The explosion had left Adriana half-deaf, her ears ringing, her lungs filled with smoke. For a heartbeat, she thought she had died—until she felt the crushing weight of Damian’s body shielding hers.
His heartbeat thundered against her cheek. His hand pressed against her back as if anchoring her to the earth. For the first time in days, she let herself breathe in his scent, that mix of steel, smoke, and something darker—something that had always meant home, even when it frightened her.
“Adriana,” he rasped, voice hoarse from smoke and fury. “You could have been—” His words cut off, his body trembling against hers.
When he lifted his head, his eyes burned, but this time with something rawer than anger.
---
Damian pulled her up roughly, his grip unrelenting on her wrist as if he feared s
