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The size of JD’s bandage is put into perspective when I take in my husband’s back.
Reaching out, I wrap my hand around his arm and squeeze gently.
He’s out of it. I remember the medic saying that the painkillers would keep him out, but still, my need to reassure him that I’m here, that we’re safe is too much to deny.
Tears burn my eyes as I continue to watch him.
I came so close to losing him. I know I did.
If Reid and JD didn’t turn up when they did then…
Voices float through the air from the other side of the bedroom door, stealing my attention.
Glancing at the two men who are here with me, I gently—and very, very slowly—slip out from under the covers.
My legs are bare and dirty thanks to that cage they locked me inside, but the sight of JD’s shirt hanging from my shoulders gives me comfort.
Lifting the fabric to my nose, I inhale a deep hit of the man who brought me so much solace back in Reid’s basement.
But when I open my eyes, reality slams into me with the force of an eighteen-wheeler.
The light gray fabric is smeared with blood.
Mav’s blood.
Acid burns up my throat as I vividly remember his brutal attack and the way Victor’s whip cut through his skin like butter.
My head spins when I push to my feet, my legs trembling under my weight.
Reid reappeared at some point before I passed out with water and crackers. I remember guzzling down the water, but I have no memory of eating anything.
From the emptiness and pain in the pit of my stomach, I’d guess that I didn’t.
With my hand on the foot of the bed, I shuffle my feet across the thick carpet and toward the sound of the voices.
Silently, I pull the door open and look out into the hallway.
My eyes widen when I take in the size of the hallway. It’s not exactly what I was expecting.
Taking another step, I discover the reason for the space.
At the very end are large windows that showcase the view of trees beyond. The moon is sitting high in the sky, shining through the trees and creating a mass of eerie shadows.
It’s hauntingly beautiful, and I can help think that it’s fitting for the situation we’re currently in.
But while the view might be impressive, it’s the two people sitting on the couch before the windows that really steal my attention.
Reid looks as dangerous and as commanding as usual, even while trying to relax. He’s got one ankle resting on the other knee and his arms stretched across the back of the cushions. But his body is anything but relaxed. His muscles are pulled tight, and his jaw is taut as he listens to the woman talk beside him.
I’m close enough to hear her words now, but I can’t latch onto any of them. Instead, all I hear is the soft pitch of her voice as something uncomfortable prickles at my skin as I watch them together.
Reid might be tense, but his familiarity with this woman shines bright in the way he watches her.
My stomach knots as my temperature rises.
I don’t realize I’m moving closer to them until something makes them both turn toward me, and I discover just how far away from the door I am.
“Shit.” Reid gasps, sounding very unlike him, before he jumps to his feet and rushes over.
