“What the fuck?” he roars. “What did you do to me?”
Despite his weakened state, he slings me away from him and I bang my head on the headboard. The devil rises from the bed, his malevolent presence scorching me with his eyes. He drops his gaze to Brandon’s knife which now sits firmly wedged to the hilt in his chest.
Blood.
So much.
Seeping and seeping at a rapid rate from his wound. A wound I gave him.
His shaky hand attempts to pull it out, but it won’t move. He darts his eyes all around as if to pull answers from the air on what to do next. But it’s too late. Too late for the devil. This avenging angel already took his choice away from him.
“Baylee,” he rasps and uses what little bit of energy he has to lunge at me.
Screaming, I try to push him away from me but he grabs onto my hips and presses his warm mouth to my belly kissing me reverently, almost sweetly. Possessively even. My stomach roils in disgust and I choke down the bile threatening to spew out at any moment. His warm blood pours from him and runs down between my legs, soaking the bed below my bare ass.
But just when I think I can’t take anymore, it’s over.
Quick.
Painless.
Finished.
His body stills and remains unmoving as I slide out from beneath him.
“Checkmate,” I whisper and shove his lifeless body away.
My teeth are chattering from the adrenaline rush and all I can think about is getting out of this house.
But I stop for a moment to admire my handiwork.
Gabe. The damn devil. Dead.
With shaking hands, I drag my yoga pants on without panties. I grab Brandon’s bloody hoodie from the bed and tug it over my head.
I’m done with this life.
It’s finally over.
Those bastards aren’t coming for me anymore. I can take my time. But I’m ready to put my past behind me and start over with War.
I need order.
I need simplicity.
I need to feel safe again.
My heart races in my chest and I can’t seem to get it to slow. If War were here with me right now, he’d press a thumb to the pulse at my throat and count each rapid beat.
God, I need him.
With a deep breath, I open the front door and inhale the fresh scent of freedom.
“Bay.”
I jerk my gaze to the heavenly voice that somehow thunders through the madness in my head and blink in confusion to see the man approaching me slowly.
Beautiful but flawed.
Weak yet so strong.
Mine.
“War.”
I’m afraid to move. Afraid to chase off the vision of him. He seems so real. So close. So present. I want to thump myself in the head to remind myself that War is in the hospital.
“Are…are you okay?” His voice cracks and his hands tremble at his sides.
Land materializes from the behind him with wide eyes and I put a palm to my chest as if to still my pounding heart. “You’re really here.”
War winces but takes several more steps toward me, not deterred by my shuddering body.
“Bay, beautiful, please tell me you’re okay.”
Tears stream down my face and my knees buckle. Blackness eats away at my vision, causing me to sway. “I am not okay.”
And darkness envelopes me.
But with it comes a warm, all-consuming strength. It embraces me and keeps me safe. I unravel inside of my own head and let the warmth overtake me.
“For the love of God, Bay,” he chokes out, “Tell me you’re okay.”
The deep, husky voice parts through the gloom in my mind and I reach for it. I blink my eyes open and inhale a scent that belongs to my lover. My friend. My equal. My War.
“You’re really here right now with me,” I sob, “and we’re going to be okay.”
His hand strokes my blood-soaked hair as I cling to him. He flinches when I touch the left part of his chest where he was shot, so I settle for the right.
“I was so scared.” My tears drench his shirt and he continues to hold me.
“I was fucking terrified when I realized you were gone,” he says, his words muffled somewhere in my hair. “As soon as I realized what happened, I left the hospital to come for you. Your watch was fitted with a tracking device—in case Gabe ever came back for you. But when he did come for you, you weren’t wearing it. This time, though, I was going to find you and save you.”
“You did save me,” I whisper as I pull slightly away, searching his stormy eyes.
He smiles and his gaze skitters down my throat. “Bay, you saved yourself.”
His eyes become fixated on my flesh and realization washes over me like slick oil. Suddenly, a thought overwhelms me to the point I nearly vomit.
Blood.
So much blood.
I’m dripping in War’s worst nightmare.
Shit!