“Ah,” Christian said. Obviously, he must have realized whom Ash was meeting.
She thought Ash might stop and say something to her, but he strode past without even glancing her way. She bit her lip and blinked. Shit, she was turning into the sort of woman who burst into tears at every moment. If being in love did that to you, she was glad she’d left it so late in the day.
Had she just thought the word love?
She was in love with a demon.
And she’d thought dying was a bad idea. This had to be way worse.
She sat staring straight ahead, as she considered asking Christian if there was any way she could get the hell out of Hell. But then he’d make her forget, and however bad she felt she didn’t want to forget Ash.
Maybe she could lie and say she would work for them. That way he might let her go. Could she get back to Earth? Or would they have to wait for Ash to come and open one of those portal things and fly her up. Afterward, she could go and tell that nice doctor that she really wasn’t feeling well.
What had he told her to look out for? More spots danced before her eyes and she shut them tight. A sudden pain jabbed her in the back of the skull. She gasped, then clamped her mouth closed as nausea rose in the back of her throat and the sour taste of vomit flooded her mouth.
“Hey, are you all right?”
She opened her eyes to find Ryan crouched in front of her. For a few seconds, she didn’t dare answer.
“Faith?”
She swallowed and forced a nod. But it was a lie. Another shaft of pain buried itself in her brain.
“No, you’re not.”
Taking a deep breath, she licked her lips. “It’s just a headache.”
“Do you still have those painkillers?”
“They’re in my pocket upstairs.”
Shera approached them at that moment. She gave Faith a strange look. “I’m to show you to another room,” she said.
So he’d had enough of her already. Faith knew the thought was unfair. After all, she was the one who had told him she didn’t want a relationship. Ash probably presumed it was what she wanted. “Shera, my clothes are on the floor in the bathroom—”
“They have been taken for cleaning,” Shera interrupted.
“There were some pills—”
“They are in your new room.”
God, the woman was efficient. “Thank you.” She needed to lie down. Trouble was, she didn’t know if she would ever get up again. The pain was constant now and shadows lurked at the edge of her vision. As she pushed herself to her feet, she swayed.
Ryan put out a hand and steadied her. “Come on; let’s get you your room and you can tell me exactly what’s going on.”
She didn’t object when he kept the hand on her arm. Her knees buckled and she almost fell to the floor but strong hands scooped her up. Christian had come up behind her. He must have moved superfast. Now he held her against his chest and frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Just…” She waved a hand around the room “It’s all a little overwhelming that’s all. I’ll be fine when I’ve had a lie down.”
She caught Ryan giving her a skeptical look and knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with that. And she wanted to tell him. Maybe wanted him to stay with her so she wouldn’t be alone when the darkness came.
“I’ll show you the way,” Shera said.
The room she took her to was actually next to Ryan’s. At least Ash hadn’t put her in the dungeons. Once Christian had laid her on the bed and left them, Ryan found her pills on the dresser and handed her two, then disappeared into the bathroom. He came out a few seconds later with a glass of water.
Faith dragged herself up and rested her back against the headboard. She took the pills and gulped some water clearing her mouth of the sour taste while Ryan pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed.
“Relax for a few minutes while they kick in,” he said. “Afterward, we talk.”
She nodded, but didn’t speak. Resting her head against the pillows, she closed her eyes. She could almost feel the drugs working, the pain fading from her head, though when she opened her eyes, her vision was still shadowed by darkness.
The doctor had said the end would be quick once the symptoms came. She was supposed to get herself to hospital, though he’d said they couldn’t do anything for her. Maybe it was simply a more convenient place to die.
“Well?” Ryan asked.
“I’m dying.”
He was silent for a long time, his face expressionless, which was good because she really didn’t need pity right now.
“I had an aneurysm the night I blacked out—a blood vessel burst in my brain. A little one that time. They did some tests and apparently there’s a bigger one in there waiting to go.”
“Can’t they do anything? Operate.”
She shook her head then wished she hadn’t. “No. It’s in a bad place. They can’t get to it.”
“How long?”
“Soon. I think.”
“Soon as in weeks, days…hours?”