Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Silence Of His Vows: Kabanata 271 - Kabanata 280

The back room of the hotel was thick with the smell of stale cigar smoke. Killian dropped the encrypted file onto the dark wooden table. His jaw locked tight. Another dead end. The syndicate had spent the last two weeks tracking a new name, an associate tied directly to the events of twenty years ago. They had a location and a time. But the man had slipped through the net just hours before the raid. Marco stood silently by the door, reading the heavy tension radiating off his boss. Carmina sat in the leather chair opposite the table, her dark eyes fixed on Killian. "The trail went cold," Marco reported, his voice flat. "The safehouse was cleared out yesterday." Killian checked the heavy silver watch on his left wrist. He had been in this room for exactly six minutes. Six minutes was too long to leave Luna alone in a room full of syndicate wolves, especially tonight. "Keep digging," Killian commanded. He pushed off the edge of the table and turned toward the door. "We are do

Killian stood in the ruined doorway. The dim yellow light from the bedside lamp cast long, distorted shadows over the mattress. The custom emerald silk was torn open. Ivan was kneeling over Luna, his heavy hands pinning her bare wrists to the sheets.Ivan’s head snapped up at the sound of the splintering wood.The blood drained rapidly from the lieutenant's face, leaving his skin the color of wet ash. He dropped Luna’s wrists as if her skin burned him. He scrambled backward off the edge of the bed, stumbling over his own feet as he hit the carpet. He threw his hands up in front of his chest."Boss—" Ivan stammered, his eyes wide with sheer terror. "Boss, wait."Killian crossed the room in two massive strides. He did not say a single word. He reached out, grabbed the front of Ivan’s crisp white dress shirt, hauled the man up onto the tips of his toes, and drove his right fist directly into Ivan's face.The sickening, wet crunch of breaking bone echoed off the walls.Killian let go. Iva

The SUV pulled away from the curb, merging into the dark city streets.Killian adjusted his grip on her. She felt incredibly fragile, her body shivering violently against his chest despite the warmth of his tuxedo jacket wrapped around her. Her head was spinning, her breathing turning jagged and panicked.She clung to his shirt, her small fists twisting the expensive fabric. She cried her heart out, burying her face into his chest exactly like a terrified child.Killian wrapped his arms around her. He pressed his mouth firmly against her forehead and kept his lips there, his own eyes closing for a second. Hearing her sob like this dragged a violent, unfamiliar ache straight through his ribs. It physically affected him to see her so broken. He rubbed his large hand gently up and down her spine, trying to ground her.Killian shifted the collar of the jacket aside.The dark purple bruise on her neck stood out sharply against her pale skin, right where Ivan had bitten down.A fresh wave o

When I woke up again, the sunlight was gone. The room was bathed in the warm, dim glow of the bedside lamps.My head felt much clearer. The stabbing pain had faded to a dull ache. I sat up slowly and realized the blanket had slipped down to my waist.I looked down. I was wearing one of Killian’s black t-shirts. The soft fabric fell down to my thighs, the sleeves rolled up loosely past my elbows. It smelled faintly of his cologne.He had changed me. He knew how much I liked wearing his shirts, and he had put me in one while I slept to make me feel safe.I swung my legs out of bed. My body was sore, but my legs held my weight this time. I walked across the soft rug and pushed the bathroom door open.When I looked in the mirror above the sink, my stomach turned.There, high on the side of my neck, was a dark, ugly bruise. The shape of Ivan's teeth marks was visible against my pale skin.A sudden wave of sickening disgust crawled up my throat. I turned away from the mirror, stepped right

Killian saw the sudden fear spike in my eyes. He lifted his hand, his rough thumb brushing gently over my cheekbone."He is my father's older brother," Killian explained, his gaze holding mine. "He helped raise me. He runs his own private military operations overseas, which is why he hasn't been around. But he found out I got married, and he is coming to the estate to see you."I swallowed hard. "Is he... is he going to be angry?""He can be intimidating," Killian admitted quietly. "He is a hard man. But he is not Carmina, Luna."I looked down at his chest, my fingers twisting in his shirt.Killian caught my chin and tilted my head up so I had to look at him."Listen to me," Killian swore, his voice turning to absolute iron. "As long as I am breathing, no one is going to touch you. He knows exactly who you are to me. He will not lay a hand on you. Do you understand?"I stared into his eyes. There was no hesitation in his