CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and fear. Lyra hadn’t left Dimitri’s bedside for twelve hours straight. Machines beeped steadily, each one a small mercy. The bullet had clipped his lung but missed his heart by inches. The doctors called it a miracle. She called it stubbornness.
She held his hand, thumb brushing over his knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me,” she whispered. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
His eyelids fluttered. Slowly, painfully, they opened. “Lyra?” His voice was rough, barely there.
“I’m here.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. She leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. “You’re in the hospital. Safe. Mace is dead. It’s over.”
Dimitri tried to sit up and winced. “Kids?”
“Safe with Elena at a new place. Viktor’s watching them like a h
