"I know."
"What happens now?"
"Now you rest. Heal. Recover." Shadow's hand strokes through my damp hair. "And then we deal with Venom. End this permanently. But not tonight. Tonight all you need to do is rest."
I close my eyes, exhaustion pulling me under. "Shadow?"
"Yeah, darlin'?"
"Thank you for finding me."
"Don’t you ever thank me for that, girl."
I fall asleep in his arms, safe and protected and loved.
The nightmare is over.
But somewhere in Houston, Venom is planning his revenge.
This isn't finished, not by a long shot.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Shadow
Grace finally slept.
Four, maybe five hours of restless sleep at the clubhouse, but it's more than she got the night before.
More than I got—I didn't sleep at all.
I couldn't.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her in that cage.
It's eight in the morning now, and we're getting ready to leave.
Sakura's doing a final check on Grace's injuries in one of the back rooms.
I'm standing outside the door because I physically cannot be more than ten feet away from her right now.
Pathetic? Maybe.
Do I care? No.
The door opens, and Sakura steps out. "She's good to travel. Concussion is mild—no vision problems, no vomiting, pupils are fine. Wrists are healing. The bruising will fade. She needs rest, but she can handle the drive."
"Thank you," I say. "For everything."
Sakura touches my arm. "She's stronger than you think, Shadow. She'll be okay."
I nod, but I'm not sure I believe it yet.
Grace emerges, wearing borrowed clothes—jeans, a plain t-shirt, my hoodie over it because she's been cold since the rescue.
Her face is still bruised, her wrists bandaged, but she's standing.
"Ready to go home?" I ask.
