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Blocking out the reality of Mel extended above me as she slices the blade downward in a deadly arc, I picture Wilder, Kai, and Hawk’s faces. I wish I could see them in these final moments, but my imagination will have to suffice as I whisper my last goodbyes.
The glint of steel catches in the light, and I suck in a breath—my final one.
Closing my eyes, I prepare myself for the pain, the cold, the numbness.
I feel as though I’ve plunged beneath the water as I collapse into my own world. Nothing exists except the rapidthud, thud, thudof my pulse, the rushing of blood in my ears as I cling to the last vestiges of my memories with each of my guys.
Good. Bad. Painful. Happy. I want to remember them all.
My lungs cry out, convulsing. I fight it for as long as I can, until my body's need for air overpowers my mental fortitude. Then in an involuntary reflex, my lips part, and I gulp down as much oxygen as possible.
My eyes snap open, blinking as I stare at the empty space above me.
There’s no Mel. No knife. No grim reaper coming to collect.
Only the white kitchen ceiling.
I stare up at it until a figure blocks my view, a face looming above me, very different from the one I faced before.
It’s enough to burst the bubble, and all at once, everything comes rushing in. “Emilia? Emilia!” Kai’s worried voice penetrates the cocoon I am wrapped in as he shakes my shoulder. “Come on, Blackbird. I know you hear me.”
Blinking, I look into his gleaming green eyes, which sparkle with so much life that he can’t be anything but real. With another blink, I focus on the warmth seeping from his palms. Heat radiates from where he’s grasping my shoulders, coaxing my body back to life.
Alive.
I’m alive.
But how?
I look to my left, where Mel lies on her side. Blood pools beneath her, spreading outward.
I swallow roughly as Kai’s hands on my face direct my attention back to him. “Don’t look at her. Look at me.” He pins me with his intense stare until he seems satisfied, giving me a sharp jerk of his head before his gaze lowers, searching my body for any injuries. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” I croak, licking my lips and swallowing again. “Hawk.”
“I’m here, Sparrow,” he calls, and the relief that crashes through me threatens to drown me. Needing to see him, I push myself upright, forcing Kai to move aside before our foreheads collide.
Grumbling, he helps me up. With my gaze locked on Hawk’s, tears well in my eyes. “Your face,” I sniffle, moving forward until I’m wrapped around him, my fingers brushing along the side of his blood-soaked face. “I’m so sorry.”
He rests his forehead against mine, breathing me in. “I don’t give a shit about my face,” he grinds. “Jesus, fuck, Em. I thought I was about to lose you.”
With our foreheads pressed together and our noses butting, it would be impossible to miss the sheen of tears in his eyes.
“Kiss me, you foolish woman, before Kai unties my hands and I strangle you for not running when you had the chance.”
With a half-laugh, half-sob, I press my lips to his. Kai must undo the restraints around his wrists as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer and nearly crushing me to death.
When I finally pull back, Hawk glances up at Kai. “Impeccable fucking timing,” he tells him, his attempt at humor falling flat when his voice cracks in relief.
“I wanted to make a dramatic entrance,” Kai retorts, his smile strained.
The fact that they can even pretend to joke is astounding. I'm trembling like a leaf, still not convinced that this isn't all in my head, a desperate cling to consciousness as I bleed out on the kitchen floor.
Tuning them out, I inspect the long gash running from Hawk’s hairline to the top of his ear. “Hawk.” My voice cracks over his name.
“That bad, huh?” he asks, trying to make light of it.
My throat closes over, making it difficult to speak as I try to force a reassuring smile to my lips. Sharing a look with Kai, he nods before going in search of a first aid kit. “I’m sure it’ll look better once I’ve got it all cleaned up,” I say, not sure if I’m trying to convince Hawk or myself.
