“And so did the one hiding in the corner,” Doc chuckles as he waltzes into the room unannounced.

A growl emanates from said corner, reacting to Doc’s words. My eyes snap to Vinny’s, my eyebrows furrowing as I wonder how the hell—or better yet, why the hell he saved my life. He could have gotten rid of me for good. All of his carefully laid plans could have been trouble-free if just stood back and let me die. But he didn’t. Why?

“Alright, you all know the drill. Everyone out but one while I give Haylee a checkup.” He throws a pointed look at each of the guys. Gavin remains where he is, the rest trickling out, throwing last glances my way before they disappear into the hallway. “It’s good to see you finally awake, Haylee.” He smiles down at me, the softest I think I’ve ever seen the tatted-up doc be.

“Thank you. Before you start, can…can you tell me how Mr. Stick up his ass saved me?” I mean, I feel like I have every right to know. There are no patient-doctor confidentiality rules in regard to it since I’m the patient, right?

Doc drops his bag on the side of the bed, pulls out his stethoscope, and puts it in his ears. He heats up the bell before placing it right above my heart. “You had lost a lot of blood, and we ran out of blood bags for a full transfusion. I wasn’t able to get any more until the next day, but that was cutting it close. You happen to be the same blood type as Vinny, and he gave the blood straight from his vein to save you.”

Well, shit. How the hell can I be mad about that?

But what does that mean for Vinny and I? He’s hated my very being from the beginning, now, his own life force runs through my veins.

Guess at some point, a thank you is in order. I most likely wouldn’t be sitting here today if it weren’t for him. That gives me so much to think about. Ugh. The pounding in my head intensifies the longer I try to figure out Vinny’s motives. After all, he never does things out of the kindness of his heart. He doesn’t have one.

Looks like, for now, I’ll just have to wait and see if he has anything to say on the subject.

He has to know that at some point, I’m going to ask questions.

I just hope he’s ready for them.

Little by little, things stop hurting, turning from a roar of pain down to a dull ache.

It’s been a week now since I’ve woken up, but a lot of the past week has been spent sleeping, the pain meds Doc gave me helping me rest easily. At first, I was against taking them, but after one night of trying to sleep and whimpering every time I wanted to roll over, I finally conceded. I could do without the grogginess they leave behind, but beggars can’t be choosers, especially this morning when I’m feeling better than I have.

A soft snore comes from behind me, the arm around my waist tightening slightly and then relaxing. Last night was Arden’s turn in my bed. The guys took it upon themselves to come up with a schedule while I was in a coma to be able to spend time with me. They didn’t want to risk injuring my healing body by cramming their massive bodies into the bed with me all at the same time.

Now that I’m awake, I definitely won’t complain about being squished between their hard, hot bodies.

Yummy.

But of course, they’re still turning me down, wanting me to heal more before they take any liberties with my body. Freaking worry warts. An orgasm wouldn’t kill me. Maybe. The stab wounds say otherwise.

Rolling over makes me a little short of breath, but I manage not to wake up Arden in the process. From what Gavin was telling me the day I woke up, this perfect, handsome man in front of me hasn’t been sleeping. Only on the nights he spent in my bed. Other than that, he’s in his office the rest of the time, trying to locate our enemies. Unfortunately, without luck on that front.

Lightly brushing my fingertips down the slope of his nose, I catalog every feature that makes Arden, well, Arden. He looks so much like his meaner cousin, Vinny, but there are more than enough differences to keep the two from blending together. Whereas Vinny has golden flakes in his hazel eyes, Arden has beautiful flecks of green. Some days his eyes take on a more emerald hue, blotting out the brown entirely.

The two of them have the same raven black hair, but Vinny’s has more of a pompadour quiff, unlike Arden, who doesn’t need to poof his hair up to make up for the lack of equipment elsewhere. I snort, causing Arden to flinch in his sleep. Oops. Okay, seriously, though, I have no clue what Vinny is packin’ in those suit slacks of his, but it’s kind of fun to imagine him lacking in that department. It would go a long way to explaining his shitty mood all the time.

Next, my finger glides effortlessly across his full lips, the perfect pout if I’ve ever seen one. Only rivaled by my own. Closing my eyes, a sigh parts my lips as I remember the first time we kissed. Even though it wasn’t all that long ago, so much has happened since then, it feels like a lifetime has passed.

Never in my life would I want to go back to before I left home and not come here at all. The pain has been more than worth it. They have been more than worth it. My men. The men I love with all my heart. I’m so thankful for another chance at this life so I can tell them how much they all mean to me.

My eyes flash open as a soft touch on my lips startles me. Arden’s more green than hazel today orbs stare deep into my soul, telling me without words how he feels. And while that should be enough, I want to say the words that resonate deep inside me.

“I love you, Arden,” I murmur quietly, tears welling in my eyes as I hold my breath, watching a million emotions flicker across his face. A blinding white smile stretches across his handsome face, his hands coming up between us to cup my face tenderly. His thumb brushes back and forth, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he fights for the right words to say.

His hesitation normally would be something I worry about, but not now. Not when I know down to his soul how he feels.

“Gods, sweets. I love you, too.” His voice cracks with emotion. “I—I thought we lost you. Seeing you on the floor, bl-bleeding out, I swore right then and there that I’d kill who was responsible for it, then follow you.” His breath hitches. “I don’t want to do this life without you.”

Tears fall freely from both our eyes, and he mops up mine with his thumbs as I do the same for him. His reciprocated feelings make my heart soar. There was no doubt in my mind that he felt that way, but hearing it straight from his mouth endears him to me so much more. “I don’t want to do this without you either, any of you. For the longest time, I accepted my fate of mating an alpha who would push me out of the picture in the guise of protecting me.” A menacing growl rips through Arden’s body at my words. “And there would be nothing I can do about it because, well,” I snort and shake my head, “omega. But with you three, I don’t feel like you would do that. You haven’t once since I’ve been here, and I don’t see you guys doing that to me in the future.”

“Never,” he rumbles vehemently.

Before our conversation can continue, the door opens, and in walks Gavin, a large tray balancing precariously in his hands. His blond locks lay flat on his head, looking slightly damp from an earlier shower. Damn, what I wouldn’t have given to be a part of that show. Laying here in this bed is starting to get old. I swear the only time I get to leave is when I have to pee, or I get a shower, but my mates stay clothed when they help. Spoilsports, I tell you. He’s dressed in his customary black T-shirt and blue jeans, the material of both clinging to his body like a second skin.

I lick my lips at the yumminess in front of me, and I don’t mean the food on the tray. Gods damn, my mate is sexy. And not just him, all three of them are. My core clenches, and both men groan as my perfume blossoms in the air. Fuck. Oh well. Sorry, not sorry. I can’t help it, and there sure as hell isn’t a switch to turn it off. Trust me, I’ve looked.