Chapter 16
The thick vault door slowly hissed open, revealing the brightly lit elevator corridor beyond.
Marcus was standing right outside the threshold, leaning heavily against the concrete wall for support.
His charcoal coat was shredded at the shoulder, blood soaking through the white fabric of his dress shirt beneath.
Yet, despite his visible injuries, his dark eyes were completely focused on the two sleeping boys in my arms.
“They’re safe?” Marcus croaked out, his voice hoarse from shouting orders in the battle above.
“They’re fast asleep,” I whispered, stepping out of the vault with tears streaming down my face.
Marcus let out a ragged sigh of relief, his knees buckling slightly under the weight of his exhaustion.
I instinctively reached out, catching his uninjured arm to stabilize his massive, muscular frame.
“You’re bleeding, Marcus,” I said, my voice trembling as my hands felt the sticky warmth of his blood.
“It’s just a graze,” Marcus lied smoothly, giving me a weak, painful smile.
“I told you nobody would touch my family while I was breathing.”
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I looked at this terrifying, powerful man who had just risked his life and his empire to protect us.
The anger I had harbored for five long years began to crack, melting away in the face of his sacrifice.
