Chapter 30 Chapter 30
"B-boss, we didn't see him; he was hidden," one of the guards started to stammer.
Nikolai moved faster than I’d ever seen him move. He was across the room in a heartbeat, grabbing the man by his throat and lifting him off his knees. The guard’s face turned purple as Nikolai’s knuckles went white.
"You didn't see him?" Nikolai hissed, his voice dropping to a terrifying, low vibration. "Then you're fucking useless to me. If she dies, you all die. If her heart stops, I will personally make sure yours are ripped from your chests before you hit the ground. Find out who sent him. I want names. I want families. I want every person who even looked at a gun today brought to me in pieces!" he yelled.
He threw the man back onto the floor like he was trash. "If you aren't back here with someone’s head or name by dawn, don't bother coming back at all. I'll hunt you down myself."
I stood there, clutching the railing, my breath catching in my throat. I’d seen him be cold. But I had never seen this. This was a man possessed by a demon. He wasn't just angry; he was ruthless and unforgiving and looked like he would burn the world down.
He turned away from the guards, his chest heaving as he stared into the fireplace, the flames reflecting in his dark, hollow eyes. He looked so lonely in his rage, a king standing on a mountain of bodies, willing to add more just to quiet the noise in his head.
"Nikolai," I whispered; his name was barely audible, but in the dead silence of that blood-soaked room, it sounded like a shout. And I saw the second he stiffened. Every muscle in his back locked tight, for a long second, he didn't move. Then, he turned slowly.
It was instant; the fire in his eyes flickered and died, replaced by a raw, naked vulnerability that made my chest ache. He dropped the iron poker, the metal clanging loudly against the stone, and he looked at me..really looked at me...standing at the top of the stairs in my blood-stained silk.
"Isla," he breathed, his voice breaking on my name.
He didn't look like a king anymore. He looked like a man who had just seen a miracle. The guards scrambled out of the room, sensing the shift, leaving the two of us alone in the wreckage of his fury.
I looked at the bodies of the hitmen on the floor, then back at his blood-covered hands. I should have been repulsed. I should have been terrified of the monster he’d just shown me. But as I looked at him, I realized he hadn't done this for business, not even for himself.
He was up the stairs in a heartbeat, his boots thudding against the stone. He reached me and stopped, his hands hovering inches from my skin, trembling. Nikolai Ferro, the man who feared nothing, was shaking like a leaf. He looked at the blood on my shoulder, then at my face, and I saw his eyes.
"You should be in bed," he whispered, his voice thick with panic, and that made my heart break.
"The doctor... he said you almost lost too much. You stayed awake just long enough," he said.
"I'm okay," I said, my voice shaky. I looked down at the carnage in the living room, then back at him. "You killed them."
"I'll kill everyone," he vowed, his hand finally coming up to cup my face, his thumb grazing my jaw with tenderness.
"I'll burn this whole city to the ground if that’s what it takes to keep you safe. I’m sorry, Isla. "He whispered.
He pulled me into him, burying his face in the crook of my neck, his breath hot and frantic against my skin. He held me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling into the abyss.
In that moment, looking over his shoulder at the dead men on the floor, I realized the truth. This was his world.
"Don't ever do that again," he whispered into my hair, his grip tightening until it hurt.
"Don't you dare leave me; you're mine, always were and always will be. "You're never leaving me," he whispered.
I held him back with my one good arm, watching the shadows of the living room dance in the firelight. The King of the Underworld He had claimed me; I was his, and I knew deep down there was more to him than the cold front he showed me and showed the world.
“Go shower and get some rest.”
He pulled back slowly and looked at me. “Go rest,” he said, and I nodded. I went back to my room and sat down on the bed. He was crazy; he just stood there covered in blood. He killed them. Well, I guess that is what it takes to be the ruler of the underworld. I lay in bed; my mind was too full, and I couldn't sleep.
I lay there and counted my heartbeat. The bandage was so tight I could feel my pulse beating. This was dangerous; Nikolai’s world was too dangerous; a simple night could get someone murdered. No wonder he always had security with him; as long as I was around him, I needed to be on my guard. I was still lying there when my room door opened and he walked in. He was wearing sweatpants and a shirt. Maria was behind him.
“Maria will help you take a shower. “Don’t make your wound get wet,” he said, helping me off the bed. I sat up slowly. I headed into the bathroom, and Maria followed me. She didn't bother removing the slip; she cut it straight down the middle.
After she helped me shower and dry my skin off, she left and came back with a T-shirt, underwear, and sweatpants. After she helped me dress, we went back out; he was still in my room. Maria walked out and left us alone.
He walked over to me and picked me up, then walked out of the room straight into his room, kicking the door shut with his foot.
“What are you doing?” I asked, but he didn't answer; he put me onto the bed.
“Sleep,” he said, walking around the bed, pulling back the cover, getting into the bed, and then pulling me into him, and my body went stiff. My back was to his chest, and his arms were wrapped around my waist.
“Relax, I won’t do anything,” he whispered against my ears, and it made me shiver, and his hands tightened around me.
“Sleep, Kitten.” He whispered.
I tried to slow my heart down but couldn't; all I could feel was the heat of his body against mine and the heaviness of his hands around me, locking me in. I tried to move but couldn't; he held me in a way that my shoulder wouldn't hurt. After a while I gave up and closed my eyes and let sleep consume me.