Page 108 of Moonlit Thorns

I turn and look up at Kol. “I never got to thank you for what you did the night of the gala. And for shooting Galen.”

We haven’t really broached either subject. When I asked once what became of Preston and the driver, Kol shut me down right away, telling me that the less I knew, the better.

Kol squeezes my shoulder again before letting his hand drop.

I’m not surprised he doesn’t say anything. He’s a man of few words.

It’s weird, but over the past few days, I’ve come to feel as close to Kol, Sid, and Nero as I do my own brother. I suppose going through trauma together will do that.

Luke stopped by yesterday to see me after he heard through some people in town what had happened. He wasn’t pleased that he had to hear it from other people, but once I explained that my entire focus is on Asher, he seemed to come around.

“Where’s Nero?” I ask to fill the silence.

“With his irritating fiancée,” Kol says.

I shake my head. “Try to be nice.”

“He said they’ll be by this afternoon,” Sid says.

I nod and stare back down at Asher. “I just want him to wake up.” I stand and hover over Asher, bringing my lips to his forehead. “I love you. Please come back to me.”

When I pull away, I gasp when I see his deep blue eyes gazing up at me.

“Either I died and am in heaven, or I’m dreaming and when I blink, you’ll be in some naughty nurse’s outfit.”

“Asher!” I hug him on instinct but pull away when I hear him groan. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll get the doctor.” Sid rushes from the room.

“Asher, you’re awake. Oh thank god, I was so scared.”

“Good to see you on the right side of the sod, brother,” Kol says from behind me.

Asher chuckles but cringes in pain. “Thanks. What happened after I was shot?”

“Don’t you worry about that. There will be lots of time to talk about that. We’re just all so glad that you’re okay.”

The doctor rushes in with Sid at his heels and demands that we all back up and give him some room to examine Asher.

I move to the corner, biting my lip and anxious for the moment the doctor says everything checks out. And then it hits me—what if Asher still sends me away once the fog of his recovery wears off? What if he still doesn’t want to be with me?

No. I don’t care what I have to do to convince him. I’m not going anywhere.

The doctor does his thing, and when he’s finished, he turns to us. “Everything looks good. Assuming there are no setbacks, he should be able to go home in a couple of days.” He turns to look at Asher. “You’ll need to come back for some follow-ups, but you can recover at home and have a nurse come in everyday to check on your progress.”

When Asher doesn’t respond because he’s staring across the room at me, Sid steps in. “Thank you, doctor. We appreciate all you’ve done for us.”

The doctor says his goodbyes and leaves the room. Asher is still staring at me.

“We’ll give you two some time alone.” Sid looks at Kol and nods toward the door.

The door closes behind them as I walk over to the bed, unsure what to expect from Asher. Will he be happy that I’m here? I take the seat I was in before, and he reaches for me. I take his hand and clutch it as though he might disappear.

“Anabelle, I’m sorry for the things I said. For sending you away like I did.”

The anxiety rushes from my body, replaced by elation. Tears swim in my eyes. “I was so scared when I found you.”

“I was so afraid I was going to die before I could tell you I love you,” he says.

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