AllFreeNovel
Share Us
AXEL ALVARES
Axel pacedalong Daisy’s bedside. He couldn’t believe he was here again, waiting for her to wake up, hoping to the heavens that she would. He’d cleaned her up as best he could, but she still needed a shower. They’d given her oxygen. Fed her two IV bags of fluid. Grace had checked Daisy out and said she should be fine, but she was still asleep. He wasn’t sure if he could take being the support person to a hero like this. It messed with his heart.
After he’d taken the call from Parker, and raced to the coordinates given, Axel had arrived at a deserted street. He’d immediately called the man to find out what the fuck was going on, but couldn’t get though. Alarm bells went off in his head. Explosions in the distance caused the ground to shake beneath his feet. Smoke had plumed from Syndicate Tower, where Daisy had originally gone.
He’d been desperate to avoid thinking about her being in trouble, but that was the sole reason he’d been called. She’d blacked out, Parker had said.
Just as he had been about to get back in the truck and head to the tower, he’d smelled smoke. It came from a manhole in the middle of the road. He’d found Daisy at the bottom, in the dried out sewer, surrounded by smoldering charcoal and smoke. Her family were waiting up top on the street when he carried her out. They explained what had happened.
Daisy had saved everyone.
First, she’d somehow closed a rift into other dimensions expanding and devouring them, then she’d chased down Julius and stopped him for good. There was nothing left of him now but charred robotic remains, and the ashes of a plant.
To occupy his mind, he arranged the potted plants Elena had brought from their old apartment. The one with daisies the elderly lady had given him sat closest to Daisy by her bedside.
Daisy moaned.
“Daze?” He rushed to her side and kissed the back of her hand.
Despite finding her in the center of what had looked like a burned out fire pit, she had barely a mark on her. Wyatt’s borrowed gift must have kept her safe, but the damage was inside her lungs and body. She’d driven herself to the extreme and had almost paid the consequence.
Her violet eyes fluttered open and he almost cried.
“Hey,” he spluttered, blinking rapidly. Goddammit. Porra! There went the tears. He hastily wiped his eyes.
“Hey,” she rasped with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
A sharp laugh barked out of him and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Nothing, minha margarida. Everything is perfect.”
Of course she would be more concerned with his sadness than her own fate. She rubbed her thumb along his cheek, wiping the tear away.
“Is everyone okay?” she asked, her voice a wobble.
“Sort of.” He cleared his throat and pulled back to look into her eyes. “Your brothers and sisters are back and unharmed. There are no more replicates in the streets, the Faithful are all behind bars and the Mayor is singing the Deadly Seven’s praise. Even said he wants to give Parker the key to the city.”
“Elena?”
“Fine.”
“Raven?”
“Everyone’s fine. Except…” He shook his head, still unable to believe what Parker had told him only hours earlier. Mary and Flint were gone. For good. Raven had told them the full story.
Daisy’s eyes turned sad and she looked away.
“I’m sorry, Daze,” he said. “I wished it could have been any other way.”
“It should have been me who made the sacrifice, but they wouldn’t let me.” She gulped in air as her emotions overwhelmed her. “They said they did it to prove they loved me.”
“And for that I am eternally grateful. I told you, Daze, if I lose you, I don’t know what I would do with myself.”
He took her face between his hands and planted his lips on hers. His kiss started as a hard press, but from the moment their tongues clashed, her taste overpowered his restraint. Her fingers clenched tight in his hair and their kiss turned passionate, needy, as if they both needed this to know the other was real. Safe. He groaned into her mouth.
“Did you hear what I said when I found you?” he mumbled against her lips.
Her eyes glazed with desire. She whimpered and tried to tug him back to her. He guessed she was feeling better, but first…
“I’m serious, Daze. Did you hear what I said?”
