Before he can get out another word, Mira shoots him in the head. Blood splatters everywhere, and I scream.
ChapterForty-Nine
Desmier
Everything is gray.
I’m not sure if I’m alive or dead, or in a dream.
My mind searches around the gray nothingness and the vast expanse of the void before me.
I feel nothing at first, then something warm caresses my cheek. My name is spoken, soft and sweet, and I wonder if it’s her.
Anastasia. Did I make it? Did I find her? Did I save her?
My wife.
My eyes flutter open, but the grayness that looks like thick smoke prevents me from seeing anything. Then a light that’s far too bright shines down on me, and I blink rapidly.
At first, the ceiling of my living room comes into focus, then a man’s face hovers before me.
It’s Leif’s on-call doctor, Dr. O’Brien.
Leif…
Anastasia…
At the thought of their names, reality crashes into my mind and I bolt up.
“Easy, there,” Dr. O’Brien says, laying a heavy hand on my chest and pushing me back down. I’m on the sofa, and a quick glance at the bandage wrapped around my body suggests I took a hit in the blast.
Gytha moves toward me, with worry in her eyes, and I realize it was her I heard. Not Anastasia.
“Desmier,” she breathes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.”
“I had to remove some shrapnel from your back from the glass, and I’ve given you low dosage of adrenaline,” Dr. O’Brien explains. “Other than that, you should be okay.”
“How long have I been down?”
“Nearly three hours.”
Fuck.Who knows what could have happened during that time?
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes. Leif is…” I can’t bring myself to say the words, but from the looks on their faces, I can tell they know. They know Leif is no longer with us. It hurts my soul to think those words, but I can’t lose my mind now. “I have to find my wife. She was taken.”
“What?” Gytha gasps. “Isn’t she supposed to be with Mira?”
“It was a trap. Mira or one of her lackeys killed Leif, then she drugged me and blew up the house. She’s taken Anastasia. I need to get her back.”
Gytha’s mouth drops open. “This is all so crazy.”
“How did I get here?”
“Malik. He got to Leif’s house and found you. Then he contacted us. He’s in the sunroom, but there’s something you need to see before you do anything.”