” He shoved me harder into the metal, my skull rattling against the steel.

I swallowed down my own rage because I had a goddamn monster willing to blow this man’s brains out.

“You don’t want to fucking test me,” Rafe warned. “And you really don’t want to find out what I’ll do if you hurt her.”

The man hesitated, and I felt his mistake the second before it happened. Rafe moved faster than I thought possible.

I flinched as a single, deafening shot rang out. The man jerked. His body crumpled against me, dead weight pressing me into the cold metal. Warm blood splattered across my cheek.

A gasp tore from my lips as I shoved him off, stumbling forward. But Rafe was already there, his grip firm as he caught my arm and pulled me into him.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was low, his hand already brushing over my waist and my arms, checking for injuries.

I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. “I’m fine.”

But my body told a different story. My hands were shaking, and adrenaline made me lightheaded. I hated feeling this vulnerable and hated that he was seeing it.

Rafe tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “You scared?” “No,” I lied.

He smiled, but it wasn’t kind. “You should be.”

Before I could respond, more shots echoed in the distance, and the calm fell away from his face like a mask.

“Be careful,” he said, his grip tightening on my hand.

We moved fast, weaving between the containers, the sounds of the firefight growing louder. His men were already engaged, but he didn’t hesitate. He fired without breaking stride, his presence a steady, terrifying force. I should have brought my fucking gun. How did I forget the damn thing?

Another bullet ricocheted off the shipping container behind me, and Rafe yanked me against him and around the corner. His muscular arm tightened around me, and I could feel his heartbeat.

Surprisingly steady.

Was he not...scared?

I definitely felt it. But this wasn’t my world, and I knew it the second a figure stepped from the shadows behind us.

“Rafe!” I warned, but the man was already raising his weapon.

I didn’t think. I acted .

I lunged, slamming my body into Rafe’s, sending us both sprawling just as the shot exploded through the air.

We hit the ground hard, his weight crushing me for an instant before he rolled, his gun already firing as he tucked me beneath him.

The man dropped, but the damage was done.

“Adela,” Rafe’s voice was sharp, his hands already on me. “Where–”

I winced as his fingers brushed my side, and when I looked down, I saw the crimson bloom spreading across my dress.

“Shit,” I muttered.

His face changed. The calm shattered, and for the first time, I saw it– fear . “You’re okay,” he said, but there was a razor’s edge to his voice. “You’re going to be okay.”

I wanted to believe him. But when my knees buckled when I tried to stand and his arms wrapped around me, all I could think was how cold the night suddenly felt.

The night erupted into a bloodbath after a man almost killed Rafe. His men emerged from the shadows like wraiths, all dressed in black, moving with the kind of lethal efficiency that only came with experience. They shot like snipers, and the remaining threats fell one by one.

I tried to stay on my feet, but the pain in my side was a cold, searing thing, stealing my strength. Rafe’s arm stayed locked around me, keeping me upright, his gun still raised and his eyes scanning the yard.

“Clear!” one of the men called. The silence that followed was deafening. Rafe didn’t relax. His grip on me was iron-tight, his pulse a steady thrum where his wrist brushed my skin.

Only then did his heartbeat seem to quicken.

“You okay, boss?” one of the men asked, his face half-hidden behind a black mask.

“No,” Rafe bit out. His eyes were still on me. “We need the car. Now .”

“I’m fine,” I said, though my voice lacked the strength I wanted. “It’s just a–”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Rafe growled. “You’re bleeding, Adela. ”

As if to prove his point, my knees buckled again. He caught me before I hit the ground, lifting me against his chest like I weighed nothing. I hated the weakness. Hated needing him like this. But I didn’t pull away when his scent wrapped around me–that mix of smoke, cedar, and danger.

“Car’s ready,” one of the men called.

He carried me across the bloodstained yard like a man possessed. I felt his heart pounding through his shirt, the tension coiled so tight in his body that I thought he might snap.

“Rafe,” I murmured. “I–”

“Don’t talk,” he said, his voice raw.

The black SUV’s door opened, and he slid inside, keeping me close. The second the door shut, the car sped off, tires screeching against the concrete.

“Where–” I started, but he cut me off.

“I’m taking you to my doctor,” he said, his jaw tight. “Someone I trust.”

“You have a personal doctor ?” I asked, arching a brow despite the pain.

“Adela,” he warned. “Not the time.”

Still, I couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at my lips. “If you wanted me in your lap, you could’ve just asked.”

The tension in his face cracked, but only for a second. “You’re infuriating.”

“You like it.”

His eyes softened just a little. “I do.”

Pain flared again, sharp and unrelenting, tearing a strangled gasp from my throat. My body felt impossibly heavy, my limbs sluggish, but Rafe’s arms were strong around me, holding me together.

His grip tightened. His breath was ragged, his fear no longer hidden behind that usual mask of control. “Stay awake,” he ordered, his voice rough, almost desperate. “Talk to me.”

I tried, but the exhaustion was sinking in, dragging me down like an undertow. “About what?” I whispered, my eyelids fluttering. Everything felt distant, like I was slipping through the cracks of reality.

“Anything. Everything,” he demanded. His voice was shaking now, just slightly. “Just–keep talking.”

I forced my gaze up at him, this dangerous, powerful man who was suddenly so very human in his fear for me. A man watching something precious slip through his fingers.

“Are you scared?” I asked, my voice barely more than a breath.

He didn’t answer right away. His throat bobbed, and when he finally spoke, it was hoarse, raw. “Terrified.”

That admission shouldn’t have felt like a victory. But it did. “Good,” I murmured, a faint, broken smile tugging at my lips. “That makes two of us.” A shudder ran through me. My body gave in before I could fight it. My eyes slipped closed.

“Adela, hey!” A sharp shake. His grip bruising. “ No. ” His voice cracked with fury. “ Look at me. ”

I couldn’t. Darkness swallowed me whole, and the last thing I heard was his voice, breaking apart on my name.

I must’ve drifted because the next thing I knew, we were pulling up to a sleek, modern black mansion set behind high iron gates. The car hadn’t even stopped moving before the front door burst open, and a woman stepped out–older, sharp-eyed, with an air of no-nonsense authority.

“Get her inside,” she barked.

Rafe didn’t wait for an invitation. He carried me through the front door and into a room that looked more like a high-end medical suite than part of a home.

“Put her there,” the doctor ordered, nodding to the examination table. “And you, out .”

Rafe’s entire body went still. “No.”

“ Rafe .” The doctor’s tone sharpened, but only slightly. “ You’ll be in the way.”

“I’m not leaving her.” His voice left no room for argument.

The doctor sighed. “Fine. But if you hover, I will sedate you.”

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

The next few minutes were a blur of pain and pressure as the doctor worked. Rafe stayed at my side, his hand locked with mine, his eyes never leaving my face.

“You’re going to be fine,” the doctor said eventually, pulling off her gloves. “The bullet grazed her–nasty, but not life-threatening. I’ll clean it up, stitch it, and she’ll be sore, but she’ll live.”

Rafe’s exhale was shaky. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” the doctor muttered. “She’s going to need rest. And knowing you , that’s going to be a problem.”

“She’ll rest,” Rafe said darkly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

I raised a brow. “You think you can make me do anything?”

He leaned in, his voice a low whisper. “I know I can.”

Heat flashed through me, but it was quickly overridden by exhaustion.

“Stitches first,” the doctor interrupted, clearly unimpressed by our dynamic. “Then you two can resume your foreplay. You seem to be a good match for him. No one has ever had him in this much of a tizzy.”

Rafe chuckled, but the sound was strained.

I squeezed his hand, ignoring how my heart swelled at that. “I’m okay,” I whispered.

He dipped his sharp chin toward me. “You’re not allowed to scare me like that again.”

“No promises,” I teased, though my voice was weak.

He didn’t smile. “I’m serious, Adela. You’re mine. And I protect what’s mine.”

I wanted to respond, but exhaustion pulled me under before I could form the words. The last thing I felt was Rafe’s lips brushing my temple.

And the last thing I heard was his whispered promise. “I’m never fucking letting you go.”