Page 56 of Monsters Wear Crowns
“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 apersonal 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 downlike 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.
