26. Cade
Cade
I’m slowly pulled from the depths of unconsciousness, and the first thing I’m aware of is the softness of whatever I’m laying on and the warmth covering me. Am I dead? Is this what heaven feels like? I almost snort because the idea that I’d go to heaven after everything I’ve done in my life is absurd. I try to open my eyes, but they’re still too heavy. So I float for a little bit in the comfort and just enjoy the feeling of peace that has settled over me.
Eventually, quiet sounds filter through to me. Soft breathing. A gentle snore. That snore … it’s familiar. That’s Sterling’s snore. I snap my eyes open, blinking rapidly at the brightness as my eyes adjust. When I look around, I stifle a gasp.
I’m in the bedroom at the cabin. Ellis is laying next to me in the bed, and Sterling and Kai are asleep on chairs they’ve pulled up next to us, both of them bent in angles that will no doubt hurt when they wake up.
Slowly, I run my hand over my chest, a slight bump the only sign of what happened to me. I got shot. I remember it so clearly. The burst of fear when I realized the bullet had been stopped and was now heading for me. The look of terror on Ellis’s face. The pain that coursed through me only after I’d already hit the ground.
I should be dead. Why am I not dead?
“Kai?” I rasp as quietly as I can.
His head snaps up, gray eyes wide as he looks at me. Then his face crumples. Blood tears fill his eyes and stream down his cheeks as he hangs his head, tugging the strands of his hair. His shoulders shake as he quietly cries, and I crack open seeing him fall apart.
I try to sit up so I can go to him, but before I can move an inch he’s by my side. Shaking fingers trail over my cheek, cool on my skin. It takes tremendous effort to lift my arm and wipe away a bloody tear that slides down his face.
“Kai,” I whisper.
He swallows hard and buries his face in my neck, climbing onto the bed to lay next to me. “I almost lost you,” he breathes. “I almost lost you both.”
His words catch in his throat and his body shudders. It takes all of my strength to wrap my arms around him. And when his arms come around me, holding me so tightly I’m positive he’ll break my ribs, I turn my head enough to kiss his temple. I let him cry, ignoring the thick, sticky blood that coats my neck. I’ve only ever seen Kai cry one time, and even then it was only a few tears to honor a friend killed in a car accident.
Never, in all the years I’ve known him, has he ever been this undone. It does something to me. I want nothing more than to ease his pain, to take away the images I know he’s playing on repeat in his head. But I can’t do that. So I just lay with him, and do my best to keep my arms around him. But I’m tired, and before long, they start to shake from the effort.
He notices, and immediately lifts his head. “Are you okay?” His face is stained with blood from his crying, and I know my neck and shoulder are as well. The sight jars me, and I’m sure I’ll never get used to seeing him cry tears of blood.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
He traces a finger under my eye. No doubt I have dark purple bruises under them. I feel like I could sleep for a year.
“What happened?” I ask tentatively.
Kai wipes at his face, smearing the red onto his hands and he grimaces. “Shit. Sorry.” He takes one look at my neck and shoulder and gets up to grab a washcloth from the bathroom. He washes away the blood from my skin while he talks. “I found you and Ellis …” he has to stop to swallow, his eyes taking on a haunted look. “She was laying on top of you. Her fire was raging around you guys. When I approached, she looked at me with heartbreak in her eyes, and I knew something bad had happened. I saw your shirt. It was soaked in blood, but when I checked for a wound, there was nothing there. Connor and I got you both out of there. You’ve been sleeping since.”
I rub my hand over the raised mark on my chest. “I shot Sam,” I say, watching him closely. “But before the bullet could hit him, he used his magic to stop it and turn it back on me. My magic was blocked by whatever that bastard injected me with, so I could do nothing to stop it.”
Kai closes his eyes, gripping the cloth tightly in his fist. “I think … I think you died.” His words are choked and harsh. “Agatha said it’s believed harpies can heal their Shields with their tears and fire. We think that’s how you’re …” His lips tremble and he presses them together.
“Fuck,” I whisper. “Lay with me?”
Kai immediately curls against me, tucking his head against my chest and pulling the blanket over us both. He leans up to press a kiss to the scar on my chest. “Don’t do that again.” His breath fans across my skin as he breathes the words into the silence.
My eyes are drifting shut again, and no amount of effort will keep them open. “Ellis?” I ask, my words slurring slightly.
“She’s fine. Resting, like you should be.”
“I love you, Kai,” I mumble, before I fall asleep once more.
The next time I wake, it’s with the sensation of fingers running through my hair. I roll over, trying to get closer to the body next to me. Kai chuckles softly, tugging me against him. When I open my eyes, he’s sitting against the headboard between me and Ellis. While he was playing with my hair, he was holding Ellis’s hand, keeping both of us close.
I close my eyes again, content to enjoy the moment. “How long was I asleep?” My voice is thick and hoarse from disuse and thirst.
Kai takes his phone from his pocket and shoots off a text. “Almost two days.”
“Two days? Holy shit.” I try to sit up, but Kai keeps me glued to his side.
“Stay here. Sterling is bringing up food and water. You need to eat something before you get out of bed.”
At the mention of food, my stomach growls. “Yeah, I could definitely go for some food right now.”
Kai laughs softly. “I’m sure you can.”
“Has Ellis woken up yet?”
“Not yet,” he says. “But I don’t expect her to wake up for another day at least. I can’t imagine the amount of power she used to heal you.” His voice is hoarse as he speaks those words, and I hear him swallow. “Not to mention the fire she created to burn the building down.”
“What else happened? Did we get Grace out? Is Sam dead?”
Kai sighs. “Grace is at Sterling’s mom’s house. She’s … she’s very withdrawn. I think she needs Ellis. And Sam is dead. I don’t know if Ellis did it intentionally, or if her magic had a mind of its own, but even though the entire building was turned to ash, his body and head were spared. But he is most certainly dead.”
Body and head. Did she cut his head off? My vicious harpy. I’m so glad she got her revenge. Hopefully this gives her the closure she needs and she can finally move on with her life.
“Is it over?” I whisper.
“It’s over. We can start our life together now. Build our family. Live in peace.”
Kai’s words bring tears to my eyes, and I bury my head in his chest, breathing deeply. When the door opens, Sterling sits on the edge of the bed with a plate of food and a glass of water. I down the water in one gulp, sighing as the cold, wet liquid slides down my throat. The roasted chicken and veggies don’t last long either.
With my belly full and almost two days of sleep, I’m feeling more like myself. But one glance at my chest and the dried blood and dirt and ash, and I grimace. “I need to shower.”
Kai hops out of the bed and heads straight for the bathroom, and soon the sounds of the shower fill the quiet space. I lean over and press a kiss to Ellis’s forehead, studying her sleeping face. She’s paler than usual, and a frown pulls her lips down even in sleep. Slight creases surrounded her eyes, and I desperately want to wake her and let her know I’m okay. I can only imagine the pain she’s feeling, even in her sleep. But I know she needs that rest.
Instead, I force myself up, not even slightly ashamed I need Sterling to help me. The room spins alarmingly, and I grasp his arm until it stops. He hesitates just outside the bathroom.
“That was the scariest moment of my life,” he says quietly, head ducked and gaze averted. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”
I grin. Sterling has never been big on showing his emotions. His way of showing he cares is by protecting us. By being the alpha of our family and making sure we have everything we need. Words have never been easy for him. I pull him in for a hug, and he thumps me on the back before pulling away. He’s not quick enough to hide the shine of his eyes, though.
“I’ll sit with Ellis. Take your time.” Sterling goes back to the bed and sits next to Ellis, fingers gently tracing over her cheekbone.
When I push through the door, I find Kai standing in the steam with his shirt off. “Get in,” he says, voice low and almost growly.
My skin prickles under his intense stare as I tug my sweats down. Kai’s gaze is like a brand, burning every inch of my flesh. As turned on as I am, I don’t have it in me for this, and I hate to be the one to break it to him.
Kai smiles and shakes his head. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to ravish you. I just … I just want to be here with you.”
The vulnerability in his words and the almost timid way he says them cracks me open. So I step into the shower, the hot spray of water cascading over me as I wait for Kai to strip out of his pants and join me.
He stares at me for a moment, fang biting into his lower lip. “Turn around,” he says quietly.
I do as he says, and Kai runs his hands over my shoulders, soapy suds slipping down my chest. He slowly and meticulously washes every inch of me. When he gets to my hair, I close my eyes and bite back a moan. His fingers rubbing my scalp, gently massaging, loosens every muscle I’ve been holding tight since I woke up.
“Rinse off,” Kai whispers.
I turn around to rinse off the suds and wash them out of my hair. “Thank you,” I say, reaching out my hand and cupping his cheek.
There is a bleakness in his eyes, a haunted look that he doesn’t seem to be able to get rid of. It hurts to see it. This strong, cocky vampire is lost. He leans into my touch and I step forward, sliding my hand around to grab the back of his neck. Pulling him against me, I kiss him.
It’s like we can’t get close enough. Kai clings to me, pressing our bodies together so every inch of our naked skin touches. I thought the kiss would turn desperate, but instead, it stays gentle. The warm water continues to spray down on us, and we lose ourselves in the touches.
If he needs this reminder that I’m okay and alive, I’ll give it to him. He doesn’t seem to want to take it any further, and I’m okay with that. I don’t need to have sex with him to know how much he loves me. I don’t need his empath abilities to feel the depth of that love. It’s there, in the kiss, in the way he holds me tighter.
When we break apart, the water has cooled. I didn’t even realize we’d been in here that long, lost in each other. Kai stares at me with a wild look.
“Never again, Cade. Don’t ever die on me again.”