Page 64 of Property of Azrael

“It’s up to you now,” I say. “Will you move, or do I have to move you? I’m going back to him.”

He tips his head and backs away from the door, giving me the opportunity to pass through.

AZRAEL

Darkness enshrouds me.The heavy inky blackness that weighs you down and traps you within in it like a black hole, his gravitational pull almost too much to ignore. It would be easier to shed my mortal coil and give into it, but a voice trickles into the darkness. A more powerful force drawing me away from the blackness and back toward the light. A feminine voice screaming my name. Her voice.

Hallie’s.

I slowly open my eyes, and for a moment, I can’t remember where I am. The room is dimly lit, and there are machines beeping and whirring around me. My body and mind are groggy and disoriented, like I’m in a fog. Clearly, they’d given me the good shit.

The last thing I remember are gunshots, the screech of metal mixed with enormous pain, and Hallie screaming my name over and over again, begging for help.

Hallie. She had been with me. Fuck. Where is she?

I try to sit up, but a sharp pain makes me cry out, forcing me to lie back down, gasping for breath. I have to get to her. Damn this pain. I have to know she’s safe, so I try again, the pain nearly unbearable, but I swallow it down. I have to get to her. I have to find her.

As I struggle to regain my bearings, thanks to the medication coursing through my system, I notice a figure next to my bed. A bearded face, shaking his head at me.

“Slow your roll, speed racer. You probably shouldn’t try that again for a while.” He steps forward, helping me shift on the paper-thin mattress underneath me. “If you get out of that bed, you’re going to set off all kinds of alarms and start all kinds of trouble.” Van smiles down at me. “Good to see you came back to us, Prez.”

“Hallie,” I gasp, my throat is dry, my words coming out as a raw and painful croak.

“She’s fine,” Van assures me. “O and Fox went to find her.” Reaching over, he pulls a cup from the edge of a tray and brings it to my lips. The cool, wet water coats my throat and eases my discomfort slightly. “Don’t tell the nurses I gave that to you. I don’t think you’re cleared for that shit yet.”

“What happened?” I croak out.

“Hellions. They did a number on you, Az. You’re lucky you're still here. If Halie hadn’t called Asher when she did, we’d have lost you.”

Hallie had saved me. I shouldn’t expect anything less from my amazing girl, but hearing it firsthand from Van sends my mind reeling.

“How did they find us?” My voice cracks again at the straining of my words. We’d been so careful after we left Houston, cleaning up our trail to avoid this fucking happening. Clearly, not well enough.

“Fucking TikTok. Someone uploaded a video of the event, and your little fight was caught in the background. Mindy didn’t catch it until it was too late, but it’s down now.”

“The men who did this?”

“Dealt with. Hallie gave us enough of a description that we could track them down. Called in a few favors from some of our friends in the area, and they were more than happy to oversee cleanup for us. O stuck around here to monitor Ash and Hallie.”

“Good.”

“We need to talk about your brother,” Van mutters, before the sound of approaching footsteps silences him.

“Look who we found,” Fox’s cheery voice booms through the room. Hallie steps through the curtain, with O and my brother at her back, red lines blotting against her eyes. My girl has been weeping. I gaze over to my brother, who shifts his own gaze away, unable to meet my eyes.

Something happened while I was down for the count. I watch as his eyes trail over to Hallie before shifting to the ground. Whatever happened between them would have to wait until I could deal with it properly.

Hallie makes it one step before she rushes to my side and throws her body over mine. I hiss with the pain, but I ignore it. I ignore it because she’s here, she’s safe, and back in my arms. I take the tears soaking through my hospital gown.

Peering over her head, I look at the guys and nod to the door.

“Let’s give them some space,” Van mutters, shoving Fox, O, and my brother out through the curtain. “Come on, Fox. There’s a pretty nurse out here you need to meet. She’s right up your alley.”

“Young and pretty?”

“More like middle-aged and moody.” Van smiles and drags him out.

Hallie raises up, allowing me my first good look at her face. Weariness and exhaustion encircle her eyes in dark rings, along with cuts and abrasions on her chin and cheeks.

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