Page 277 of Vexatious Queen

No.

The sheer terror of losing her again had me moving before anyone knew what was happening. I shoved her out of the way, and she yelped as she fell back. The echo of the shot in the distance was followed by searing pain as I took the bullet meant for her. I ignored it and jumped on top of Ana, blanketing her with my body.

Yells and gunfire erupted around the courtyard.

“Eddie, oh my god,” Ana cried, trying to get out from under me.

“I’m fine.”

That was a lie.

“Stay covered,” I said, groaning as white-hot pain seared down my left side. “Are you hit?”

“No, I’m okay. How bad is it?”

I didn’t really know, but I could still move all my body parts.

“I think it’s my shoulder,” I said, and winced when I tried to move it.

Marcus was suddenly there, kneeling beside us, along with so many others that they became a human wall.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” Marcus said. “Yuli, are you injured?”

“No, just help him,” Ana said.

“This is going to hurt,” Marcus said, and hauled me off of Ana. I grimaced against the stabbing sensation shooting down my arm.

“Fuck,” I growled as Marcus practically threw me into the back of the armored vehicle.

Ana climbed in after me, refusing to let go, her hands stained red with my blood. Marcus and Vlad got in the front, and the SUV tore out of the driveway. We skidded sideways as we hit the street, and I sucked in a sharp breath as the momentum pressed my wounded arm up against the door.

Pinging sounds hit the metal as we sped away.

Each bump we hit felt like I was being electrocuted. I sucked in a breath and focused on staying conscious—on staying alive.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered. “Could you find a few more potholes?”

“I can if you want,” Marcus shot back. I grumbled a few choice words under my breath.

“Let me see,” Ana ordered, pulling my hand away.

Grabbing the knife that she kept tucked in her boot, she cut through my suit jacket and shirt.

“Lean forward.”

I winced as I did what she said. She felt around the back side of my shoulder.

“The bullet is still in the wound. They’ll need to operate.”

Ana tore her blouse off and balled it. I bit down hard on my lip as she pressed it against the bleeding hole.

“Fuck that. Pull it out,” I said, and Ana looked at me like I’d gone mad. “I can’t be put under for surgery. Not now. Lilya needs me, and they all need to die for this,” I said, my voice still firm despite the blood loss.

“And they will, after the doctors remove the bullet and stitch you up.”

“No, you pull it out. I can take it.”

“No.”