1. Orion
CHAPTER ONE
ORION
T ime moves in a blur of blood and panic.
Hitting the distress button beneath the sink.
Killian rushing in and taking Ember’s too-cold body from my arms.
The drive to the hospital.
The sterile waiting room where every eye remained on me the whole time.
The doctors telling me my little flame’s blood loss was critical.
The wait.
Fuck, the wait.
It feels like an eternity since I woke Ember from her nightmare, since I watched as recognition filled her mesmerizing sapphire gaze. Since she realized I’m the monster that goes bump in the night, the one that tore her only family from her.
I drop my head into my hands, doing everything I can to ignore the spectators.
I’m sure I’m quite the sight. Dressed in lounge pants and a bloodstained white shirt.
Crimson coats my arms, my chest, and probably my face, given how often I’ve sat in this very position.
Add that to the fact I’m a well-known entrepreneur in Los Angeles, and I’m certain there will be gossip articles on the internet any minute now.
But I don’t give a fuck about any of that. All I care about is the woman I love.
Ember is everything.
My heart.
My soul.
My fucking life.
And I would walk away from everything right now if it meant saving her.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do if it meant her heart kept beating.
A water bottle is held in front of me, and I take it without argument.
Killian hasn’t left my side since we arrived.
He’s spoken to the doctors when I haven’t been able to think past the blood that covers me.
He’s checked in with the nurses, and he’s moved on the few people who thought it was appropriate to try to speak to me when I’m very obviously going through the hardest moments of my life.
I’m trying not to think about what will happen if she doesn’t pull through. The idea that Ember could just cease existing is incomprehensible. And that’s coming from a man who gained his name by killing people for a living. For watching as the life drained from their eyes.
That may not be a primary part of my life and job now, but that doesn’t mean it’s not ingrained in my very being.
And yet one life, one single, solitary heartbeat, has me ready to throw it all away.
“Any word?” I ask, my voice hoarse and unrecognizable.
Killian shakes his head, his amber eyes dark with worry and exhaustion. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to tell him that he spent the night in the apartment I keep for him in my building tonight, because otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten Ember here in time to even give her a chance.
“They’re running some tests to make sure her organs are functioning. I didn’t understand half of what they said, but something about extreme blood loss sometimes leading to organ failure. But the doctors are quietly hopeful that we’re not looking at anything like that.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“Of course. We’re the only family each other has, and the minute you set your sights on Ember, she became family too.”
I press my eyes closed to ward off the unfamiliar emotions that roll over me in brutal waves. After so many years with my feelings solidly locked down, I don’t know how to make sense of any of it.
“I asked if there’s a private area we could wait, given the unwanted attention you’re getting, and they said they’ll see what they can do.”
I chuckle, the sound rough and devoid of humor. “Those eyes will get you everywhere with the ladies.”
He smirks. “Don’t you forget it.”
I t’s another hour before we’re moved into what seems to be a patient room, but at least it gives us somewhere private to wait without curious eyes.
I step into the bathroom and stare at myself in the mirror above the sink.
Blood stains my cheek, my throat, my shirt, my arms, and a wave of nausea rolls over me.
I’ve never had an issue with blood. Hell, I’d go as far as to say I like it, but knowing it’s Ember’s, that it’s the very thing that keeps her heart beating, has an unfamiliar ache forming in my chest.
Fuck.
There’s a reason they say men like me shouldn’t fall in love.
I knew that going in, and yet I went searching for a queen, anyway. I was desperate to share this life with someone, even if that meant holding them at arm’s length.
Perhaps I could have stopped myself from loving the women who came before Ember. They weren’t right for me, even if I didn’t realize it at the time, and I doubt I’m the kind of man who is capable of loving more than once in my lifetime.
But Ember is different. She was born to be the queen of my kingdom. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
I flick the tap on and wipe the dried blood from my skin methodically. The water turns pink against the cream porcelain as it runs down the drain.
But even when it’s gone, I still feel it, just as every time I close my eyes I see Ember bleeding out in my arms.
God, I thought I was obsessed with her before. With watching her sleep, with making sure she ate, with tracking her every move. But after this, I know it’s only going to get worse. I don’t know how I’ll ever let her out of my sight again.
The bathroom door swings open, and I turn to snap at Killian, but the anger drains from me when I notice the doctor standing behind him.
“Is there an update?” I ask, my throat protesting against the simple words.
Without thought, I step out of the bathroom until I’m just a few feet from the doctor.
“There is.” The short man nods as he readjusts his glasses on his face, giving me a peek at his soft blue eyes.
I’ve always believed you can tell a lot from the look in a man’s eyes, and I’m comforted by the kindness that stares back at me.
“Ember is doing well, all things considered, but she’s been through a trauma.
It’s going to take her body some time to recover.
The tests show that her organs are functioning as normal, and we’ve given her transfusions to replace the blood she lost.”
“That’s great!” Killian looks over at me.
“It is,” the doctor agrees. “Given her age, we were optimistic that she would respond to treatment. But there’s a part of all this that we couldn’t start considering until Ember was out of the woods.”
He looks between us once, probably noting how much taller and broader we are than he is, paired with our tattoos. I’ve seen that same look more times than I can count. He’s about to deliver bad news, and he’s worried about how Killian and I will take it.
“Ember tried to take her life tonight, and that means we need to keep her on a mandatory psychiatric hold for at least seventy-two hours to evaluate her and make sure she’s not a threat to herself or anyone else.”
“She’s not,” I snap. “Ember would never hurt anyone.”
He takes a breath, looking back down at the chart in his hands to avoid my glare.
“While that may be the case, she has shown that, at least to some extent, she is a danger to herself. I understand that this is a difficult situation, and that your emotions are heightened because you found her, but it’s important we evaluate not only her physical injuries, but the ones in her mind as well. ”
I suck in a breath, ready to argue again, but Killian’s hand closes over my shoulder, cutting me off before I can get a word out.
“Can he see her?” Killian asks.
“Unfortunately not.” He hesitates again, and I don’t miss the way his eyes flick over his shoulder at the closed door behind him.
“Until Ember wakes up, we aren’t able to confirm where the other injuries she had when she came in came from, and it would be poor duty of care for us to allow anyone in that could have been the source of those injuries. ”
Anger slams into me, and I step forward, only to be tugged back against Killian. “I would never hurt Ember,” I growl. “Those bruises had nothing to do with me.”
He swallows heavily. “I have no doubt, but it’s hospital policy. We will be admitting Ember to the psych ward as soon as she gets the last of her transfusions, and we’ll confirm how she obtained those bruises.”
“You’re saying I won’t be able to see her until after the seventy-two-hour hold?” I ask, my voice rough and broken.
“Unfortunately, yes. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Mr. Henderson, but I assure you, we only want what’s best for Ember.”
Logically, I know what he’s saying is true, and if it were anyone else lying in that bed, I would agree. But it’s not anyone else. It’s Ember. It’s my queen. My love. My fucking life.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Killian says, his voice even despite how tight his hold on my shoulder is. I guess the last thing I need is to get arrested for killing a doctor who delivered bad news.
He gives us a single nod before leaving the room so quickly that it would be comical under normal circumstances.
Killian appears in front of me. “I’m going to organize round-the-clock security for the hospital. We may not be able to get near the ward she’s on, but I’ll make sure no one can hurt her while she’s here.”
I nod, unable to form any kind of response.
“And don’t worry about work. I’ll get it sorted.”
“Thank you,” I murmur.
I thought I knew hopelessness. I thought I knew pain. I thought I knew fear. But if today has taught me anything, it’s that I didn’t know a fucking thing.
“Find me Lucas Trainer. I think his head will be a nice welcome home gift for Ember for all he’s done.”
And it’ll give me something to focus on so I’m not the one breaking into the psychiatric ward.