Page 106 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
A tall figure appeared in the light, blocking the chaos behind him. His coat was wrinkled, his hair wind-tossed, his eyes blazing with an emotion that made her breath catch.
Magnus.
Her husband had come for her.
He stood in the doorway like a force of nature, so broad and dangerous. And the way his gaze swept over her, the way he paused long enough for her to see the relief in his eyes, did something to her.
Despite the chaos behind him, Lily’s focus narrowed on him.
His eyes never left hers as he crossed the space between them, before he noticed the man in the room.
The man barely had time to step back before Magnus drove his fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
The brute let out a grunt beforestaggering backward, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. But it seemed that wasn’t satisfactory enough as Magnusdelivered a blow so hard it sent the man crashing to the floor. Lily almost screamed from the shock of seeing such brutality.
Lily had never seen this side of him before and she didn’t know how to feel with the malevolent look on his face. His breathing was ragged, his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were almost black with fury.
“Touch her again,” he threatened, his voice low and shaking with wrath, “and I will leave nothing of you worth burying.”
The man whimpered, spitting blood and cursing, but Magnus had already turned away from him.
Now, his focus, his entire being, was on her.
Lily’s breath hitched as he dropped to one knee before her, his hands surprisingly gentle as they found the knots binding her wrists. He didn’t speak, not yet. But his eyes softened as they roved over her from head to toe, checking for bruises, cuts, any sign that she had been harmed beyond what he could already see.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured, almost to himself.
The rope fell away from her hands, and he took them in his own, rubbing warmth back into her fingers.
“I’m fine,” she squeezed through a tight throat.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Whether in disbelief or relief, she couldn’t tell.
He reached up to pull the gag from her mouth, and the moment it was off, she inhaled sharply.
For a second, neither spoke.
Then, he pulled her to him.
It wasn’t a gentle embrace. It was raw and desperate. His arms crushed her against him, as if to prove to himself that she was real. Lily buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent, feeling the heat of his body, and listening to the pounding of his heart.
“I thought—” He broke off.
She tilted her head up, her eyes meeting his. Whatever he had meant to say, she already knew it. He didn’t need to say too much.
His gaze drifted lower before his thumb moved to caress her lips. She watched him, waited until he dipped his head and gave her a kiss that conveyed his fury and relief, love and panic.
Lily shuddered in his arms. She held him tight, and he cupped her face as though she were something too precious to break.
When he finally pulled away, his breathing was still uneven as his forehead came to rest against hers.
“You will never walk into danger like this again. Do you understand me?” he said softly, tenderly.
Lily managed a faint, quivering smile. “I didn’twalkinto it. I was dragged.”
His eyes closed briefly, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Then God help the men who did it.”
A crash sounded behind them as one of his men tossed another brute against the wall, reminding them of the chaos still unfolding beyond the door.
