I shrug. “Do the same thing you did when I had the flu for two weeks. I’m sure that involved a lot of coffee drinking, shit-talking, and discussions about dick.”
Raven grins. “You’re not wrong.”
The atmosphere shifts, an intense energy pervading the space. I know it’s Xavier before I turn my head. A deep and profound sense of relief hits me, and my eyes sting with tears at his appearance.
Thank fuck he’s alive.
“Speaking of dick,” Raven sing-songs.
“Hey, little raptor,” he says, his expression guarded. “Raven. June.”
I smile at him, unsure about his mood. “Hey.”
“She’s not a dinosaur. Unless it’s a sex-a-saurus.” Raven jumps to her feet. “Come on, Juniper. Let’s find some lunch.” She looks at me. “I’ll come visit you later, roomie. Get some rest.”
June rises, her gaze flitting between me and Xavier. “I’ll text you later.”
The two of them rush past Xavier, who steps aside to allow them to exit. His eyes never leave me. I hold his gaze, my skin prickling with apprehension.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” I say. My attempt to lighten the mood falls flat when he frowns. “What’s wrong? What did the Order say?”
Xavier waves a hand in dismissal before he walks up to my bed, his gaze sweeping over me. When his eyes lock onto the IV stuck in my arm, his jaw clenches.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
I reach for him, taking his hand. He threads his fingers through mine. “It’s okay.” I soften my voice to soothe him but keep it firm to be reassuring. “I’m fine.”
“It’s not fine,” he snaps. “Nothing about this is fucking fine. You could’ve died. So many times.”
“But I didn’t.”
He lifts my hand and kisses it, his expression filled with both tenderness and torment. “I could’ve lost you.”
“Loss is a part of life,” I say. “But so is love. I had to protect you because what we have is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“All I ever wanted wasyou.” He shakes his head. “But not like this. Promise me you’ll never put yourself at risk for me.”
His grip tightens, the anguish in his tone evident. It’s the same desperation and fear I saw on his face when I raced toward him in the vault, uncaring if I died.
“I can’t promise that,” I say. “It’s not a choice I’m willing to make.”
He glowers at me. “Now is not the time to fuck with me by throwing my words in my face, Delilah. I’ve come so close to losing you that it’s ruined me. My head isn’t right.”
I sigh. “I promise that I won’t take any unnecessary chances with my safety. Okay?”
Xavier is silent for several seconds before nodding. He presses another kiss to my hand. “I love you. So fucking much.”
“I love you, too.” My smile fades as I recall the reason for his absence. “What happened with the Order?”
He sits next to me on the bed, his gaze averted. “I know you’re going to try to do something about it, and there’s nothing to be done.”
“What did they say?” I suck in a breath as a thought occurs to me. “Are they giving me to another crow?”
Xavier makes a soothing noise. “It’s nothing like that. You know I’d kill someone before I let that happen.”
“Then what is it?”
“The Order has taken the Donovan empire and given it to my cousin.” He shrugs. “That’s fine with me.”
