“Ah, little one, I’m sorry. I would take the pain if I could.” He ran his hand up and down my thigh, and I gritted my teeth as the vehicle made another sharp turn.
I wanted to open my eyes, to see what was wrong with me. My memories were jarring, mixed-up. I couldn’t make top from bottom, because the pain stole my consciousness and took precedence in my head.
And that’s when the darkness took me, and what a sweet relief it was.
I felt hands on me; a hard, warm body pressed to me. I realized I was moving, the small, jarring motions causing me to grit my teeth as waves of pain encompassed me.
I was in someone’s arms as they carried me.
Luca. I was in Luca’s strong arms.
I moaned and felt the pace quicken, heard more rushed words filtering around me from him, words I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know if they were in his native tongue, or if it was because my ears were filled with the sound of my pulse racing.
His deep voice surrounded me.
I wanted to open my eyes, to look at him, to have him tell me the missing bits of my memory. But they wouldn’t cooperate, as if glued shut, sealed forever.
Panic momentarily seized me, my heart pounding harder, sweat covering me. I struggled even though it made me hurt even more. Why couldn’t I open my eyes? God, was I dying? I was dying, the world fading from me.
No, no, I didn’t want to die. I’d finally felt what living was like. I’d finally realized what being alive, what being whole was.
And it was because I had Luca. We’d found each other.
I cried, but it wasn’t from pain. It was from fear of losing him, of losing it all.
There was a loud, rhythmic pounding—footsteps racing over a hard surface. Then there was the bang of what could only be a door hitting a wall.
The chill settled in, and I began to shake. I felt Luca’s fingers digging into me harder, sensed his fear mounting.
He was afraid I was dying too.
And that was the last thought I had before that familiar, friendly darkness pulled me back under with welcoming, warm arms.
I smelled fire before I heard the crackling of something burning.
The warmth came next, a full-body one that had this strong kind of pleasure filling me, the kind you had when you’d been cold for so long but now felt the heat and knew you were okay.
I felt my brows pull down as I took inventory of my body. I didn’t move as the memory of the pain, the jarring motions, and the breath-stealing discomfort slammed into my mind. I took note I was in a bed, one that was soft and warm, the blankets over me not too heavy, but making me feel secure.
I inhaled deeply, smelling all things Luca, this comfort and contentment filling me. It was the same feeling I got when I was home.
A few sounds in the room started filtering in even more, some harder to hear. The fire crackling came through in this calm wave, the scent of burning wood more pronounced.
Aside from that, I didn’t hear much else, maybe if I listened hard enough, I could pick up the leaves blowing outside as the wind picked up.
But that was it. Just... stillness.
I blinked open my eyes then, staring at the ceiling, one that was high and grand and arched with exposed wood. I only moved my eyes around, but was unable to see much from this position.
I let my eyes filter over to the left, seeing massive curtains hanging closed over what I assumed were equally large windows.
And then my eyes slid over to the corner, the shadows concealing the majority of that space as if it was a black hole. The light from the fireplace couldn’t reach that area, couldn’t penetrate that coldness.
But I saw him clearly.
Luca sat on a chair in that dark corner, his forearms braced on his muscular thighs, his hands clasped together, and his eyes trained right on me. He made the chair look like it belonged in a dollhouse, his form so imposing and massive that I was surprised it could even hold him.
I licked my lips and shifted on the bed, a small whimper of discomfort leaving me. And then he was up and out of the chair instantly, moving toward me so quickly that a small sound of surprise escaped me.
His expression was intense, possessive, and... stricken as he raked his gaze over my face and then down my body, even though the blankets concealed me.
And then my large Lycan protector fell to his knees beside the bed, reached out, and cupped both sides of my face, his thumbs smoothing along my cheekbones, his eyes boring into mine.
My breath caught at the look of pure adoration on his face. It came through his worry like this balm that instantly had me sinking back against the bed.