The Hazy Aftermath

DELLA

“I will never forget that scream.”

“God, I know. It’s like my heart stopped in my chest.”

Blackness overtakes me again before I can get a grasp on reality.

***

“I’m sorry we were late, my handful. Come on, wake up for us.” That’s Sorin’s voice.

“Go take a break, boys. We’ll be here with her,” a woman assures them. Zeve?

“No, we’re not leaving her again.” Kade, my sweet punisher. Warmth seeps into me and I smell him and…feathers? Oh, I want to see Kade’s wings! My eyes and body aren’t cooperating, though.

“It’s been two days. If you want to take shifts, then do it. But you need to take care of yourselves,” the woman explains. Damn right! You tell them!

“If she sees you like this when she wakes up, she’s going to kick all four of your asses,” Oz points out. Thank God, he’s here. They might listen.

“Fine. Sorin, Micha. You guys first,” Gavin commands.

There is a shuffling of bodies and grumbling, so I assume Oz has struck the fear of Della into their hearts. I drift away again.

When I return to the waking world, I can finally open my eyes. A soft smile spreads across my face at the sight of all four of them surrounding my hospital bed, fast asleep. Kade’s massive wings are spread out like a shield keeping the world away from us as he rests his head on my lap.

God, he is beautiful. His huge wings are a chestnut brown that shimmers with gold. They suit him.

I can’t help but trail my fingers through the silky covert feathers, making him moan. Oooh, dirty thoughts abound. I wonder how hard it would be to convince him that we should make love while flying. I’m probably going to have to wait a while for that, though. At least until I’m all healed. Until then, maybe I can convince him rooftop loving with his wings out is a good plan.

I can reach Micha as well, and gently twirl my fingers through his dark hair as I stroke the top of Kade’s wing. Micha lets out a contented sigh and snuggles his face into my side.

I hear the door open quietly on the other side of Kade’s feathered barrier. Footsteps get closer until Death is standing at the end of my hospital bed.

“Hey,” I whisper, not wanting to wake the guys up. It looks like they haven’t been sleeping much lately.

My Dad’s eyes light up at my voice. “You’re awake!” His joy suddenly fades into sadness. “I’m so sorry, Della. I swear, if I thought he was capable of doing that, I would have stepped in much earlier. I just didn’t want to believe it. He was a good man when we were together,” he explains quietly.

“I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it,” I admit. “The heart is a funny thing.”

“It’s no excuse. He hurt you. Almost killed you.”

“You got there in time.” I shrug, then hiss at the pain radiating through my body from that ill-thought-out movement.

“Shit, Della. Are you okay? Do you want me to send for the nurse?” He panics.

“I’ll be okay. It’s already calming down. I just can’t do that right now.” I chuckle softly, settling back against my pillow. “What happened to him?” I ask.

“He is going before the Elders Council for a trial. It turns out the headmaster and your consorts have been compiling evidence against him since you found out his intentions.” That explains Kade’s recording device. Smart man.

“When is the trial?” I ask.

“In a few hours.”

“I’m sorry. I know you love him.”

“I did. But not anymore. As you said, the heart is a funny thing. My love for him disappeared the moment I saw him put a knife in my daughter. If he loved me… If he ever even knew me, he would have realized… I can’t even put into words how much it hurt to see you like that.” His voice cracks with emotion. “I’m going to go tell the doctor you’re awake now. Excuse me.” I hear him clearing his throat before leaving.

I let out a deep breath and look at the sleeping men around me. I am so lucky to have them in my life. I watch Sorin’s eyes flutter as he wakes up. I smile as he wipes the sleep from his eyes and startles as the door opens.

“How is my patient today?” a woman asks. I’m assuming she’s the doctor.

“No change,” Sorin says miserably.

“I don’t know, I think I’m feeling a lot better.” I grin as his crystal eyes snap to mine.

“Della!” he exclaims. “You’re awake! How do you feel? Do you need anything? Are you in pain? Oh my God, I’m so sorry we were late!” I watch tears stream down his face as he moves around Micha to stand beside my head.

I take his hand in mine and kiss his knuckles. “I’m fine. And you weren’t late. You were right on time.” I smile up at him before turning to the doctor. “I’m actually feeling really good. A bit of an ache in my shoulders unless I move them—then it hurts a lot—but that’s about it.”

“Wonderful. We’re going to keep you overnight for observation just to make sure everything is as it should be, then I want you at home resting for a few days. If you have any healing abilities, I suggest you use them.” She gives me a wink as she leaves.

“I take it we’re in a magical hospital?” I ask, looking up at Sorin.

“Kind of. It’s called a healing center, and it’s specifically for people like us,” he explains. “They use magic to heal, but your magic will always heal you better than someone else’s.”

“Oh. Neat. So I don’t have stitches?” I ask.

“No. You don’t.”

“That’s crazy!” I exclaim, making him chuckle.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. That was the scariest moment of my life. Hell, it’s been the scariest week!”

“I really want to hug you, but I’m afraid to lift my arms,” I confess.

He chuckles and hugs me instead, nuzzling his face into my hair.

“I love you, Sorin.”

“I love you, too, my handful. We should wake the others up, though. They’ve been out of their minds worrying about you, too.”

“How long was I out?”

“Four days.”

“Shit.” I wince. “Yeah, if any of you were in my position, I would be an absolute mess.” I run my hands through Micha’s hair and along Kade’s wing.

“Micha, Kade, Gavin, wake up,” I call out in a loud voice. All three of them are on their feet in an instant. Kade’s wing takes out my bedside table with a loud crash that startles everyone further.

“Whoa, calm down. Everything is good. Chill,” I placate. All eyes snap to me, and the relief on everyone’s faces melts my heart, making me smile. “Thank you for coming for me.”