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For the last two days, I’ve lingered in and out of an opiate haze. I’ve snatched rare moments of wakefulness between fractured dreams and nothingness, but not enough to ask any questions. Although, I was lucid enough to know that every time I opened my eyes, Ares was sitting beside me with a tortured look on his face and red eyes that pleaded with me not to die.
We haven’t spoken. I couldn’t have formed words in my medicated brain if I’d tried.
Today, they’re starting me on new meds. I’m not sure why.
When Ares appears in the doorway, my stomach knots. My warrior king looks like he’s about to fall apart, and it makes my chest ache.
I smile up at him and watch the relief cross his face.
“You’re awake,” he says, sitting beside me and taking my hand. To my complete surprise, tears well in his beautiful warm eyes, and he has to fight them off.
I reach up to cup his face. “Hey, it’s okay. Turns out I am infallible after all, maybe even a superhero.”
“You took a bullet for me. Are you crazy? You could’ve died.”
“I think a simple thank you would suffice here.”
“You’re seriously quoting me right now.” He presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “Baby, promise me you won’t ever do something like that again.”
“You mean I might have to?”
“Don’t be cute.”
“Don’t be so tightly wound.”
His eyes are impossibly warm.
I can see how much he loves me.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“Don’t you apologize to me. It’s me who needs to apologize. Fuck, Rory. I should never have walked away from you.”
“We didn’t know this was going to happen.”
“But it did.”
I squeeze his hand. “And now it’s over so we can move forward, right?”
“Can we?”
“If you can forgive me for coming to Flintlock to kill you. Or do I need to take a few more bullets first?” I raise an eyebrow at him to let him know I’m joking, but he only looks more tortured. “Sorry, too soon?”
“Don’t even joke about that, baby.” He smiles, but it’s weak. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
“Are you quoting me again?”
“Yes, but I’m serious. Can we put this behind us? Forgive each other and move forward?”
“Is that what you want?”
“More than anything in the world,” I whisper.
God, the way he looks at me turns my insides to mush. Then he leans down and kisses me, and I sink into heaven feeling his gentle lips against mine.
Two months ago, I came to town looking for Ares for completely different reasons.
