Chapter 27
My head pulsed in a vicious tempo as hushed voices sounded around me.
“They should be awake by now,” Trace growled.
“Sleep is probably the best thing for them,” Colt argued. “We’ve got Declan’s and Ronan’s blood in their IVs, and their vitals are good. They’re just recovering.”
Recovering? From what?
I searched through the depths of my mind. Everything came back in flashes. Snapshots of horrifying memories. The alarm. The terrifying creatures. Their brutal attack. Dash falling.
My eyes flew open as my body gave a slight jerk.
“Easy, Firecracker,” Ronan said, his hand cupping my cheek. “You’re okay.”
“Dash,” I croaked.
“He’s right here,” Declan said from the other side of the bed. “He’s doing good.”
That was when I realized I was sharing the hospital bed with Dash. We were pressed against each other. The warmth seeping out of him gave me the slightest bit of comfort.
I rolled onto my side to face him, my hand going to his chest.
“Careful of your IV,” Colt warned.
The tube was full of a red substance I knew from their conversation was dragon blood. Dash had a matching tube in his hand.
I placed a hand over his heart. The steady beat had a whoosh of air leaving my lungs in relief.
Declan smiled at me, but there were dark circles under his eyes. “See? He just needs rest.”
I frowned down at Dash. “How long have we been out?”
“About twelve hours,” Ronan said.
“Too damn long,” Trace muttered.
My gaze lifted to him. He stood, arms crossed over his muscled chest, black T-shirt pulled tight across the expanse, and a scowl on his face.
“I missed you, too.”
Trace ate up the space in three long strides. He took my face in his hands, rough palms pulling my mouth to his. He kissed me long and hard and then rested his forehead on mine. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I had to,” I whispered. “I couldn’t let him die.”
A shuddered breath left Trace’s lungs. “I know. I just—nothing can happen to you.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed, trying to clear it. “Nothing can happen to any of you, either.”
A groan sounded from next to us, and Trace released me, jerking back.
A panicked hope surged deep inside me. “Dash?”
His eyelids fluttered.
My hand found his chest again. “We’re right here. Open your eyes.”
Those lids fluttered again, but this time, blue irises shone through. It took Dash a few moments to focus on my face. “Mon Coeur.”
His voice was more rasp than words, but it was him.
My tears came in an instant, filling my eyes and spilling over onto his chest.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered.
“I almost lost you.”
“I’m right here,” he promised.
I dropped my head, pressing my lips gently to his. As I pulled back, there was more color in Dash’s cheeks.
“If you ever do something like that again, I’m going to seriously kick your ass,” I threatened.
He chuckled, then winced.
I sat up. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Dash shook his head. “I just feel like I went a few rounds with a rabid grizzly.”
“It’s normal,” Colt assured us. “It’s the venom working its way out of his system. It leaves behind what feels like a bruise.”
I knew I should be comforted by Colt’s words, but I wasn’t. I hated the idea that those monsters had left anything behind.
I glanced at Colt. “How long should it last?”
Colt glanced at his watch. “Probably another twelve hours.”
Dash squeezed my hand. “No time at all.”
My back teeth ground together. “I hate them.”
Trace’s brows lifted in question.
“The shadow demons,” I explained.
His eyes flashed. “Join the club.”
Dash pushed up against the pillows so he was sitting up. “Was anyone else hurt?”
Declan slapped his brother on the back. “Ronan’s going to have a sexy scar on his shoulder.”
My gaze snapped to him. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he assured me. “Baldwin got the poultice on my wound early, and it was only a small one.”
“Anyone else?” Dash asked.
Ronan and Colt shared a look.
Anxiety swept through me. “Who?” I whispered.
“We lost Louis and six other guards,” Colt said softly.
I gasped. “No.”
Dash’s expression went stony. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“No, it shouldn’t,” Trace gritted out.
“Baldwin’s gathering information now,” Ronan informed us. “He should be back any minute with a report.”
“Louis,” I whispered. “He was so nice.”
Ronan squeezed my shoulder. “I know.”
“There has to be something we can do. Some way to keep them from these kinds of attacks,” I said.
Colt scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “We have early warning systems in place. It might be possible for one to sneak by, but an entire horde? It shouldn’t have been possible.”
My stomach churned. Had the shadow demons somehow figured out how to evade Colt’s security? And if they had, how would we protect ourselves moving forward?
As if reading my mind, Colt went on. “Darius is sending over a dozen wolves to help fill in the gaps in our security rotation.”
“That’s nice of him.”
Colt nodded. “I know he wasn’t the best in the beginning, but he really is on our side.”
I knew that. I could see it in the way he’d stepped up recently. And we needed all the help we could get.
The infirmary door opened, and Baldwin stepped inside. The poor man looked exhausted and unbelievably sad. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and his brown hair was in haphazard disarray.
“You’re awake.” He tried to smile as he closed the door behind him but didn’t quite get there. “I’ve talked to everyone.”
Colt straightened. “Any discoveries?”
Baldwin let out a long breath, as if gathering his strength. “It was a complete ambush. A coordinated attack that began at the same exact second at the three different guard posts.”
Energy crackled in the room, and I studied each person’s face. There was one common emotion among them. Fury.
“They knew where the guards were,” Declan gritted out.
Trace’s hands fisted at his sides. “Someone had to tell them. Someone who has been on this property before. Someone we know.”