Page 252 of Never Fall for an Angel

Fucking hell. Not again.

Mila’s eyes widen when she pulls back, looking down at the front of my shirt.

“Christian . . .”

“It’s okay, little devil.”

Fuck, if I die, at least I can die knowing she’s safe. My brother will take care of her. Paulina. Her family.

“You’ve been shot,” she whispers, her fingers roaming aimlessly over me, shaking with fear. “Help!”

My head spins, and she slides from my grasp, no matter if I try to hold onto her.

Fuck . . . I just want to hold her.

“He’s been shot,” I hear her whimper when I lay back on the ground, looking up at the cloudy sky overhead. I’ve been expecting it to rain all fucking day, but none has come.

Levi looms over me, then Bella, their faces grim.

“Fuck, Mila. Press this on his chest. The ambulance is almost here.”

“Hey,” I reach for her when she presses Levi’s shirt to my chest. “It’s okay.”

“Stop saying that,” she growls, placing pressure on the wound.

Ironically, it’s on the other side of my chest this time.

“Mila . . . look at me.” The light from the fire is fading, but I can still see the panic in her gaze. My wife. My fucking everything. “I love you.”

“Stop it, Christian Cross. You aren’t allowed to die. You’re unkillable,” she growls, tears mixing with the blood on her face.

I open my mouth to tell her I’m not and that this bullet hurts a whole lot fucking more than the last one, but I can’t speak.

Come to think of it, I can’t even feel it. All I can do is watch her as the moon darkens above me, my last vision of her with tears in her eyes, screaming at me to stay awake when all I can do is close my eyes and fade out.

CHRISTIAN

Everything fucking aches.

That’s the only way I know I survived.

My chest is on fire, and a dull pain spreads throughout my body when I first open my eyes to a steady beep filling the room.

That shit’s annoying.

My vision is blurry, but I reach around for whatever’s making the noise with every intent of throwing it at a wall.

Sleep.

I just want to sleep.

“No,” a soft voice says, gentle hands taking mine and laying them back at my side. I’m too fucking weak to fight them as sleep threatens to drag me back under.

And then I remember what happened.

“Mila . . .” I breathe, my voice hoarse and sore.

“I’m here,” she says softly from above me. My eyes threaten to drift shut, but soft gray ones loom over me, peering down at me with a tenderness that makes everything hurt worse.

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