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35
Aria wantedto open her eyes. She was swimming her way up from the darkness, her body weighted and heavy, soft pressure on a part of her body she thought might beherhand.
Her eyelids felt glued shut. It was like one of the dreams she’d had after Greece in which her body was paralyzed, her mind trying desperately to pull her from the nightmare while her body remained unable to respond to thecommand.
She forced herself tostaycalm.
I’m awake. I’m awake,dammit…
And then she thought she might be looking into the sun. Everything was so bright she had to resist the temptation to shut her eyesagain.
“Aria?”
It was hisvoice.
Damian…
She let her eyes sweep the long, white ceiling, past the window and an array of plants and flowers lined up onitssill.
She stopped when she landed on his face, peering at her with a mixture of fear and love and relief. A mixture of all the things they’d ever said and all the things they hadn’t had timetosay.
She tried to smile but her face felt stiff and funny. She wasn’t sure it could follow hercommands.
“You’re here,” shefinallysaid.
“You’re here,”hesaid.
She nodded, wincing as pain shot through her chest. She lifted a hand to it, gingerly touching a thick swathe of bandages wrapped over her breasts andribcage.
“What is this?” she asked, trying to lift her head toseeit.
He kissed her hand. “That’s what happens when you take a bullet for someone.” He dragged in a breath. “When you take a bulletforme.”
She let her eyes travel over his face, down his body. “He didn’tgetyou?”
Damian shook his head. “No,butAria…”
She forced herself to say the words. “I knowhe’sdead.”
Her voice cracked as she said it, a maw of loss openinginsideher.
“I’m so sorry.” He hesitated. “I didn’t think I would be, but I’m so fuckingsorry,Aria.”
She remembered his words in the kitchen before he’d left to begin the takeover ofNewYork.
I want to make sure we’ll survive whatever happenstoday…
They had survived. Against all odds, they’d survivedtogether.
It had been a long winter, but now it was time forsomethingelse.
Timeforlife.
She reached up to touch his face. “You’ll have to help me in the greenhouse when we get home,” she said. “We have to start planting forspring.”
He lay his head on her stomach and her hands went to the silky hair at the back of his head. She pretended not to feel his tears fall on the blanketbetweenthem.
Pretended not to feel them seep through toher skin.
