Lucius (Acquisition 4)

“Then what?” I wish I could kill Charles all over again. I wish I could make it hurt so bad his goddamn great-great-grandfather would feel it.

Sin clears his throat. “From what I could piece together, she was locked in a bedroom upstairs at the house. She couldn’t get the door open, so she tried throwing herself against it. When that didn’t work, she went to the window, probably saw what was happening between you and Charles, and then …”

I blink as my insides twist and shred. “Are you saying she threw herself out of a fucking window for me?”

“She’s a keeper,” Sin says nonchalantly, confirming it.

I try to reach for her, but then I notice her arm is in a cast. “The fuck?”

“A simple fracture. Also likely from the wreck,” Teddy fills in.

“How long until we know if she’ll … wake up?” For the first time in as long as I can remember, I fight back tears.

“Could be days, could be weeks.”

“I won’t give up on her.” I turn to Teddy. “Promise me you won’t give up on her.”

“I won’t, but Lucius. There might come a time when letting her go would be the best—”

“No.” Despite the pain, I reach out and take her hand. “She never gave up on me. I won’t do it to her.”

“You need rest as much as she does. Two major surgeries, blood loss, and the damage on your back almost impacted your spine.”

“I don’t care about any of that shit. I just need her to wake up.”

Teddy reaches over and squeezes my shoulder lightly. “She knows you’re here. It’s amazing what people in comas report once they wake. The things they could hear and sense.”

“Wake up, Evie. I’m not fucking around.” I blink away my tears and focus on her. “Come back to me.”

35

Evie

My mouth is dry. Like, not just dry. It feels like someone filled it full of chalk. Yuck. I need to get some water from the fridge. God, ice water sounds amazing right now. I just need to make sure I don’t wake Lucius.

There’s a beeping noise. It’s super annoying. He needs to change the batteries in his smoke alarm.

I open my eyes and try to roll out of bed.

My throat is so sore. Am I sick? My vision is all fuzz. Did I drink last night? I blink and blink until it starts to clear. Someone’s in the room with us. I stare straight ahead. Is it Charles? Has he found me?

The beep gets faster and faster. I can’t catch my breath. Something’s stealing it away from me. I try to scream, but only a strangled sound comes out.

“Evie!” My name comes from somewhere far away, like I’m playing telephone with soup cans and string.

Another person is here, but this time, I know who it is. Lucius. He leans in front of me, his brown hair falling onto his forehead as he looks down at me.

“Hi, darling.” He smiles, and I could swear I see tears in his eyes.

The beeping slows down.

“Hey.” My voice is more of a croak.

People are moving in the background. They’re talking, but I can’t hear them. I’m focused on Lucius as my mind starts to go in reverse, putting the whole thing together. I was at that horrible house with Charles. He was going to … I look at Lucius.

“Shh.” He strokes my hair. “You’re safe. I swear, Evie. You’re safe with me.”

I want to say ‘I know.’ But my throat hurts too much. Then I realize why. There’s a tube. It’s why my breathing feels strange.

“She’s fighting the tube.” Teddy comes into view along with another man in a white coat. He’s the one I saw when I woke up.

“Let’s go.” The man motions toward me, and two nurses come over.

Lucius moves out of their way, but he keeps his hold on my hand.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, the tube is out, and I can breathe freely again. The nurse brings a small toothbrush, and I reach for it, but my muscles are weak. Lucius takes it from her, despite her frown, and brushes my teeth for me. It feels wonderful, like scratching an itch.

I spit in a little plastic pan as best I can, and the nurse cleans up after me.

“Thank you.” I already feel tired. How is that possible? I just woke up. But when did I get here?

“You okay?” Lucius is right beside me again, one hand on my face, the other gripping my fingers. “Evie?”

“I’m … confused.”

“Totally normal.” Teddy sinks into a chair beside the bed. He looks rough. “We can go back through what happened to get it all straight for you.”

“Later.” Lucius hovers, and he can’t seem to look away.

“Wait.” I get a flash of memory. Of him, hurt badly. “Are you okay? Oh my god, you almost died! Did you die? Are we dead?”