Page 64 of The Mafia Bloodline
The sound of splintering wood filled the room as I threw the chair near me against the wall and stormed toward the door. The moment I threw it open, three shadows were already there, Roman, Lucien, and Viking.
Roman’s hand hit my chest first, solid as stone. “Don’t.”
“She’s in danger!” I roared, my voice shaking the walls. “They’re at the hospital…I feel it!”
Lucien moved to my side, eyes sharp, calculating even in the chaos. “We know. Gideon called. They’re holding the line.”
“She’s mine!” The words came out guttural, my fangs already slicing through my gums. “I can’t just sit here while she…”
“Volken!” Roman’s voice cracked like thunder. “It’s daylight. You step outside now, and you’ll burn before you make it down the drive.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” I shoved at him, but he caught me, muscles locking against mine. We hit the wall hard, plaster cracking under the force. I snarled, eyes blazing, fangs bared inches from his throat. “Let. Me. Go.”
Roman’s eyes glowed gold, his power slamming into me like a wall. Alpha command.It rolled through the room in a tangible wave, ancient and absolute.
“Stand down,” he ordered, his voice dark with the weight of centuries.
The command hit like iron chains around my body. My muscles trembled, my vision flickered, but even as the compulsion forced me still, the rage kept boiling, tearing at the edges of my restraint.
Lucien was beside me now, his voice calm but firm. “You’ll get to her faster alive than as a pile of ash, brother.”
Viking stepped closer, his own voice quieter, but no less fierce. “We’re with you. Every one of us. But you wait until the car’s ready.”
My breathing was ragged. Every second stretched like a knife. I could still feel her through the bond, the terror, pain, the echo of her heartbeat pounding in my head.
Roman’s power held me in place another agonizing minute before he eased off. “We’ve already sent six changelings ahead,”he said. “Ivan and Gideon are holding the perimeter. Runa’s safe. You’ll get there soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I hissed, shoving off the wall as the force of his command faded. “They’re after her. They want my woman, my child.”
The words choked off, replaced by another guttural growl. My eyes flared red, the rage coursing through my body burning from within.
Lucien’s hand gripped my shoulder hard. “Then let’s move.”
Minutes blurred into motion.
We barrelled through the mansion halls, the brothers moving like a single machine. Viking was already barking orders through the comms, Draugr’s men relaying updates. The reinforced daylight SUV waited in the drive matte black, mirrored glass, and heavy shielding to protect us from the sun.
The second the doors opened, I threw myself inside.
Roman slid in beside me, his presence heavy with control. Lucien took the front passenger seat. Draugr’s voice crackled through the radio. “Gideon says two demons down, one injured. Runa’s shaken but alive. Get here fast.”
“Faster,” I growled, my voice sharp enough to cut.
Roman shot me a warning glance. “You’ll see her in minutes. Hold yourself together, or I’ll hold you down again.”
I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles split. Blood smeared my palms, the metallic scent filling the air. “If anything happens to her, there won’t be a world left to burn.”
Viking’s low laugh came from the other side of the seat. “There he is, the Volken I know. Just promise me you’ll save some demons for the rest of us.”
Roman’s jaw flexed. “You will save her.”
The car tore down the road, the hum of the engine drowned out by the pounding in my chest.
By the time the hospital came into view, the sun was nearly gone, streaks of red light bleeding across the sky like the world itself was warning me to hold back.
Too late.
The moment the SUV screeched to a halt, I was out.
