"Stone?"
At the sound of her voice, relief flooded through him. "Yes, it's me. Give us a minute and we'll get you free."
One of his men handed him a key taken from one of the prisoners. As soon as he opened the door, he was bombarded with the smell of mildew and mustiness, to the point it made his eyes water.
To think of Reika being inside that room for a day solidified his plan of making the four males suffer.
But as soon as he spotted her tossing aside a piece of wood and shaking, he rushed to her. Taking her face in his hands, he searched her eyes. There was fatigue, and a little fear, but mostly relief.
Thank fuck.She was still alive.
Since he'd never been good with words, Stone pulled her close and crushed his mouth to hers.
* * *
Reika had been standingin a corner, gripping the length of wood she'd pried from a crate, for what seemed like hours.
As the day drew on, the guys on the other side of the door had become more and more detailed in what they wanted to do to her.
Oh, before they killed her.
It'd taken a lot of inner pep talks to keep herself together, not give in and cry, or give up all hope.
True, it'd been harder and harder to be positive as the day wore on. But she'd refused to surrender. Especially once she'd freed her wrists and had a weapon. Then it'd just been a very, very long day of waiting to see if she'd have to fight for her life first, or if Stone would find her.
She hated that she had to rely on someone rescuing her. But the nineteenth century was no joke, and she most definitely needed help to survive it.
When the laughter and ribbing had died down, followed by grunts and what sounded like punches, Reika readjusted her hold on the piece of wood and tried her best not to get her hopes up. She wanted it to be Stone, but she couldn't risk lowering her guard. Not if she wanted to do some damage before finally losing to the four males.
The noises finally stopped and her heart raced. "Reika?"
At the sound of Stone's deep, growly voice, she let out a silent sob.
He'd found her.
Once the door was open, she finally tossed aside the dratted wood and did her best not to faint.
She opened her mouth, but in the next second, Stone had her close, cupping her face and then he kissed her.
Relief flooded her and she held onto him, needing to feel his heat, and strength, and the possessive strokes of his tongue.
She may not have known him long, but Stone had become an important part of her life. One that made her feel safe, and wanted, and a million other things she'd never felt possible.
He gripped her arse and rocked her against him. Reika cried out and he took his kiss deeper.
She had no idea how long they stayed like that—gripping each other like a lifeline, kissing, and both trying to reassure the other that they were alive and things would be okay.
A voice she didn't recognize finally broke through their reunion. "Stone, we should go. One of the arseholes said their leader will be back soon. And if we want to catch him eventually, we'll need to retreat first. The bloody bastard apparently works with the French vampires."
Reika had no idea what they were talking about, but Stone turned—still keeping an arm about her waist at his side—and asked, "How?"
The other male shrugged. "Something about how they're funding anything that could hurt or weaken Leo and the London vampire community."
Stone cursed. "Then prepare to leave so we can catch the leader another day. However, we're taking that rubbish out there with us."
The male nodded and Reika opened her mouth, but Stone beat her to it. "I'll explain everything once you're back at my flat—warm, fed, and safe."
Maybe if she hadn't been kidnapped and held prisoner in a rat-infested room all day, she might've teased him about staying at his place. But she was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and being held and protected by her big, strong half-vampire, half-shifter male sounded like heaven. "Okay."