Page 135 of Axis of Fire

I caught the quick flick of her rat-like eyes toward Airis.

But honestly?

That was the least of my concerns right now.

The moment I saw the open doorway, my stomach twisted.

I was about to step forward when Airis’s hand closed gently around my wrist, stopping me.

“I’m going with you.”

“That’s not necessary,” I replied automatically.

Even though—

deep down—

I really didn’t want to walk in there alone.

“It is for me,” he said calmly.

Then, with that same quiet certainty he carried into everything he did, he guided me toward the room.

I didn’t pull away.

Didn’t argue.

For once, my body and mind seemed to reach the same conclusion.

Maybe this was okay.

The hospital room was spacious, complete with a separate guest area that looked more like a private lounge than part of a medical facility.

Then again, my parents had never been the kind of people to settle for anything modest.

Luxury had always been their favorite language.

The moment I noticed the short man sitting on the snow-white couch with a magazine in his hands, I began studying him.

A long face with a surprisingly healthy complexion.

A perfectly groomed beard, as if he had stepped out of a barbershop minutes earlier.

Piercing blue eyes that showed no trace of illness or injury.

Truthfully, after what I’d seen at my parents’ house, I had prepared myself for the worst.

“Ben, did anyone stop by with my new dress?” a tall blonde woman asked as she stepped out of the adjoining room, her hair wrapped in oversized curlers, a long white silk robe draped around her body.

My eyes immediately searched for injuries and landed on the white bandage wrapped around her wrist and forearm.

“Oh. It’s you.”

My mother barely glanced at me before strolling toward the couch and sitting beside my father.

“What are you doing here?”

I stared at them, remembering their smug faces the day they left me in that psychiatric facility and allowed the doctors to strap me down.