Chapter 40
Elsie
“Elsie.”
I felt like I was in the clouds, angelic voices drifting around me.
“Baby, please open your eyes.”
That was certainly not an angel’s voice, but one I knew well.
“Elsie, please.”
Slowly, I peeled my eyes open. It took every ounce of effort I had.
All I could see was blinding sunlight for a few seconds, but when my eyes adjusted, I saw the blue irises I’d dreamed of.
“Elsie,” Lukas breathed, relief softening his face.
I looked around slowly, realizing we were…in my front yard. When I tried to sit up, I found I didn’t have the energy.
“Take it easy, baby.”
“What…” My brain scrambled to put the pieces together. I was lying down…outside my house. How did I get here?
“You’re okay,” Lukas whispered, as though he were talking more to himself than me. His lips were warm against my forehead.
I was shaking my head, what little I could manage, and tried to sit up again. Something felt wrong.
“Here,” a voice from my right said. I turned to see a young woman in blue scrubs. She did something I couldn’t see, and suddenly I was sitting up. I was on a medical bed.
I took in more of my surroundings, disoriented by everything.
There was an armored enforcement vehicle in the driveway, dozens of enforcers standing around.
In the mix, I saw Calvin talking to one of them.
Blood stained his white button-down and his hands, and I wondered if he had been hurt in the battle.
I looked to my left, seeing the front window of the house shattered, with black char marks on the grass in front of it.
No.
“Lukas,” I cried, feeling tears spill down my cheeks.
“Shh.” He ran a hand over my hair, then used his thumb to wipe away my tears. “You’re okay. He’s in custody now.”
“No,” I whimpered, my eyes locked on the busted window.
“They’re going to take you to the hospital soon. And we’ll all be there with you.”
I shook my head, looking Lukas in the eye. My vision was blurry from all the tears filling my eyes.
“My library,” I choked out, bringing my hands up to my face.
“I’m so sorry, Elsie. We’re going to save as much of it as we can.”
Flashes of the spells cast by Arnold, hitting my shelves, crowded my mind. The enforcers did the same, not caring that they were destroying my precious books.
“They’re ruined,” I sobbed, leaning on Lukas, who wrapped an arm around me.
“Not all of them. I promise I will do everything in my power to save as much as we can and replace what we can’t.”
I was horrified. Years of collecting by my mother and me were destroyed.
“Heal first, Elsie. You’re lucky to be alive.”
I pulled back. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I remember them destroying my books.”
Lukas let out a little chuckle. “One of the enforcers’ spells hit you.” He motioned to my shoulder. “If it had hit you just a little higher…”
Lukas looked like he was going to be sick just thinking about what had happened. I didn’t remember it, but he clearly was replaying every moment.
My books were forgotten for the moment, and a fresh wave of tears crashed over me.
“Hey, you’re okay now.” He was brushing my hair out of my face, but I pushed his hand away, holding it with a vise grip instead.
“Lukas, if you hadn’t come downstairs…” I shook my head, trembling at the memory. Arnold was going to kill me as soon as I gave him what he wanted. “You saw them outside?”
He gave me a quick nod, tears in his own eyes.
“You saved me.”
I was fully sobbing now, overcome with gratitude. This man had risked his life for mine. And before that, he’d done everything in his power to make me feel cared for and considered since the very first day we met.
“Don’t cry, Elsie.”
With a deep breath, I reached up to grab Lukas’s shirt, pulling him down to me. Our lips met in slow, aching tenderness, a conversation of all that we could have lost today.
When we pulled away, I held his gaze as I whispered, “I love you.”
A wicked grin spread across his face, and he captured my lips once more, echoing my words in his kiss. When he leaned back, he held my face in his hands, wiping away the tears still falling.
“I love you, Elsie Clarke.”
“Elsie!” The door to my hospital room was flung open, and in came Henri and Ivy, followed by their respective boyfriends. The girls both had tears in their eyes and relief on their faces as they looked at me.
“I’m okay, I’m okay!” I squealed as they rushed in to hug me. “Can’t say the same for my books, though.”
I was definitely bitter. And heartbroken.
“Easy, girls. She’s alive but still injured,” Lukas said from his chair only three feet away from me. His tone held a bit of humor, but not enough to cover his protectiveness.
Henri and Ivy lurched back, looking at me for injury. I slowly pulled on the neckline of the awful hospital gown I was forced to wear. The large bandage wrapped around my trap was revealed and they both gasped. I peeked at it to see it was bleeding through again.
“Apparently it was a bleeding spell, and Calvin tried to reverse it but it had already set in. So now, I have to stay here for two days until the spell wears off.” I shrugged, then cut my eyes over to Lukas.
“He got hit with one too, but he refused a hospital bed. Made them set him up in here with me.”
When we’d arrived at the hospital, I realized that Lukas had also been injured. He’d allowed the nurses to wrap him up, but refused care until we got here, allowing his arm to bleed through his bandages. I was a bit hysterical when I found out.
“He’s handling it better than I would have,” Noah muttered from the doorway. Henri rolled her eyes at him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I can’t…I’m so sorry.” Henri sat on my bed and grabbed my hand, her eyes showing an understanding that only she could.
“We’re all alive. And Arnold is in custody. That’s what matters.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to bring up my library again.
“Well, we brought you food, if you’re up for it?” Remy held up bags of takeout and my stomach growled in response.
“Thank goodness. I couldn’t bear to look at the dry meatloaf they offered me here.”
Laughter bounced around the room. We ate and played card games that my friends also brought, and by the end of the night, I nearly forgot the events of the day and that I was even in a hospital.