Shouts came through the rock and debris. “Ryuji! Leona!”
I sucked in a breath, only to inhale another cloud of dust.
“Over here!” Ryuji shouted with a groan. I struggled to get my lungs under control. “Only a little longer, vixen. You’re doing great.”
Had he just been teasing me to distract me?
“Leona!” My eyes darted to where Cas’s deep, yet frantic voice came through the rubble to my left. I barely resisted the urge to reach for him.
“Cas! We’re here!”Thank God.I’d just go ahead and addburied aliveto my list of greatest fears.
Moments later, the rubble above Ryuji lifted and fell to the side. He sagged against me, face going to the crook of my neck while my arms went around his waist.
“Oh, my God, we’re alive.” More rock fell away from our sides, with light and sound following, but all I could focus on was my dragon’s heavy weight pressing into my chest and his breathstickling my neck. “Ryuji?” I pulled at his shirt. “Ryuji, talk to me, you ass.”
“Always so spicy,” he murmured into the dip of my collarbone. “Let me rest here for a moment.”
A tear finally escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek. He was alive. We were getting out of here. “Thanks for the distraction. Thanks for saving us.”
“One favor. Don’t forget.”
The rest of the rubble fell away. The claustrophobia dissipated and I could breathe again, despite Ryuji’s weight.
Four figures stared down at us, completely frozen. Wynn, his platinum hair shadowed by dust and darkness. Ciel, blue eyes piercing through everything. Obi, his massive body still like a shield. And Cas, a crazed look in his eyes as his chest heaved.
Cas’s fingertips were stained red with blood.His injuries.Shit. All my men gusted heavy breaths from strain.
“Get the fuck off her,” Cas growled. He leaned down to grab Ryuji’s arm.
“Hey—” Ryu groaned.
“Caspian.” My hands tightened around Ryuji’s body. “Back up.”
He stared down at me like it was causing him physical harm to not yank me out of this pile of debris, but I didn’t budge. Terror and relief and all sorts of emotions at once threatened to burst out of his skin, but Ryuji had saved our lives.
Finally, he stepped back, murder still written across his face.
“Obi, help Ryuji, please.”
“No.” Ryuji buried his head deeper into my neck. “Let me sleep.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Ciel and Wynn both pulled guns from the waistbands of their dark tactical pants.
“Time to get up.” I pat Ryuji’s back. “Obi?”
Obi wound his hands around Ryuji’s arms and pulled him up. “Wynn.” His resonate voice only had to say the one word before Wynn tucked his gun away and joined at Ryuji’s other side. Together, they looped his arms around their shoulders.
“We need—” Ciel started, swallowing. He stared at the collapsed wall at the back of the club. “We need to get out of here.”
How long had we been stuck? Where were Fallon and her men? The rest of the Italians?
I opened my mouth to ask, but a wave of dizziness came over me so strong, I turned to the side and vomited. “Shit.”
“Fuck, princess.” Cas leapt to my side. He moved to scoop his arms under my legs, but I placed my hands on his forearms to stop him. He wasn’t healed yet. His fingers were wrecked. Willow hadn’t cleared him for heavy lifting, and that included me. “Let me carry you.”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my arm, then spit up more phlegm to get the taste out of my mouth. “No, Cas, I’m all right.”
“Princess—”
