Page 69 of These Wicked Desires

“Kai?” I rasp as quietly as I can.

His head snaps up, gray eyes wide as he looks at me. Then his face crumples. Blood tears fill his eyes and stream down his cheeks as he hangs his head, tugging the strands of his hair. His shoulders shake as he quietly cries, and I crack open seeing him fall apart.

I try to sit up so I can go to him, but before I can move an inch he’s by my side. Shaking fingers trail over my cheek, cool on my skin. It takes tremendous effort to lift my arm and wipe away a bloody tear that slides down his face.

“Kai,” I whisper.

He swallows hard and buries his face in my neck, climbing onto the bed to lay next to me. “I almost lost you,” he breathes. “I almost lost you both.”

His words catch in his throat and his body shudders. It takes all of my strength to wrap my arms around him. And when his arms come around me, holding me so tightly I’m positive he’ll break my ribs, I turn my head enough to kiss his temple. I let him cry, ignoring the thick, sticky blood that coats my neck. I’ve only ever seen Kai cry one time, and even then it was only a few tears to honor a friend killed in a car accident.

Never, in all the years I’ve known him, has he ever been this undone. It does something to me. I want nothing more than to ease his pain, to take away the images I know he’s playing on repeat in his head. But I can’t do that. So I just lay with him, and do my best to keep my arms around him. But I’m tired, and before long, they start to shake from the effort.

He notices, and immediately lifts his head. “Are you okay?” His face is stained with blood from his crying, and I know my neck and shoulder are as well. The sight jars me, and I’m sure I’ll never get used to seeing him cry tears of blood.

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

He traces a finger under my eye. No doubt I have dark purple bruises under them. I feel like I could sleep for a year.

“What happened?” I ask tentatively.

Kai wipes at his face, smearing the red onto his hands and he grimaces. “Shit. Sorry.” He takes one look at my neck and shoulder and gets up to grab a washcloth from the bathroom. He washes away the blood from my skin while he talks. “I found you and Ellis …” he has to stop to swallow, his eyes taking on a haunted look. “She was laying on top of you. Her fire was raging around you guys. When I approached, she looked at me with heartbreak in her eyes, and I knew something bad had happened. I saw your shirt. It was soaked in blood, but when I checked for a wound, there was nothing there. Connor and I got you both out of there. You’ve been sleeping since.”

I rub my hand over the raised mark on my chest. “I shot Sam,” I say, watching him closely. “But before the bullet could hit him, he used his magic to stop it and turn it back on me. My magic was blocked by whatever that bastard injected me with, so I could do nothing to stop it.”

Kai closes his eyes, gripping the cloth tightly in his fist. “I think … I think you died.” His words are choked and harsh. “Agatha said it’s believed harpies can heal their Shields with their tears and fire. We think that’s how you’re …” His lips tremble and he presses them together.

“Fuck,” I whisper. “Lay with me?”

Kai immediately curls against me, tucking his head against my chest and pulling the blanket over us both. He leans up to press a kiss to the scar on my chest. “Don’t do that again.” His breath fans across my skin as he breathes the words into the silence.

My eyes are drifting shut again, and no amount of effort will keep them open. “Ellis?” I ask, my words slurring slightly.

“She’s fine. Resting, like you should be.”

“I love you, Kai,” I mumble, before I fall asleep once more.

The next time I wake, it’s with the sensation of fingers running through my hair. I roll over, trying to get closer to the body next to me. Kai chuckles softly, tugging me against him. When I open my eyes, he’s sitting against the headboard between me and Ellis. While he was playing with my hair, he was holding Ellis’s hand, keeping both of us close.

I close my eyes again, content to enjoy the moment. “How long was I asleep?” My voice is thick and hoarse from disuse and thirst.

Kai takes his phone from his pocket and shoots off a text. “Almost two days.”

“Two days? Holy shit.” I try to sit up, but Kai keeps me glued to his side.

“Stay here. Sterling is bringing up food and water. You need to eat something before you get out of bed.”

At the mention of food, my stomach growls. “Yeah, I could definitely go for some food right now.”

Kai laughs softly. “I’m sure you can.”

“Has Ellis woken up yet?”

“Not yet,” he says. “But I don’t expect her to wake up for another day at least. I can’t imagine the amount of power she used to heal you.” His voice is hoarse as he speaks those words, and I hear him swallow. “Not to mention the fire she created to burn the building down.”

“What else happened? Did we get Grace out? Is Sam dead?”

Kai sighs. “Grace is at Sterling’s mom’s house. She’s … she’s very withdrawn. I think she needs Ellis. And Sam is dead. I don’t know if Ellis did it intentionally, or if her magic had a mind of its own, but even though the entire building was turned to ash, his body and head were spared. But he is most certainly dead.”

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