Page 65 of Property of Azrael

“Hey, baby,” I murmur in a hoarse whisper.

“Shh. You need to rest your voice.”

“I’m okay,” I protest. I’m not, but there’s no need to scare her further. She could’ve been injured or killed because of me. That she’s here, uninjured, is more of a miracle than my awakening.

“I thought I lost you,” she croaks out, her voice choked with emotion. “When I woke up on that roadway with you bleeding over top of me, my heart stopped. I thought that was it. I thought… you were dead.” Her hands tremble as she takes mine in hers. “I thought I was going to lose you. After what happened, I can’t believe you’re okay.”

I felt the weight of Hallie’s words as she spoke, love lacing every word. Though I had told her how I felt; she had yet to repeat it.

“I’m sorry.” Trying again to sit up, I wince. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She gently places her hand over my bandaged chest.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her, my voice hoarse, but determined. “More worried about you.”

“I’m fine. Cuts and bruises.” She shifts her hair from her face, unzipping my jacket from around her body. That damn dress of Eden’s still underneath it. A painful reminder of how our night had started and ended so badly. “You protected me from the worst of it.”

“I’d do it again, baby.” I’d do much more than protect her if she’d let me. My business is successful enough that if she wanted to focus on her writing, she could. But I know her well enough to admit that she would never accept it. Asher’s voice carries in from outside of the room, and a deep frown creases her forehead. “What’s that about?”

She sighs. “Asher and I had a talk.”

I narrow my eyes. “About?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I realized something today, and that’s that I need to let go.”

My heart plummets, panic pricking at my skin. This is it. Hallie’s seen the dark side of our club and our lifestyle. Has this set her over the edge and she’s deciding to walk away? She apparently sees all those questions flash through my eyes, because she grips my hand and squeezes it.

“Not about us, Az. I need to let go of all my fears and just feel.” She pauses, her eyes shifting to where my brother stands in the hallway. “Asher told me about what happened the night of the event.”

“What?” I’m going to kill my brother. He’ll be in the hospital bed next to me if I can get myself upright. How fucking dare he do this? After our talk, he told Hallie everything as a means to his desired end to scare her off. What could’ve been the outcome had Hallie ran?

“It’s okay.” She squeezes my hand again, trying to reassure me. “I understand why you did it. I may still be processing that it cost someone their life, but after everything today, I’ve come to terms that killing is how your club keeps the rest of the world safe. I think deep down, I knew it before he told me.” Her green eyes slide to me. “It doesn’t affect the way I feel about you, Az, though maybe it should. Or maybe it makes me just as much of a monster, but I can’t move forward without you. “

I gingerly move my other hand to cover hers, the wires pulling at my leads. It hurts, but fuck the pain.

“You told me before the shooting that you loved me, and while you didn’t want to pressure me into saying it back, I should have.”

“You love me?”

“I do. I love you, Az.”

“Fuck, baby.” I smile, followed by a cough that rattles up my chest in painful spurts as I try to talk. “Come here.” I beckon her, patting the narrow space of my hospital bed. Without hesitation, she climbs into the space with me, her arms crossing over my stomach to avoid the bandages and machinery tubes still hooked to me.

“Where do we go from here?” she asks quietly.

“Home, baby. We go home.”

HALLIE - 2 MONTHS LATER

It took almostthree weeks for the hospital to give Azrael clearance to travel with his still-healing lung injury. Since flying was not an option, and neither was riding his bike, we decided to rent a car and drive back to Indiana with Orion as our navigator, while the rest of the guys got back on their own.

Once home, Az and I didn’t want to be separated, so he stayed with me in my small apartment while he recovered. That way, I could still go about my usual work duties from home. The hard part was explaining to my parents why a man was living with me, and how we had met. We, of course, gave them the watered-down version out of necessity. All my parents needed to know was that I loved him. The rest would come with time.

It was during that time I made some drastic changes. The near-fatal accident in Mexico showed me how short and unpredictable life could be. The thought of having my life end achieving none of my dreams pushed me to take the plunge and quit my job. Melinda was unhappy with this choice at first, but it ultimately worked out for both of us. She could find someone who was better suited for the job, and I had the time to do what I wanted, thanks to Azrael. He’d convinced me to try writing full time, which terrified me, but I wanted to give it a go, anyway.

Another major change was moving in with Azrael. We decided that living apart wasn’t the best for us. My parents weren’t happy about that sudden development, particularly my mother, but I didn’t let their opinions sway mine. Dad had his own objections, but in the end, he understood why we’d made the decision. I’ll be living a little farther away, but without my nine-to-five job, I would have more time to help with managing my mom’s health issues, while still having the freedom to pursue my career goals.

A win-win for all of us. The chance I’d wanted for so long to be authentically me. The real me I had unknowingly kept inside of me for way too long while still helping my parents.

---