Always His | (Book 3) 18+

thirty one

AMELIA
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I didn't realize how cold it was until I started shaking... unless that was the nerves of nearly being shot in the head over ten times in the last ten days finally kicking in after so long. I made sure to keep my eyes closed, my breathing picking up with each second.

I felt a hand brush against my arm before my chair was pulled back into its upright position. I flinched away when the hand cupped my cheek, then ripped the tape off of my mouth.

Okay, this isn't Ethan.

"Don't touch me," I hissed quietly, turning my head away. They widened when I looked up into two familiar green eyes. "Holy shit..."

A wide smile spread across Lucian's face and he didn't hesitate to go behind me, cutting the rope from my wrists. Once he got to the front and cut the toes around my ankles, I pushed out of the ropes and shakily stood to my feet. A heavy blanket was thrown over me before a pair of arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.

"Where'd they hurt you?" He asked, cupping my cheeks and turning my head back gently. He inspected my face and neck, then his face went blank at the redness I knew was there from Ethan. "Who did this?"

My closed eyes opened and met his patient stare. "Ethan."

"Ethan?" He repeated. "You mean the little shit that used to work for me?"

I nodded, closing my eyes again. Exhaustion was finally setting in and it was happening fast. If I didn't sit down I was going to pass out standing.

Thankfully, Lucian noticed. He lifted me up carefully and held onto the back of my thighs while I wrapped my legs around his waist. My head fell against the crook of his neck and my eyes closed.

"Are they dead?" I asked quietly, looping my arms around Lucian's neck.

"That's not up to me to decide, unfortunately," Lucian responded. "I told the guys they can work that part out. Kian and everything he built should he destroyed by the time they make it back to the city either way."

I sighed with relief, closing my eyes and allowing the silence to consume us. Lucian rubbed my back slowly, kissing different areas of my shoulder.

"FBI and the SWAT team took down his cartel and almost every man who worked there," he continued, slowly walking up the basement stairs. "They're all on a bus to head to a prison as we speak."

Lucian paused his speaking once we got upstairs and I looked up at his conflicted face.

"Did they—?"

"The most I got was a slap to the face," I assured him with a smile. "I'm okay. Don't forget my crazy uncle tried to have me killed at nine. Nothing really scares me after that."

Lucian kissed my cheek, walking out of the house with me in his arms. He put me in the front seat before walking to the other side of the car and getting in. I pursed my lips when he didn't start it up, only staring ahead of us.

"I thought he killed you," he mumbled. "God, I went fucking insane the day you disappeared. The only thing that went through my mind as we were looking was a damn prayer that I wouldn't be finding a corpse."