Page 146 of Vicious Knight

It could have been worse.

She could have died, and it’s all my fucking fault.

I don’t even know if I was already too late to heed the warning from the message. The guy last night told me I’d already lost.

So maybe I was already too late.

Maybe I’d lost the game the moment I stirred the nest and started looking for the scar-faced guy—Salvatore.

Clearly I’m way in over my head again.

I’m sitting next to Ivy’s hospital bed. We’ve been here for the last four hours. She woke up briefly and spoke to me before she fell asleep again.

The doctors have been running tests to check for any more damage.

Ivy has a concussion. She hit her head badly, so the doctors want to keep her overnight for observation. I don’t know when it happened but it must have been as we were going over the bridge.

When I looked at her in the water, I thought she was dead. I thought she got shot, and my world ended. It wasn’t until I got her out of the water that I realized she had a head wound.

A bullet grazed my arm. I was lucky, too, but I’m not worried about myself. I’ve been shot before. This is nothing in comparison to the past.

Right now, I just want Ivy to be okay.

I told Lucian what happened. And I had to call Ivy’s parents, too. They got on the first available flight so they’re on the way here now. I don’t know how I’m going to face them.

The doctors wanted to call them, but I felt it was more appropriate for me to do it.

It was strange speaking to her mom. All the guilt in the world rested on my soul as she cried. I never imagined that my first words to Ivy’s mother would be: ‘Sorry, your daughter is in the hospital. She got caught in a drive-by shooting.’

Fuck my life. Nothing is going right. Even the good things are a struggle.

I don’t know where to begin, but I’m going to fix this.

Things have just become more dangerous than I ever imagined. I always know what to do but I feel like my wings have been clipped.

Ivy wakes up an hour later. She looks more alive in her face but the terror is back in her eyes. I don’t have to explain to her what happened. She remembers.

She bursts into tears when she looks at the bandage wrapped around my arm.

“This is all my fault,” she chokes out. "I shouldn’t have told you anything.”

I touch her cheek. “Don’t you dare say that.”

“It’s true. I should have known how dangerous this could be and kept my mouth shut.”

“I would have found a way to make you talk.”

“It’s still my fault. I feel like I should never have gone to Raventhorn.”

“I wouldn’t have met you.” I stroke the side of her cheek.

“Maybe that would have been better.”

“No. It wouldn’t have.” I shake my head and give her a small smile. “You’re mine, remember that. Now I’m going to keep you safe.”

“I need to keep you safe, too.”

“It’s not your job to do that.” I smirk. “Stop worrying. Your parents are on the way.”

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