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I watch his mouth move as my ears buzz. I was shot?
Everything comes back and I gasp.
The guards.
The masked man.
I try to sit up.
“Please, Miss Harrow.” The nurse gently presses against my shoulder. “You need to rest; your body needs to heal. You are on some strong pain medication at the moment and you’re safe, so just lie down.”
“I’m not safe. Did the police catch him? The man?” I demand.
“Why don’t you sleep, and we can talk after?” Dr. Ramos suggests.
“I can’t sleep while he’s out there.” I frown as something hot runs through my arm. “Nurse?”
She’s pressing something. “Sorry, sweetie, you’re going to hurt yourself. You’re safe, I promise. Now sleep, and when you wake up, we’ll let the police in to talk to you.”
“No, wait,” I slur. “Please, I’m not safe—”
It doesn’t matter.
The meds kick in, swallowing me again.
* * *
“Shh, you’re going to wake her up, you idiot,” comes a familiar, stern voice. “Damn it, Astro, turn off the TV.”
“But it’s the finale,” he whines. “It’s not like she’s watching it.”
“He’s not wrong,” I mumble, opening my eyes. There’s chaotic movement, and I flinch when I realize there are four identical worried faces peering down at me. “Jesus, that’s terrifying.”
“She’s talking to you.” Cil nudges Raff, who smiles brightly, but there are shadows in his eyes.
“You’re awake,” he whispers.
“Yeah.” I grab the bed rail and sit up. They instantly swarm me, fluffing my pillows and straightening my blankets before sitting on the chairs surrounding the bed. It’s clear they have been here a while. I wonder how they got in, but nothing will stop them. “Don’t let anyone lie to you, being shot sucks,” I joke.
“It does.” Dal nods. “Even more than stabbing.”
I blink at that, unsure what to say. “Did they get the guy at least?” I scan their faces. “They didn’t, did they?”
“No, he got away in the madness, but don’t worry. We would have been there, Reign. You have to know that, but he tricked us. We thought you were at the house, and we were ambushed by ten very well paid mercs. It was a distraction, and by the time we got rid of them and tracked you, you were en route to the hospital. I dropped Raff Jr. at Emma’s for the meantime. He’s upset but okay,” Raff explains.
They didn’t abandon me. I should have known better, but not even they could have predicted what would happen.
“How can I not worry?” I grumble. “The guards . . . Are they . . .”
“They didn’t make it, any of them, but they did their job,” Raff replies.
“I need to make an announcement. I need to reach out to their families with my condolences and pay for the funerals—”
“Shh.” Astro takes my hand. “That can wait. You need to rest. You’ve been through a lot, and healing is all about good energy.”
“Not this shit again.” Cillian groans, even as he grins at me.
Swallowing, I look at them, some of the pain coming back. When I was shot, I wanted them, and although my heart softens knowing they have been at my side protecting me, I’m still hurt. “Why are you here?”
