25. June
June
“Fuck,” the word leaves my mouth without my approval. It’s followed by a groan and my labored attempt to open my heavy eyes.
“June.” A warm hand wraps tighter around mine. “You’re awake.”
I blink and grow impatient as my vision adjusts from nothing to the bright fluorescent lighting overhead. "Dom." I try to sit up, but he gently restrains me.
“Shh. You’re okay. Don’t rush it.”
I wince, glancing down and spotting the bandage wrapping my chest under my thin hospital gown. “What happened?” I try to recall what caused all of this, but it’s a giant blur.
“One of Simon’s men, they shot you. You underwent surgery to repair the damage.” Dominic swallows and a side of him I’ve never seen before shows through. “We weren’t sure if you’d pull through.”
I painfully take in a breath and relax into the bed. “I’m like a cockroach, you can’t kill me that easily.”
He forces a fake toothless smile. “I don’t know what I would have done.”
I give his hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey. I’m good, don’t worry about me.” Scanning the rest of the room, I focus back on him. “Where are Magnus and Co?”
Dominic’s jaw tenses. “Bryant is getting you a change of clothes, and Hayes is…”
My eyes go wide, my heart immediately picking up its pace. “No…”
Dom shakes his head. “No, he’s not dead. Although, he probably wishes he was.” He pauses. “He’s being punished.”
Once I catch my panicked breath, I process what he said. “Punished? Why?”
“Hayes broke house rules. Honestly, he’s lucky he’s still alive.
Anyone else would have been murdered on the spot.
But considering the circumstances, Winnie convinced the council to grant him a bit of leniency.
” Dom rubs my palm with his thumb. “The outcome of his sentence would be determined by your condition.”
“What does that mean?” What does any of this mean?
“Well…” Dom repositions himself in his chair but maintains a grip on my hand. “Given Hayes’ abilities…”
Can he just get to the fucking point already?
“If you died, Hayes would have, too.”
“What? Why? How does that make any sense?” I drag my free arm up to rest my palm against my chest. Getting worked up is not cooperating with the gaping hole in my chest.
“June, please try to remain calm.” Dom glances at the monitors.
“Hayes is a flight risk. He’s dangerous, and while that might be a surprise to you, it’s not to us who know him.
If something happened to you, I mean, permanently, there’s no stopping the lengths he would go to avenge you.
He made that clear when he openly fired in an amnesty zone and took down those who were innocent and guilty. ”
Coen did what? He went on a rampage and murdered a bunch of people? Because someone shot me? It was my fault. I’m the one who was going to plunge a dagger into Simon’s chest because he refused to give up. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s being punished? Not him.
“Wait.” Bits and pieces start to come back to me. “Who won? Please tell me…”
Dominic sighs. “Simon Beckett might be a vile excuse for a human, but he is a man of his word.”
“He is?”
“He conceded. Thanks to whatever it is you said to him, he made damn sure I and everyone else knew that he was stepping down from his position against me."
I may have almost died, but I did it, I fucking did it. I got Simon Beckett to admit defeat.
“I’m so proud of you,” I whisper.
“I’ve wanted this most of my life.” Dom stares at our intertwined hands.
“I’ve never worked harder for anything. But the second I saw you bleeding out, I would have traded it all just to make sure you lived to see another day.
I need you to know that, June. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but I refuse to ignore what I can no longer control.
And maybe I didn’t fully realize it until that moment, when I would have given up everything to save you from this nightmare.
Or maybe it confirmed what I already suspected.
” He exhales and slowly meets my gaze. “Either way, the fact is, I’m in love with you. ”
I’m stunned by his declaration despite having the same exact one myself.
He continues. “I’m not expecting you to reciprocate those feelings.
I know you and Hayes have a long history that far exceeds the time we’ve spent together.
And Bryant has already made his intentions clear.
I would never make you choose between us, but just know, I’ll be here for you no matter what decision you make.
I need to be a part of your life, no matter how big or small. ”
I open my mouth to speak but am interrupted by the door opening and a beautiful, tattooed man walking in.
His eyes light up the second he realizes I’m awake. “Princess.” Magnus rushes over to my other side.
I narrow my gaze at him. “Seriously, still with that?”
“What? It’s perfect. You’re like a Disney Princess, but in a dark and twisted kinda way.” He reaches over and brushes the hair off my cheek. “How are you feeling?”
I flit my attention briefly at Dom. I didn’t get a chance to let him know that there is no way I could ever choose between the three of them.
That the only way I can be happy is if I’m with all of them.
That each one brings something different to the table and that for the first time in my life, I’m not scared of not knowing what the future holds.
Being with these three men is everything I want but didn’t know I needed.
And now that I’ve had a taste, there’s no way I could ever imagine my life without them.
I had my doubts about what would happen when Dominic won the throne, but he’s made it clear that he wants me to be a part of this next chapter of his life. And if I had to guess, Magnus and Coen want that, too.
“Not bad, considering.” I try to push myself up again, but my arms give out without much effort. “Does this thing move?”
“Yeah, here.” Magnus pushes a button on the little remote off to the side. “That better?”
“Much.” Although, there’s one thing missing from making me feel complete.
“What is it?” Dominic stares at me like he can read my mind.
“Get Coen, please.”
“Of course.” Dominic releases my hand and stands, accepting the task I gave him without hesitation.
“Wait.” I extend both of my arms toward him, hungry for his touch to remain.
His resolve softens and he complies, leaning down and as carefully as he can, hugs me. He presses his lips to my cheek and breathes in deeply.
“The feeling is mutual,” I mutter into his ear.
He sighs, the tension in his body relaxing with the expelled air. “I’ll get him back for you, I promise.”
That alone tells me that Dominic will do whatever it takes to free Coen from the hell he’s currently experiencing during his punishment.
“This is…fucking adorable.” Magnus allows Dom to finish hugging me and then plants a kiss on my forehead.
A light knock rattles the door.
Magnus gets there first, granting entry to the person.
Simon Beckett walks into my decently sized hospital room.
Something that will probably end up costing me a fucking fortune.
Part of the reason I didn’t go to the hospital after I was attacked was because I didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the gnarly bill they would no doubt stick me with.
A gunshot wound and an emergency surgery will likely cost me an arm and a leg but that’s a problem for another day.
“Beckett.” Dominic positions himself between me and the newcomer.
“Dominic.” Simon nods at him and then at Magnus. “Bryant.” He points and tilts his head to look around Dom. “May I?”
Is he politely asking for approval? What the fuck did I miss when I was busy almost dying? I guess Simon did concede. Does this mean that there is no more weird rivalry?
“He’s fine, let him through.” I tug my stiff hospital issue blanket a little higher and cover my chest with my gown. “Magnus, you should go with Dom to get Co.”
“It’s going to take both of you.” Simon cautiously steps closer. “Pretty sure the council wants his head to set an example.”
“Seriously?” Magnus glares at Simon. “You’re going to stress her out.”
“I’m good. I pushed that little red button for more drugs and they’re starting to kick in.
I’ll be better once you’re back, so hurry up.
” It’s not a lie. I am feeling a bit loopy, a warmth coursing through me and tugging at my eyelids to carry me off to sleep.
And the idea of knowing Dom will do everything he can to get Coen out of his imprisonment sets my soul at ease.
Soon enough I’ll have my three men at my side, and then, there isn’t anything we can’t face together.
“Your phone.” Dominic turns toward me. “It’s at your side, under your blanket. Call me if you need anything. Okay?”
I nod and offer what I can of a smile.
“And you…” Dominic pokes his finger into Simon’s shoulder. “I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you pull anything.”
Magnus slaps Dom on the back playfully. “He practically saved her life; he’s not going to do anything. Come on, you heard the lady. Hate on Beckett some other time.” He glances over at me on his way out the door. “Love you, princess.” He disappears before I can even process his words.
Did he mean to say that? Was it some knee jerk reaction?
Either way, my emotions swell with wanting to say it back.
To him. To Dominic. To Coen. Each second my heart beats, my love for them grows.
How did I go from never wanting to say those three words to anyone, to wanting to scream them from the rooftops?
Simon sits down in the seat Dominic had been in and scoots it forward. “You had us all scared.”
“That’s what I heard.” I study his face, comparing the details to what Cora had said, that he resembled Damon Salvatore.
Same pronounced jawline, dark eyebrows, and captivating eyes. A touch of mysterious bad boy thrown into the mix with his leather jacket and devious stare. He's handsome, to say the least, but nothing compared to the three men who have ruined me for anyone else.