Page 97 of Born into Blood

Luka keeps all his focus on Radek, refusing to get distracted by the man’s taunts, and when Radek throws his first punch, Luka easily blocks it and takes a step to the right.

“I’m going to finish you,” Radek growls, “and then I’m going to fuck your girl.” He takes a second to look over at me and wink. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart? We’re going to finish what we started, and this time nothing is going to stop me.”

“He’s going to regret saying that,” Max mutters right as Luka narrows his eyes and comes in hard. His punches are so damn fast, I can barely keep up with them, and Radek’s not doing much better. He manages to block a few, but most of them find their mark, and soon his face is bloody and swelling before my eyes. A yelp escapes me, and I grab Max’s arm when Radek lands a blow to Luka’s jaw. I want to run over and hit the fucker myself for daring to mark that gorgeous face. Luka shakes it off easily and comes back with a vengeance.

I grimace when I hear the loud crack of Radek’s nose breaking right before he falls to his knees. Just when I think my boyfriend can’t look any more badass, he does some sort of martial arts kick that sends Radek falling backwards. He’s sprawled out on the cream carpet that’s now, as promised, dotted with blood.

“Damn,” I whisper.

Val leans closer to me. “I think you’re supposed to be covering your eyes.”

“She can watch for a little bit,” Max says with a friendly wink. “It’ll be our little secret.”

“Okay,” Val agrees, but then he points a finger at me. “You gotta close ‘em when he gets his knife out, though. Luka will never forgive us if you have nightmares because of this.”

“Deal,” I tell him, quickly turning my gaze back to Luka, who’s now circling around a sprawled-out Radek. He watches him, stopping every once in a while to deliver a well-placed kick, smiling every time he pulls a scream from the asshole who hurt me. It’s like he’s playing with his prey before he kills it. It reminds me of the time I caught Pip with a moth. He’d swiped it with his paw, injuring the unfortunate insect just enough to ensure he couldn’t fly off, and then he’d crouched down and watched, flicking his tail every few seconds in eager anticipation. Luka’s green eyes are lit up with that same feral prey drive, and when he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a black knife, I know things are about to get gross. With the push of a button, a deadly-looking blade springs out and Val nudges me with his elbow, reminding me of our agreement.

I keep my eyes on Luka, unable to look away as he lowers himself down so he’s hovering over Radek while his knees keep the man’s arms pinned to the carpet. I don’t close my eyes until I see Luka reaching into Radek’s mouth, making good on his promise.

“Lara,” Val warns, but my eyes are already closed. I keep a tight grip on Max’s arm, and when I hear a wet, thick scream, I release his arm so I can cover my ears, hoping like hell I can go through the rest of my life without ever hearing that sound again.

“Just breathe.” Max’s voice is close to my ear as he gently squeezes my shoulder. “Here,” he says, moving one of my hands so he can slip an earbud into my ear before doing the same to the other. I keep my eyes squeezed tightly shut as classical music fills my ears. The noise cancelling earbuds cover the sounds of Radek’s screams, saving me from having to hear them.

I squeeze the hand that’s still resting on my shoulder, silently thanking him for sparing me from having to listen to it. I’m not sure what the song is that I’m listening to, but it’s beautiful. The piano plays a prominent part, and I wonder if it’s a piece that he likes to play. I focus on the notes, the haunting melody, refusing to think about anything else, until Max pulls out one of the earbuds and says, “It’s over now.”

I open my eyes slowly, not sure what I’m going to see, but instead of a gruesome murder scene, I see a wall of dark shirts and broad shoulders. It takes me a second to realize that his dad and uncles have formed a line in front of me, blocking my view so that I won’t accidentally see anything I shouldn’t. Dominic and his cousins have even joined in, and when his dad looks over his shoulder at me, there’s nothing but concern on his face. I was worried that maybe they’d be disappointed and think that Luka chose a weak partner, but no one is looking at me like that. No one is expecting me to be okay at watching such violence, and thank fuck for that, because there was no way I could’ve played that off as if it wasn’t affecting me. I know my limits, and watching a man get his tongue cut out is a hard no for me.

“Are you okay?” Roman asks.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for the wall.” I smile up at him and hand Max his earbuds. “And thanks for the music.”

He grins down at me. “Anytime.”

I shake my head. “This is my last murder. Mia can take my spot.”

Lev raises his pierced brow and looks back at me. “I know you’re joking, but she’d be all over this if given the chance.” He smiles and adds, “That’s why she’s not getting an invite.”

His brothers laugh and then break the line so Luka can step through. I gasp at the sight of him. His bare chest and arms are covered in blood, and he looks every bit like a man who’s just killed someone. The hard glint in his eyes softens when he sees me, though, and as bloody as he is, I can’t help but run and wrap my arms around him, needing to feel him against me and know that he’s safe.

“I’m sorry you had to be here for that,” he murmurs against my ear, holding me tightly against him.

“It’s okay. Max gave me earbuds, and they all made sure I couldn’t see anything.” I run my hands through his hair, not caring in the slightest that he’s covered in sweat and blood and now I am too. “Thank you, Luka.”

He furrows his dark brows, not understanding why I would be thanking him for anything right now. He blames himself for my kidnapping, but he’s wrong. It’s my dad’s fault I was taken, and Luka is the one who saved me.

“Thank you for killing him, for finding me and my mom, and for getting me the hell out of here.”

He smiles and kisses the tip of my nose. “I haven’t done that last one yet.”

“No,” I smile back at him, “but you will.”

“So, are we good now?” Vladimir asks.

Luka is hugging me in a way that ensures I can’t see whatever is left of Radek, but Vladimir’s tone makes it clear he’d like this to be over and done with.

“Unless you forget your manners and fuck up again,” Lev tells him.

“If it happens again, we won’t be so quick to forgive,” Roman says.

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