As soon as he woke up, I’d leave.
Yes, that was my plan. I exhaled slowly and rolled my neck. The pinches all over my body were flaring to an uncomfortable level. Especially my neck and cheek where Drake had hit me.
I rubbed my eyebrow and quickly yanked my hand away at the sting that radiated to my jaw. Faint fingerprints adorned my arms where that asshole had held me, so I couldn’t imagine how discolored my jawline and neck were. Other than that, my shoulder was sore from the blow, but it was nothing I couldn’t deal with.
Alex still hadn’t shown up, and it was the next night already. That was one reason I was trying not to freak out. The other, and main one, was that Lucian hadn’t woken up. He was only two hours late based on the estimation Melodie had given me, but it felt like an eternity.
With my elbows on the edge of the bed, I laced my hands and studied his bruised face. Even with the cut on his forehead, the plum color blooming across his nose and cheekbone, and the swelling, he was beautiful. The mate I never knew I was missing. My tattoo pulsed, making a point.
The ink had been on my mind for a while. I’d been debating whether I should get it removed or covered up.
Lucian kicked his good leg out, and it caused the blanket to slip down his bare chest. I grabbed it and tucked it around him, untangling it from his limb.
He groaned and kicked out again, making it slip to his belly button.
He must be hot. I bunched the edge and pulled it around his waist, right above his belly button. The dip of his abs flexed, and I slid my hand over the dip and swells as I pulled away. So soft . . . and strong and?—
“I should go,” I muttered to myself, my pulse thundering in my ears. I released the edge of the blanket, but before I could pull away fully, he caught my wrist, keeping my hand flat against his hard abs.
“No,” he blurted.
I gasped, my eyes widening.
“Lucian!” I exclaimed in relief, so much relief. He tried to sit up, and he hissed out a breath, his arm curling around his midsection.
“Stop, you have two cracked ribsanda broken one.”
“Don’t leave,” he croaked, his features scrunched.
“Lucian—”
“No,” he growled, sitting up, but his face remained splashed with agony. The male was stubborn as fuck.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But stop moving. You need to rest.”
He stared at me steadily and lay down, groaning and clasping his side. Blood bloomed across the pristine bandage on his side.
“Lucian,” I reproached, standing and pressing his shoulder while also reaching for the button to call for Melodie.
The door swung open, and the more muscular male nurse entered. Lucian was too busy squeezing his eyes shut, lips in a tight line, to see him enter. I could feel the man approach at my back, and then his woodsy shifter scent filled my nostrils.
“Luna, if you’d step outside.”
“No,” Lucian snarled and lunged upright so suddenly, I couldn’t have stopped him. He grabbed the male’s shoulder, easily bringing him to the bed to wrap his hand around his throat.
“She does not leave,” he hissed into the man’s face.
“Lucian, let him go,” I shouted. I should know the name of the guy Lucian kept trying to kill. I gripped the wrist of the hand holding the male. The nurse was incredibly still, his eyes peeled wide.
“Stop,” I snarled at him. He growled and finally shoved him away. I caught a glimpse of the name tag. Robert.
He backed away, chest heaving. Lucian hadn’t removed his eyes from Robert, and I intercepted his view.
“Enough.” I clasped his hand and, with my free one, I pushed him back.
His lips thinned, and his face paled.
“You’re only making it worse for yourself,” I snapped.
