Page 25 of Lyric

I woke to the sensation of someone stroking the back of my head. I was still on my stomach but the nurse attending my cuts had left. The room was a lot quieter now.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Lyric spoke low into my ear. “You had a little nap there. You must be exhausted.”

I turned onto my side to get more comfortable. “I'm a little cold.”

Lyrics smiled. “I could get hospital blankets, but it just so happens I have an extra one right here.”

The soft fleece covered my back. Lyric tucked the edges under my shoulder and against my neck. He was taking care of me like he was my alpha and I hadn't even known him twenty-four hours.

“Better?” he asked.

“Thank you, yes.”

“Go back to your nap.”

“Please let me know when the police get here. I need to talk to them. I don't want Colt to hurt anyone else.”

“I will.”

“Can you—" the words caught in my throat.

“What? Ask me anything, Jinn.”

“Can you put your hand on the back of my head again?”

He let out the sweetest short chuckle that reminded me of Lyrican’s purrs. The warm weight of his palm covered the crown of my head. At that touch, my entire body relaxed. Within seconds I fell back to sleep.

11

Lyric

See? He is already ours.

Jinn has been through a traumatic ordeal. Just because he finds comfort from our touch doesn't mean he's ours.

His heart rate sped up when we took his hand. He couldn't keep his eyes off us as we changed into the strange hospital clothing.

I know, Lyrican. I know. We rescued him. We make him feel safe, but that doesn't mean?—

He is ours. I feel it.

I'm trying to explain to you that we make him feel safe right now. That does not guarantee any future.

You spoil everything with too much rationalization. Even the flying isn't fun anymore.

Lyrican and I never argued. But then we didn't communicate all that much. In the last two days we'd had more conversation than we'd had in an entire month. He never criticized me. Butthat last thought of his hit me hard. Did he really think I spoiled things for him? Had he come to resent me?

Right now, Jinn safely slept on the hospital cot with two blankets. I stood by the head of the cot watching over him. It felt perfectly normal for me to do so.

There had been good news about his ankle. It wasn't broken.

One time a nurse came in and said, “Your husband is doing well but we’re waiting on more tests.”

A tinge of guilt flickered when I didn’t correct him.

“What about the police?”

“I don't know anything about that. Sorry.”

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