Valentina glanced at Sergei. The pain and guilt on his face was heart-wrenching. She swallowed, wanting to go to him but unable to offer him any comfort without endangering all of them. Reaching out to him through their emotional connection, she gently brushed against Sergei with her energy to let him know he wasn’t alone. His eyes met hers, and the rush of love and gratitude that flowed through their bond nearly caused her to break her resolve in keeping her distance.
“I apologize, Lena,” Nikolai said gently. “I wasn’t aware Leonid was your son. We lost many brave people during that takeover, and nothing I say or do will make up for your loss. Whatever you believe may have happened, I assure you, we did everything possible to try to help them.”
“You lie,” Lena spat, taking a step toward him. “I interviewed and debriefed many of the former residents of that facility. Too many of their stories deviated from your reports. Our other leaders weren’t willing to look too closely because you and Sergei managed to get results, but your decisions that day should never have been rewarded. Neither of you deserve your positions or any sort of future. I’ll see both of you lose everything and everyone you hold dear before I allow this travesty to continue.”
Sergei straightened, a barely restrained fury in his eyes. “It wasn’t enough to frame me for the thefts and inciting a rebellion, was it? You also targeted Valentina to get back at both of us.” When Lena didn’t answer, he said, “I remember your son, and he was a good and honorable man. He never would have condoned your actions. Valentina was nearly taken from us that day as well. She was not involved with anything that happened to your son. If you need to blame someone, you can blame me. But Valentina is innocent.”
Valentina glared at Sergei, mentally willing him to shut up. If he kept talking, he’d likely incriminate himself further out of a misguided attempt to protect her.
Nikolai held up his hand to stop Sergei from speaking. “Those of us who were there and survived unharmed share the blame in what happened, Lena. We didn’t protect our people well enough. I’m truly sorry for your loss, but Sergei is right. Valentina had nothing to do with what happened to your son.”
Valentina gritted her teeth. People who were determined to protect her surrounded her, but Lena wasn’t going to listen to reason. This wasn’t about her. Lena had lost her son. Such devastation had crippled her, and nothing they could say would heal that damage. The only one who might have a chance to get through to her was Ivan, but even that was unlikely.
“You’re wrong, Nikolai,” Lena argued, her eyes going cold. “You and Sergei share the blame. Sergei was responsible for the fire, and you were responsible for covering up the truth. Did you really think there would be no consequences to your actions?”
“By killing Valentina?” Sergei demanded, his fists clenched in silent fury.
Lena inclined her head. “You didn’t seem to care about losing your position or being held responsible for the thefts. But then I heard what you’d done to Pavel after Valentina had been hurt. What better way to get back at you both than to take the person you love too?”
“Valentina, get down!” Nikolai shouted.
Not questioning his order, she dropped to the ground just as Roman withdrew a knife and moved toward her. She rolled away, but Sergei tackled Roman, grappling with him for the weapon.
She started to go to Sergei’s aid just as Lena jumped forward, brandishing a gun. Only this time, Lena’s intended target was Nikolai. From her prone position on the ground, Valentina withdrew her sidearm and fired at Lena just as the other woman discharged her gun.
Lena’s shot went wide, missing Nikolai. But less than a second later, burning pain sliced through Valentina’s chest. She ignored it, firing at Lena twice more as the woman started to raise her weapon. Nikolai fired his gun at the same time, and Lena stumbled backward into the wall, a red smear blooming on her chest.
Lena started to raise her weapon again, aiming at Valentina, but the ground and walls began to shake. Stone masonry began crumbling, causing rocks and other building debris to fall around them. Nikolai dove toward her, covering her with his body. Shouts erupted around them, and almost as quickly as it had begun, the shaking stopped.
Valentina ran her hands over Nikolai’s chest, looking for any signs of injuries. He leaned back, searching her up and down. “Are you all right, Valya? Are you hurt?”
She coughed, the dust making it difficult to breathe. Shaking her head, she said, “No. You?”
“I’m fine,” he said, getting to his feet and helping her up.
Roman had crawled over to Lena and was trying to unearth her body from the rocks that had fallen on top of her. Valentina spun around, searching for Sergei, and stark terror ran through her at the sight of him on the ground. Debris had fallen around him, but it was the red stain soaking through his jacket that made her heart nearly stop.
Rushing toward him, she dropped to her knees beside him. She withdrew a knife from her arm sheath, slicing through his jacket to assess the damage. A bullet hole. Lena hadn’t hit her. She’d felt Sergei being shot through their bond.
Sergei reached up to brush his fingers against her cheek. “You’re not hurt?”
“Shh, Seryozha,” she urged, wanting him to conserve his strength. Until she knew how bad it was, he needed to remain quiet and still. It might not be a fatal shot if they could get him help in time. Her healing skills were still shaky, but she’d do whatever was necessary to keep him alive.
She could sense Yuri through their bond, so at least he was alive and relatively unharmed. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Viktor, Peter, and Nikolai struggling to restrain Roman. The man was out of control at the realization Lena was dead.
“Nikolai!” she yelled over to him. “I need Ariana. Sergei’s been shot.”
Grigory motioned for him to go before stepping in to take his place. Nikolai immediately released Roman and rushed over to her. “I’ll get her and Alec. Do what you can for him.”
“Valechka,” Sergei began, but she pressed her fingertips against his lips.
“Shh. I need you to sit up for me. I have to check for an exit hole.”
She helped him into a sitting position and lifted his shirt to see if the bullet had passed through. Dammit. There was nothing.
Sergei winced as he laid back down. “Kayla must have caused the earthquake.”
“She’s not my concern,” Valentina said, pressing her hand firmly over the bullet wound. At least this time his lungs hadn’t been affected. Gut wounds were always so painful though.
“You’re not going to take off your shirt this time, Valechka?”
She blinked at him. “Are you trying to get me naked while you’re bleeding on the floor?”
“We could call it a dying man’s last request,” he said, grimacing in pain.
She frowned. “You’re not in danger of dying. I won’t allow it.”
“I can pretend,” he managed, running his fingers along the edge of her shirt and tugging it weakly.
Despite herself, she couldn’t help but smile at his efforts to tease her. He was hurting so much, but even now, he was trying to distract her so she wouldn’t worry. Through their bond, she could feel his agony as sharply as her own.
Leaning down, Valentina kissed him lightly and murmured, “You’re such a troublemaker, Seryozha. Just hold on for a few minutes until Ariana and Alec get here. I’ll need their help to remove the bullet. I don’t want to cause more damage by healing you while it’s still inside. Don’t die, and I’ll let you take off my shirt later.”
He grunted but didn’t argue. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she glanced over to see the guards who had been standing outside putting Roman into restraints while Peter and Viktor supervised.
Grigory walked over to her and frowned. “How bad is it? Can you heal him with that dragon statue?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s too risky. I don’t know how the statue works. If Ariana is delayed, I’ll try to hea
l the worst of his injuries even with the bullet still inside.” She glanced over at Peter and Viktor, uneasy about the thought of letting her guard down. “But I’ll need to concentrate.”
“Do whatever you need to do. I’ll keep watch over both of you,” Grigory said, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently. “Ivan’s gone to check on the damage from the earthquake. Nikolai should be back any minute with your friends.”
Valentina nodded and turned back to Sergei. Even if she didn’t try to heal him right now, she might be able to get a sense of how badly he’d been injured. Taking a deep breath, she focused on imagining him whole and perfect once again. Spreading her fingers outward over his abdomen, she could almost feel the bullet and the sense of wrongness coming from it. His energy and body wanted to reject the foreign invasion, but he lacked the ability on his own.
“Will you distract me to keep me awake, Valechka?”
Valentina opened her eyes and ran her hand over Sergei’s forehead. His skin was cooler than normal, but he shouldn’t be in danger of losing consciousness yet unless the bullet had done more damage than she’d thought. She didn’t have enough experience to gauge the accuracy of her healing abilities in this type of situation. Ariana had taken her to the medical ward a few times, but her experiences were still too few to be dependable. Especially when it came to the man she loved being hurt.
Her heart thudded in her chest, and she nodded. “Yes. If you stay awake, I’ll tell you either one secret or grant one favor.”
“I want a favor.”
Valentina sent a silent plea to Nikolai to hurry and nodded. “Anything, Seryozha. What do you wish of me?”
Sergei put his hand over hers and whispered, “Will you marry me, Valentina Golubeva?”
Valentina froze. She blinked at him several times, trying to form a coherent thought. “Now? You’re asking me this now?”
He nodded, and Grigory made a strangled noise that sounded an awful lot like a laugh. Her eyes narrowed on Sergei, and she pressed a little harder on his abdomen.
“You’re not in any danger of losing consciousness, are you?”
Sergei groaned. “I might be now.”
She eased up a bit and blew out a breath. “I cannot believe you.”
“You agreed to owe me a favor, Valechka,” Sergei said with a pained grin. “Will you be forsworn?”
Valentina shook her head in exasperation. “You’re such a troublemaker.”
“Mmhmm,” he agreed.
Leaning forward, she brushed a featherlight kiss against his lips. “Yes, Sergei Sokolov, I will marry you. My heart and soul are yours. They’ve always been yours.”
“Finally,” he said and closed his eyes. “I thought it would take longer to wear you down. Yuri won’t be pleased.”
She frowned. “What?”
Sergei shifted. “He wanted more than a year of training to help me convince you. Now he’ll have to suffer through it.”
A laugh bubbled out of her. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Hopefully get this bullet out soon,” he whispered. “It fucking burns like anything.”
Valentina closed her eyes, sending a wave of healing energy over him. She felt his abdomen relax slightly under her hand. When she opened her eyes, his expression was less pained. Instead, his eyes were filled with wonderment and love as he gazed up at her.
His voice was almost reverent as he said, “I don’t think I ever witnessed true beauty until I met you, Valechka.”
“Seryozha,” she murmured, trailing her fingertips along his jaw. He was so fierce and strong, but hearing tender words from him always sent her heart soaring. No one else had ever evoked this depth of emotion. Every day that passed, she fell deeper in love with him. He was her biggest weakness, but she wouldn’t change that for anything. Sometimes, a bit of vulnerability was just as important as someone’s strength.
“You always say such sweet things when I cannot show you how you make me feel.”
“I love you, little dove,” he whispered, squeezing her hand gently. “And I will say them to you for the rest of our lives now that you’ve agreed to be mine.”
Approaching footsteps sounded from outside, and she lifted her head to see Nikolai and Yuri enter, along with Ariana and Alec. Ariana went over to her immediately and knelt on the floor beside her. “You weren’t able to heal him?”
Valentina shook her head. “I only took away the worst of his pain. It was too risky to try to heal him completely. The bullet is still in him. Can you remove it?”
“Alec, I need you to help me,” Ariana said, pressing her hand over Sergei’s abdomen. Valentina started to scoot over, but Sergei reached for her and shook his head. Taking his hand, she held it against her cheek and gently caressed him with her energy. She wasn’t inclined to move away either.
Alec put his hand on Ariana’s shoulder. “Go ahead, love. If you can locate the bullet, we can try to move it into a position so I can use my energy to extract it.”
Valentina frowned, watching as Ariana and Alec concentrated. Unfortunately, very little was happening. Maybe it was because she was so closely entwined with Sergei now, but it required very little effort to sense the bullet. It wasn’t moving, despite the combined efforts of Ariana and Alec. Ivan had medics in his camp, but it was unlikely they’d have a skilled surgery center set up here. She didn’t want to cause Sergei more pain, but there had to be a way to remove the bullet without harming him further.
“Dragon fire,” a voice whispered.
Valentina started, her gaze immediately searching the room. She couldn’t tell who had spoken.
Yuri’s head jerked up, and he scowled. “What was that?”
Alec frowned. “You heard it too?”
“So did I,” Valentina admitted. Nikolai nodded, and Ariana did too.
Grigory glanced between them. “Heard what?”
“I’m not sure,” Valentina said, glancing around. Peter and Viktor had disappeared. They were most likely outside or with Ivan. The guards were back and trying to excavate Lena’s body from underneath the fallen rubble. But they weren’t paying much attention to them and didn’t show any indication of having heard anything.
Kayla came rushing into the room with Brant and Carl right behind her. She gripped the edge of the doorway, and in a nearly breathless voice said, “Oh shit. We’ve got to hurry. Fix him quick. We’ve got to go.”
Alec turned toward her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The earthquake. It didn’t just affect us here. Carl just got a call from some of our people at the underground river. Some of them are trapped in the cavern, and the water’s still rising. The rocks started falling, and we’ve lost communication with our people. We need to stabilize the earth so they can get them out.”
Ariana’s gaze flew to Valentina. “You have the dragon statue with you?”
She pulled it out of her pocket. It was still the brilliant gold color, but there were swirls of pearlized red and green underneath. “Yes, but I don’t want to risk harming Sergei.”
“If we can use it as a focus to help combine our powers, we can melt the bullet,” Ariana explained. “If you control it, he’ll remain unharmed. Sergei’s your mate. You won’t allow anything to happen to him.”
Valentina hesitated, uneasy at the thought of using an object they didn’t understand on the man she loved.
Sergei squeezed her hand. “Do it.”
Nikolai placed his hand on her shoulder and added, “Ariana is correct. You won’t allow Sergei to be harmed, but we need to hurry. These people need us.”
When Yuri nodded at her too, Valentina swallowed and placed the dragon statue on Sergei’s abdomen. Saying a silent prayer for his health, she opened herself up to the surrounding energy and power within her. Ariana and Kayla reached out to touch the statuette, and the moment they came into contact with it, the strange awareness filled each of them again.
“Direct the power, Valentina,” Ariana instructed.
She nodded, gathering the magnitude of each of their powers and channeling it through the dragon figurine and into Sergei. It was almost as though the statuette was acting as a filter of some kind, infusing their energy with some other elemental quality she didn’t fully comprehend. Colors and images—foreign and alien—flashed through her mind. A vibration pounded against her temples, and she didn’t know if it was the sound of her blood rushing through her veins or some other unearthly noise.
The combined force of their energy was almost more than she could handle. If the dragon figurine wasn’t acting as a receptacle for their powers, Valentina wasn’t sure if her psyche would remain intact under the weight of their combined strength. Not only was she linked with Ariana and Kayla, but there was another awareness within her. It was foreign and independent, and she had the distinct impression it was somehow tied to the statuette. She reached out toward it, but it slipped out of her grasp, directing her once again toward the bond that had grounded and sustained her for so many years.
Love for Sergei, Nikolai, and Yuri filled her heart, and she infused her energy with the strength of her emotions, channeling it toward the figurine and into Sergei. In that moment, she realized these three men were more than her bondmates or family—they shared pieces of each other’s souls. They needed her as much as she needed them.
It wasn’t just the bond’s connection, but something that extended into the most primitive parts of themselves they didn’t fully understand. It was elemental and primal, raw and pure power, and beyond her ability to comprehend. It was like catching sunlight in the palm of one’s hand, with the power to either gently warm or burn them if they got too close. The longer she channeled their combined strength, the brighter and hotter their power flared until it was nearly blinding.
Whether it was instinctual or some sort of divine intervention, Valentina wasn’t sure. But a sense of knowing filled her, and she opened her eyes to look down into Sergei’s face. Even without checking, she knew the bullet was gone. Whatever damage had been caused by Lena’s gun had been repaired. Sergei was once again whole and perfect, and completely hers, just as she belonged to him.
Spirit of the Towers Page 22