Page 144 of Enchanted

I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Tell me how Damien hid me from you.”

Rami explained about wards. That they’d surrounded not only the house I’d shared with Dave, but the hospital too.

I shivered. “He was…stalking me for that long?”

“Longer, we suspect. His sons theorised that he came across you in California and chose you as his next target before you even left.”

“Fuck, he really was insane.”

“He was,” Rami said grimly. “And because of him, you had to suffer far longer than necessary. If I’d found you when I first sensed you, you might not have needed chemo.”

“But you did find me,” I reassured him. “You saved me, Rami.”

“I saved the little girl in the hospital too,” he confessed in a whisper. “Don’t tell anyone—I’ll get into trouble. But I couldn’t help myself.”

Tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. I knew. I even remembered what I’d said to him. “It’s not fucking fair, Rami. Why me? Why’d I get better instead of her?”

It was because of him. Because of Rami.

Because of him, that little girl would recover too.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I couldn’t let her suffer. I hate that I couldn’t do more.”

I wanted to ask him why not, what the limits were, and who exactly decided them, but those questions could wait for another time. “How did we meet?”

“You stepped over the wards,” Rami said quietly. “Right into the path of a bus.”

He touched my temple lightly. It was like he’d suddenly shone a light on a dark corner I hadn’t even known was there. The memory came screaming to the forefront.

The bus.

Pain.

A desperate voice begging me.

Then, opening my eyes to see an angel hovering over me.

“You saved me,” I said in awe. “Not just from the cancer. I was dying. Would have died.”

“Yes. But fate, or whoever it was, they led me right to you. I arrived just in time to heal you. I was so panicked that I didn’t even focus on what was wrong, just unleashed all the power I had.”

“I thought it was a nosebleed,” I said in disbelief. “I couldn’t understand why there was so much blood.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t my best cover story. But I was reeling; I needed to come up with something fast so I could leave as soon as possible.”

“Why would you need to leave…” My voice trailed off as I realised exactly why. “Fuck. Dave picked me up.”

Rami’s throat bobbed. “I wish I could say I didn’t stay to watch, but I did.”

“I’m sorry. I hate that you saw that.”

“It’s fine.”

I tapped on his chest. “You know I can tell you’re lying, right?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Okay, it wasn’t fine, but we still ended up here, so I got over it.”