Page 60 of Savage Throne
And without her, there was no version of this world I wanted to live in.
When this nightmare ends, I’ll spoil her every day—her favorite wine, a warm bath, silk sheets. A trip to any place on this planet she wants to go to. Anything she wants, anything that’ll remind her that she’s more than a survivor. She’s my Mountain Mistress. My queen, and I’ll make sure she feels like one. . .all the fucking time.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, dragging me out of my sorrowful haze.
I took it out fast, hoping for Moni, but instead, Dima’s name glared on the screen.
Maybe, he found her.
I answered on the first ring. “Dima?”
His voice came through cold and direct. “We picked up lots of movement on Mount Utopia.”
Every muscle in my body tightened. “What kind of movement?”
“Gunfire. Sporadic shots. It’s not a full-on firefight, but it’s enough to draw attention.” He paused briefly, as if gauging my reaction. “But there’s no confirmation that Moni was there. As sure as satellite feeds can be. There’s no visual of her. No sign of Leo either. Just some people moving around but we couldn’t get close enough to identify them.”
I began pacing the room. “She’s there.”
“How do you know?”
“Guns aren’t allowed on Mount Utopia unless my father or me bring them. No others could do it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. He has her there but I don’t understand the gunfire.”
“I sent men.”
I gripped the phone tighter. “And?”
“I dispatched a team immediately. They drove that way and got within two miles of the mountain before they ran into trouble.”
My chest tightened. “What kind of trouble?”
“Men in blue. Armed monks.”
“They stopped your men?”
“At first, they just started following—tailed them on the highway, staying just close enough to let them know they were there. My guys kept going but then more cars showed up and boxed them in.”
“Boxed them in where?”
“Near the old interstate exit that leads into the valley. It was coordinated. Like they were waiting for us and had already planned moves to make.”
“He knew I would guess that they would be on Mount Utopia.” I pressed my hand to my forehead, the headache from earlier threatening to return. “You had your men turn around? Right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. My father’s men would have never let them get too close to Mount Utopia. We don’t need any more dead tonight.” I let out an exasperated breath. “They’re going to block us from getting closer to Mount Utopia until the battle tomorrow.”
“What about helicopters?”
“We have anti-air weapons on Utopia and the surrounding mountains with men guarding them. No one can land unless we want them too.” I clenched my jaw. “And if I push my father too much there’s always the small chance that. . .”
“He would kill Moni?”
“Yes.”
