Page 99 of The Devil's Fire

“She’s the most difficult patient I have ever had.” Ellie chuckled to Damiano. “Come to the clinic tomorrow morning. Make sure she gets plenty of rest and doesn’t move around too much. I have a feeling she’s the type to defy orders.”

“You have no idea.” Damiano and Antonio said at the same time, and I gaped at them as Arianna let out a laugh.

“Funny.” I gave them a blank look and lied down as exhaustion hit me.

Antonio’s eyes followed Ellie’s every move as she packed her bag and made her way towards him. He took her bag from her and kissed the top of her head before they both went on their way.

“So cute.” I mumbled sleepily.

“That did not make me feel lonely at all.” Arianna sighed and walked out of the room as well. A small chuckle escaped me as I got comfortable and let my eyes drift shut. The bed was like a fluffy cloud that embraced me and soothed my aching body.

A blanket pulled over me and my eyes fluttered open. Damiano’s intense gaze was fixed on my freshly stitched-up brow.

“Get some sleep. You're safe.” He spoke softly, his fingers gentle as they caressed my hair.

“Are you not getting in with me? You haven’t slept at all.” I asked with concern.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” He let out a small smile.

“A bit too late for that now.” I said, and a gentle warmth showed in his eyes. Damiano leaned down and pressed a small kiss on my lips.

“Go to sleep. I’ll send Arianna in to keep an eye on you.”

“Okay.” I sighed, disappointed that he was going to leave. Damiano caressed my face, and my mind eased, lulling me into a peaceful sleep.

I shifted around in bed when I heard faint voices in the hallway. It finally went quiet again, and I was on the verge of falling back asleep when the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, making me jolt up with a scream.

“What the fuck happened to you?!” Cara’s voice filled the room, and I blinked several times to understand where I was. An arm wrapped around me, startling me as I was pulled back, but relaxed when I saw it was Damiano, glaring at Cara.

“You can’t just barge in like that.” Arianna called after Cara, but she was ignored.

“What the hell happened to your face?” Cara sat in front of me, placing her hands on my cheeks to look at me with worry.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” I scowled, but then a sharp throbbing in my brow made me wince.

“Don’t touch it.” Damiano stopped me when I was just about to.

“I feel like I have been hit by a truck.” I groaned, resting my back on the headboard.

“You look like it too. Who did this?” Cara continued.

“Please, stop yelling. I can’t handle loud noises right now.” I sighed tiredly, too drained of energy and in too much pain to be interrogated.

“Keep your voice down. She needs to rest.” Damiano said sharply, still glaring daggers at her, but she kept ignoring everyone. “Lorenzo, get your woman out of here.” Damiano snapped. Cara was about to protest when Lorenzo came to get her out, but decided against it when she saw how exhausted I was.

“I will talk to you later.” I gave her a smile to let her know I was okay despite probably looking the opposite. I saw her visibly relax before leaving quietly with Lorenzo.

I was enveloped in Damiano’s embrace as he carefully pulled me in closer.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“Yeah, just still tired.” My lids were already drooping, barely able to keep me awake. “What time is it?”

“It’s seven in the morning. Go back to sleep.” Damiano laid me on the bed, his arms still around me, and my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat at how warm and protected I felt with him.

“Cara seriously has nothing better to do in the morning than to wake me up.” I sighed.

“Doesn’t sound like a first time.” He gave a small smile.

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