Page 76 of Inked Athena

I feel Samuil’s laugh rumble through his chest—rusty, like he’s forgotten how to do it, but real.

28

SAMUIL

I wake up feeling like I’ve gone ten rounds with the Loch Ness Monster.

And the monster fucking won.

“Blyat’,” I groan as I try to sit up. My ribs are extremely pissed off at me and they have no issues letting me know about it. It’s like every single one of those fuckers is trying to stab me in the lungs.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?”

Nova’s voice catches me off-guard. I turn too quickly and regret it immediately. My brain is liquid. It sloshes against the inside of my skull. But the headache isn’t so intense that I miss the upward curl of Nova’s lips, the telltale dimple in her cheek.

She’s enjoying my pain. At least a little.

Given what I put her through last night, I probably deserve it.

“I need a more compassionate nurse,” I mutter.

“What you need,” Nova retorts, rising from the worn leather armchair where she must have spent the night watching over me, “is a swift kick in the ass. Maybe several.”

She marches barefooted to my bedside, then takes a loose pillow and shoves it behind my spine to help me sit more upright. I’ve never seen someone wield a cushion aggressively before, but she’s found a way. If I wasn’t busy trying not to vomit, I’d be impressed.

“I nearly died last night,” I say as I rub the sleep out of my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be happier to see me?”

Her scowl remains unchanged. “We all saw more than enough of you last night.” She straightens up after arranging the pillow, one hand automatically moving to support her lower back—a new habit since her belly started showing. The sight sends another wave of guilt through me, sharper than any hangover.

“What do you mean by that?” The way she’s looking at me—part exasperation, part lingering fear—makes my stomach clench with something worse than nausea.

“Well, let’s see.” She purses her lips and taps a finger against them. “After Myles pulled you out of the lake, and he and Mr. Morris helped drag your immobile, blue-lipped carcass up to the castle?—”

“I remember all of this.”

She arches a brow. “Then you definitely remember when you dropped trou in front of Mrs. Morris and scandalized her for life.”

Actually... I don’t. At all. The gap in my memory sends a chill down my spine that has nothing to do with being naked under these quilts.

Speaking of which…

I lift the heavy tartan fabric, confirming my state of undress. “Fucking hell. I thought you were the one who undressed me.”

The idea of Nova taking care of me like that feels right. Safe.

The reality appears to be far more mortifying.

“Oh, no.” A ghost of amusement flickers across her tired face. “You did the honors all by yourself. Right in the foyer. Nearly gave poor Mrs. Morris a heart attack—though I notice her gaze lingered longer than strictly necessary.”

“Wonderful,” I mumble darkly. “Anything else I should know?”

“Nothing too major.” That dangerous sparkle returns to her eyes. “You let Myles help you up to bed and then you vowed, just before passing out, that you would let me make all decisions from this point. I’m thepakhannow.”

I cock an eyebrow at her. “That doesn’t sound like me at all.”

She only shrugs. “Your near-death experience must’ve made you more reasonable. I’d say it’s long overdue.”

“Sounds like you think it made me gullible, too.”

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