Page 65 of Wings of Valor
I hearher.
“He’ll appreciate seeing you guys, too,” she whispers, and I hear someone snort. Probably Raphael.
“He’ll appreciate us more if you go in alone. It’s you he needs right now, not us.”
The healer sets my chart down. “Well, that’s all from me. Do you feel up to seeing your friends?”
“Yes,” I croak, desperation clawing at me through the fear that this is all some clever trick.
“Happy to hear it. I’ll let them in now. Push that button there if you need me,” he says, motioning to a call button next to me. Then he’s gone, and the door shuts behind him.
When it opens again, I hold my breath.
Hayliel walks through, slowly, seeming almost shy, and the moment our eyes lock, I feel whole again. Thank the gods she’s alright.
“Zeke,” she whispers, eyes roaming over where I sit propped up on the bed.
“Hummingbird.”
She runs toward me, a sob tearing from her throat.
In this moment, I don’t notice the pain or discomfort. All I see is her. All I feel is her.
She carefully sits on the bed, cupping my face like she can’t believe I’m here.
“Fuck, I missed you,” I tell her, looking over every inch of her beautiful face. My words only make her cry harder. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”
She curls against my side, and we lie like this for several minutes. Her, with quiet tears making wet marks on the blanket, and me totally content to just hold her.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, finally breaking the silence.
What in the world? “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.”
My words piss her off, but I don’t think she’s mad at me. She’s mad at herself, and I don’t understand why.
She buries her face against me. “It’s my fault this happened to you. You were only there because of me! Fuck, if I had just told you what I was planning, maybe things would have gone differently.”
Her words shatter my heart. “Hey, hey, hey. Look at me.”
She shakes her head.
“Look at me, please. I need you to see my face when I tell you this.”
Eventually she does as I ask. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, cheeks wet. Gods, she’s stunning, even in this state.
“You are not to blame for anything. Auriel is. He’s the one who did this to me, not you.” Another tear slides down her cheek. “Besides, if things didn’t go down like they did, we may not have your parents back right now. But if what the doctor said is true, we do. They’re alive. So am I.”
“But Zeke …”
I know she’s talking about my wing, and maybe the loss hasn’t sunk in yet or I’m delusional, but there are far worse things that could have happened. Things I wouldn’t have survived—like her being harmed in any way. “Nobuts, hummingbird. If I had to go back in time, I would do it all over again.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you. More than I could possibly say.”
When our lips meet, it’s not romantic. Salt lines her tear-stained lips, and our teeth clash as we move in desperation.She’s safe, she’s safe, she’s safe.The words repeat in my head like a prayer.
I’m finally home.
