The gunfire stops, and then Alexei shouts, “Get your asses on the plane.”
With a lot of effort, Cillian lifts a hand to my cheek, his touch weak. “Love you, poppet.”
A sob ripples up my throat, my eyes never leaving his. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” I begin to ramble, my voice quivering with naked fear.
Cillian slowly shakes his head. “Go. You need to… get out of… here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I cry, pressing harder on his chest.
Cillian’s breath begins to rattle, the sound the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard.
“N-no.”
Damien wraps his arm around my waist and begins to pull me away from Cillian. “Wait!” I cry as I fight against his hold. “Wait!”
Cillian’s lips curve up in the lopsided grin I love so much, and then he breathes, “Pop… pet.”
Damien yanks me up against his body and begins to carry me away. I watch as the light dims in Cillian’s eyes and his breathing stills, and then the distance between us grows fast as Damien carries me away.
“No!” I scream, devastating grief ripping through me. “Cillian!”
DAMIEN
Winter fights against my hold as I make a run for the plane. “Stop!” I shout at her, but she’s beyond the point of rational thinking.
Fuck.
I drag her up the stairs, and once we’re safely inside the plane, I push her down on a seat. She instantly darts up, and I have to force her down. Her eyes look feverish, her breaths too fast.
“Winter,” I snap to get her attention. Her eyes dart to mine, but only for a second. I manage to strap her in, and taking the seat next to her, I wrap my arms around her to keep her seated.
A whimper ripples over her lips, and then a silent cry tears through her. The sounds stab at my heart, the emotion foreign. Never has anyone affected me the way she does. Seeing her pain makes me want to kill. It makes an untamed possessiveness claw through my chest.
Her body keeps jerking, and she feels small and broken in my arms. Moving one hand behind her head, I push her face against my neck. Her breaths burst against my skin as she gasps through her sorrow.
Unable to stop myself, I press a kiss to her hair. My eyes find Demitri, where he shuts the door. Alexei instructs the pilot to take off, and then they both take a seat across from Winter and me.
I don’t let go of Winter. Deep down, I know I’ll never be able to let go of her. Instead, my gaze stays locked on my brother, whom I haven’t seen in months.
Only when we reach altitude do I slacken my grip on Winter. Bringing my hands to her cheeks, I lift her face to mine. “I’m sorry.”
She keeps gasping, her features torn with grief. Her pale skin and the crushed look in her eyes make her breathtakingly beautiful. It makes me want to rip my chest open so I can hide her there from the world.
I didn’t know the man well, but anyone could see the love between Winter and Cillian was special. She could cope with her father and brother’s deaths, but I’m not so sure about Cillian’s.
Winter gasps one more time, her eyes locked with mine, and then she stills. It looks like she switches off, and her features relax into a grim expression.
Slowly, I pull my hands back, and when she doesn’t dart up but instead slumps against the seat, I pull the phone from my pocket. “Here are the coordinates,” I say as I get up. I hand the phone to Alexei, and as he takes it, our gazes meet.
A slow grin spreads over his face, and then he pulls me into a hug. “Little fucking shit. Good to see you.”
I pat his back, and even though the atmosphere is loaded with Winter’s grief, I still chuckle.
Alexei pulls back, and I turn to my brother. We stare for a moment, and then similar smiles spread over our faces as we grip hold of each other.
Thank God.
Now we can stop running and plan our retaliation.
“Missed you,” Demitri murmurs.
“You too.”
When we let go of each other, Demitri glances at Winter. “How’s she holding up?”
I turn my eyes to Winter’s pale face, a blank expression in her eyes.
“Not good. She lost everyone.”
“She’s still alive,” my brother mutters, and when I turn my attention back to him, he grins, “Not bad for a first day’s job.”
Alexei comes back from the cockpit after informing the pilots of coordinates. He brushes past us then takes a seat opposite Winter. I sit down next to her and Demitri across from me, and then I watch as Alexei stares at Winter.
Slowly she lifts her head and settle her eyes on his.
“Blanco. You want revenge,” Alexei gets right down to business.
“I want them eradicated,” she grinds the words out.