Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 2
The soft, rhythmic beep of my heart monitor sounds through my room as consciousness comes back to me, telling me that somehow, I made it. I defied all the odds, and for some reason unknown to me, I’ve been granted the chance to live another day.
My eyes peel open and the fogginess inside my head quickly sets in, bringing on a migraine that makes me desperate for the darkness again.
It was peaceful in the darkness. It was quiet and I didn’t have to think about anything. Nothing existed but me. There were no dickheads trying to kill me, no evil mothers trying to take me out, no bastards trying to drown me in my pool or shoot me in the woods.
I was safe in the darkness.
“Fucking hell, babe,” I hear Cruz sighing from beside me just as his warm hand curls around mine. The relief is evident in his tone and completely overwhelms me with the best kind of warmth. “You scared me for a while. Are you good? What do you need? Should I call your doctor?”
“Jesus,” King grunts from my other side, his tone flat, forceful, and exhausted. “Give her a fucking chance to wake up. She just got out of surgery.”
“She’s been out for over eight hours,” Cruz snaps back. “She’s just fucking with us now. I’m done waiting. I need to check that she’s alright.”
“She’ll wake when she’s fucking ready to wake,” Grayson’s booming voice calls through the room, coming from the end of the bed.
My face scrunches as the sound of their conversation thunders against my aching head, feeding my migraine and reminding me just how human I really am. I'm nothing special. I'm not Superwoman. Though these guys would disagree. For some insane reason that I haven’t figured out yet, they think the sun shines out of my ass, and for that, I’m thankful. They make me feel things I never thought I’d be capable of feeling, and it’s so much more than I ever dreamed for myself.
“Would you all shut up? My head is fucking killing me.”
“Shit,” Cruz rushes out with a small gasp, practically launching off the seat beside my bed to get even closer, looking right at my face to see my eyes open just a slither. “You’re awake?”
“Barely,” I grumble, my lips stretching into a grimace as every word that comes out makes me feel as though I’m slamming my head against a brick wall. I feel King move in closer on my left, probably just as desperate as Cruz to make sure that I’m truly alright.
Cruz moves right into my line of sight, blocking out a disheveled Grayson at the end of the bed. His beautiful green eyes shine with a million truths, telling me everything that he’s refusing to say out loud, and damn it, it fucking kills me. He’s been through hell and back over the past few hours, I’m sure they all have, but Cruz … Cruz is the one who feels it deep in his gut. The worst would have sat on his mind until the moment I woke, and those horrendous thoughts will stay with him for years to come.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, making my heart break as he focuses every bit of his attention on me, showing me just how much he truly cares. “Do you need a drink? Water? The nurse? Whatever you need, babe, I’m here.”
Cruz watches me for a second, his hand gently squeezing mine, but how am I supposed to tell him that what I really need is silence? I wouldn’t dare. He can ask me every question under the sun, and I’ll accept all of them with a worsening migraine. At least the pain is a constant reminder that my heart is still beating—unless this is some twisted version of hell.
“I just …” I try to swallow over the dryness of my throat. “Water. Nurse.”
“You got it, babe,” Cruz says reaching around and pressing the call button on a little remote attached to the side of my bed.
King grabs a bottle of water and lifts it to my lips. I take a quick sip, and as he pulls it away, he focuses on my eyes. “Better? Do you need more?”
My gaze shifts over King’s handsome face, taking in his haunted eyes and renewed hope. King has been through the worst kind of hell. It was only yesterday that he lost his father, and now he has to deal with this. I wish so desperately that I could take that pain away.
I gently shake my head. “I’m okay now,” I whisper as I slowly scan the room to meet Grayson’s stare, only to find it filled with demons. The things he’s had to do over the last few hours … fuck. I can’t even imagine what that would feel like. Having my blood flooding over his hands and not being able to help me would have seriously screwed with his head, but Grayson is stronger than I ever knew. Today will haunt him, but he’ll hold it together and not let it show.