46

Eros

The gunshots pop like a mountain cracking in half. I'd know the sound of semi-automatic rifle fire anywhere. A horrified chill runs down my spine, and I'm running down the stairs in a shirt and slacks, my cuffs unbuttoned, a gun clutched in my hands, roaring for my soldiers.

My heart's racing in my chest. I can barely see straight. I keep thinking about Cara, my Cara, my wife. She ran out of the house and I let her go, thinking she needed space. Why the fuck was I so foolish?

Lycus appears at my side, looking white. "Eros," he says.

"Where was that?" I grab him by the collar and yank him close, growling in his face. "Where is my wife?"

"It was the front gate," Lycus says, pushing me away. "The guards out front radioed up a second before the gunfire. They have her."

My heart stops. My guts twist. I stare at him, not breathing. "They have who?"

"Cara. She was with the guards when the attack started. Eros—"

I storm past him, sprinting out the front door. My vision tunnels. All I can