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CASPIAN

I ripped the door open to our room, ushering her inside immediately. “Get in. Now.”

She almost died. The love of my life, the reason for my heart beating, almost died right in front of my eyes. And now she was pissing me off even further.

She limped through the threshold, rolling her eyes with one arm looped around Wynn’s waist.

“Strip.”

She’d refused the hospital on our way back to the penthouse, but I had to see her. I had to make sure she was really, truly alive.

“If you want me naked, Cas, you just have to ask.”

Wynn released an exasperated laugh as he set her down on the bed, which only scratched the surface of our combined frustration. He had also been adamant that she get looked at, but she’d refused even him. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to contain the cyclone of worry, anger, frustration, and pure relief from exploding within me.

“Wynn, give us a minute.”

He paused, hand still tight on her arm—like he, too, struggled to let her go—but then he nodded.

“I will be right outside,” he said, maybe more to me than to her. The look in his eye and his slight head nod told me he had my back, not hers.

When we’d returned to the penthouse, all four of them had wanted to make sure she was okay, but I’d directed her to our room. This had to be between us.

“Cas.” She said my name in that tone . The one that said I was being the overprotective, annoying bodyguard, and she was the spoiled princess who could do whatever she wanted without consequences. But we were more than that now. Things were different. “I’m fine.”

“Strip,” I repeated. Adrenaline still raced through my body. Tension threaded through the muscles in my arms and the back of my neck. I would never forget the resounding crunch of the collapse. What it felt like—looked like—to watch it come crashing around her, unable to do anything but stare.

How could I protect her from everything we were about to face?

Reluctantly, slowly, as if she were purposefully torturing me—and it was working—she pulled off her jacket, followed by her now-bloody shirt. Next came her boots and her pants until she stood before me in only her black bra and thong.

My eyes roved over her body. Bruises marred her arms. Her right thigh was swollen and red, yet she could stand on it and move her leg. Her ribs looked normal. Her breathing looked regular, a steady in-and-out. No other visible injuries.

I stepped closer, picking up her arms to further inspect her torso. I ran my fingers up the sides of her ribs, poking here and there to check for any hidden pain or tenderness. Max and I had been trained in first aid. We were often injured on missions and needed to assess whether injuries were severe. That training was the only reason I didn’t force Obi to drive us to the hospital, but I wasn’t afraid of dragging her there if necessary.

I hated this. Both the fact that she was hurt, and how I was thinking about him at a time like this.

“Cas.” She shivered, her gaze heating.

I didn’t stop. It turned me on to see how her body reacted under my touch, but now was not the fucking time. I lowered her arms to her sides. My fingers brushed over the scar tissue forming from the night she broke me free from Max’s captivity. They were healing, but fuck , she was so breakable. And this was only the beginning.

It terrified me.

“Any other pain? Trouble breathing? Tightness?” It was the invisible injuries that often ended us. The ones we didn’t see coming.

“No.”

I nodded.

“See?” Her throat caught on the word; her face turned away from me. “I’m fine.”

I took her chin in between my thumb and forefinger, then tilted her head to all sides as I examined her face, breathed her in. The feel of her skin began to leech the tension from my body.

She searched my face. “Are you?”

No, I was not fine. “You almost died.”

“Not the first time. Won’t be the last.”

“Don’t joke, Leona. Not about this.” My grip on her chin became unyielding. We’d come so far. I remembered when her eyes had lost their luster after her father died. It would kill me if they lost their shine again. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” she whispered. “Trust me.”

“It’s not about trusting you,” I replied. It was everyone else that I didn’t trust. It was her stubbornness and her recklessness.

For the last eight years, I thought if she felt the same way I felt for her, it would make my job so much easier. But this was so much worse. Every scratch on her face was a dagger to my heart. Every choice she made carried so much weight.

“Cas.” My fingers still held her chin as her hands came to my forearm. She pulled me down, lifted herself onto her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss against my lips.

I dropped her chin and cupped her cheeks. “Leona.”

The kiss was gentle. Any more than that, and we’d both be hurting, but desire surged through my body. I needed to feel that she was okay. She deepened it, pulling me tighter against her. I poured in my devotion, my anger, my fear, and my relief into the kiss. Everything I couldn’t speak, I let hands and lips say on her body instead.

She gasped and then winced, her hand going to her head. The concussion.

“Fuck. Shit. Sorry.” I stepped back from her. What was I thinking? I turned toward the door. “We’ll call Doctor Willow immediately. Wynn!”

The Shadow burst into the room. “Everything all right?”

“I’m fine, Wynn?—”

“Get Willow here as soon as possible,” I demanded, running my hand through my hair. My heartbeat was out of control. I wouldn’t take any chances.

“No.” Leona placed her hand on my chest. “I just need some painkillers for the headache.”

“We’re not arguing about this.” I covered her hand with mine. “You need to get looked at.”

Wynn already had his phone to his ear. Leona pulled away, sulking. Sure, she could be a little brat, but I was not going to budge about this.

The sound of feet rushed down the hallway before Ryuji and Obi ran in the room with concerned expressions. At the sight of Leona in her underwear, they both paused. I moved to block the view of her body with my own. Ryuji rolled his eyes, but Obi looked at me and Wynn.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked. He’d schooled his features, but his fingers dug into the doorframe.

“ Nothing ,” Leona said. She was rifling through the dresser she had claimed.

“She needs to get checked out.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Her head. She’s in pain.”

If they didn’t agree with me on this, I might have to fucking fight them. My body was still healing from Max’s torture. My shoulder was as weak as a baby deer, my knee barely functioning, my fingers torn from clawing at the rubble. I might not be at my best, and I wouldn’t be for a while, but I could get a few good punches in. Yet, to my surprise, both of them nodded in agreement.

“Wil?” Wynn said into the receiver. Meanwhile, Leona hobbled on one leg to pull on a new shirt and leggings. I met her outstretched arm to steady her. “Wait. What’s going on?”

All of us turned to face him, listening intently. “The Irish were hit tonight,” he relayed.

“What?” Leona gasped. “How? When?”

“When Fallon was at the club with us. Precision attack. They lost two of their bars and one of their weapons warehouses. They’ve had a few injuries that Willow needs to tend to.” He looked at Leona. “Fallon and her crew went back to Philadelphia. They send a message that our friendship still stands, but they can’t lose their territory.”

Max. He was too goddamn smart.

“When Max and Elio tortured me, he told me they knew the Irish were helping us,” I said. My vision went glassy as I remembered how it felt to be strapped to that chair. How much rage and pain had coursed through my body with his every word. “He must have thought we’d turn to them for help again, and he struck first.”

“Damn it,” Leona grumbled, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“All right, Wil,” Wynn continued. “Do what you need to do. Before you go, can you consult on an injury?”

He passed the phone to Leona, and she answered all of Willow’s questions before Leona put her on speakerphone.

“Seems like a concussion,” the doctor said through the phone. “Lots of rest. Painkillers. Sleep. Call me if the nausea gets worse, or she experiences any other signs of unconsciousness or amnesia.”

I exchanged a glance with the rest of the guys, lifting my chin and raising my eyebrow in a silent question. A promise passed between us as each nodded. They’d watch her like a hawk, just like I would. At least we could all agree upon that.

“Thanks, Wil.” Wynn picked up the phone and exchanged a few more words with the doctor before they said their goodbyes.

When he hung up, we all turned to face Leona.

“Will you all stop staring at me like I’m a glass doll?” Leona huffed, pushing her way past the rest of us and out of the room. “Ryuji’s way worse than I am.”

“You forget I am immortal,” the dick said when he followed after her. “A mystical dragon that cannot be defeated.”

My jaw clenched. Yes, he saved her life. Yes, I was eternally grateful for that. But Ryuji and I were turning out to be like oil and water. Whatever he did seemed to annoy the fuck out of me, and I doubted we’d ever truly get along.

I promised Leona I’d try to figure out this group thing. So I’d done my best to keep my mouth fucking shut.

“Ryuji likely also needs a doctor, but has refused,” Obi said. The three of us followed Leona. Ciel was mysteriously missing. “For now, his wound is stitched, but I suspect he has multiple broken ribs.”

“See?” Leona said, not even glancing over her shoulder. She traipsed through the house unconcerned and unbothered, like she hadn’t been told she had a serious concussion. “I’m not the one we need to be worried about. Go hover over Ryu instead.”

“Traitor,” he snipped.

“What are you doing?” I said once we’d we made it to the kitchen. God, this was ridiculous. We were all following her like little fucking ducklings. “Willow said you need to sleep. Get back in that bedroom right now.”

She dodged my outstretched hand and pivoted around the island. “I can’t sleep when we need to find Max.”

“Ciel is searching for him,” Obi interjected. “We should rest while we can.”

“And let Ciel do all the work?” She pulled the fridge open and poured herself a glass of water. She was so comfortable in this penthouse, like it was her home. I doubted it would ever feel that way to me. “No.”

“Ciel is an expert,” Obi continued. “He will do his job.”

“I can help him.” She downed her drink, but then blinked rapidly, and braced herself on the counter.

“Dizzy, huh? Still positive you’re fine?” I growled. I took the cup from her hand. “Fuck, Leona. You need to rest .”

She was driving my blood pressure through the roof. If we could make it through the night without any other issues, I’d count that as a fucking win. Tomorrow I could relax. And then we could find Max.

That fucker needed to die—and I swore it would be me who strangled him with my bare hands. But not at the expense of Leona’s health.

“Leona.” Wynn crossed his arms over his chest. “You should listen to Willow.”

“Come on, little vixen.” Ryuji held his hand out to her. “My legs are killing me, so the least you could do is come sit with me on the couch for a bit. I want a back massage.”

She eyed his outstretched hand. “Is that your favor?”

“Absolutely not ,” he blurted.

I frowned. What did that mean? Favors?

“Are you trying to distract me again?”

“Come on.” He wiggled his fingers. “Obi will make us some food. Your guard dog can taste test, so he knows nobody poisoned it.”

“Fuck you, ass?—”

“Dick—”

“Shut up,” Leona snapped, squeezing her eyes shut. “Both of you.”

Obi crossed his arms over his chest. Wynn glared at me, as if it were my fault Ryuji always had to make things worse.

“Ryuji, can you stop being you for just a few minutes?” Leona asked with a tilt of her hip. “And Cas? Can you relax?”

After a few tense moments, I finally nodded. Leona turned to Ryuji.

He shrugged. “Come find out.”

“Impossible. You’re impossible.” She grabbed Ryuji’s outstretched hand, and a slice of jealousy cut through my chest. “Just a minute on the couch. Obi, can you make us some pasta? I love your vodka sauce. It reminds me of my mom’s.”

I swore the man’s chest puffed. “Of course.”

I rubbed my face. This was a fucking mess. We’d all been playing nice the past week, but now it felt like the gloves were off. Things had gone wrong tonight, and now our true faces were coming out. What were we going to do if we flat out didn’t like each other?

Ryuji groaned in pain when he and Leona went to settle on the couch. She rested her head against Ryuji’s shoulder and my chest twisted. What was I supposed to do now?

I could sit next to them and watch, but another minute with Ryuji was going to make me snap. I could sit in the kitchen, or help Obi cook, or do fucking…something.

Fuck. What was my place here?

My body was still healing. I got stuck with Ciel tonight at the club and couldn’t do shit. Look what happened. What good was I if I couldn’t protect her?

What if I lost her? Not just physically, but emotionally?

She had chosen me. I knew that. I knew we were meant to be together. But her feelings for me were still so new. What if she changed her mind?

Fuck.

I stomped back to our room to clear my head, leaving the rest of them behind.