twenty-nine
. . .
peony
Rupert’s no longer in critical condition, thank goodness, so I’m not sleeping in the chair at his bedside like I was for the last two nights. But the moment I wake up in my bedroom back at the manor, I’m picking up some flowers to take to the hospital, Kellen tagging along.
I can’t express to Rupert how much it means to me that he came for me; that he risked everything to rescue me. The least I can do is try to brighten up his hospital room.
Rupert arches an eyebrow when I bring the flowers in. “This isn’t a funeral home.”
I laugh as I put them in a vase and straighten them. “They’re just going to cheer up the place a little.”
“I don’t know how much ‘cheering’ is possible under these fluorescent lights,” Kellen grumbles.
We all play cards, then watch television, putting on Rupert’s favorite show. I head home after a while to make usa meal, then bring it back with me and serve it on paper plates from the cafeteria.
A home-cooked meal is just what Rupert needed to get his spirits back up, and when I head home for the night, he stops me with a kiss.
“I hope you know what I’m going to do to you when I’m home,” he says after Kellen leaves the room, rubbing his nose over my belly.
“It’s going to be a while before you’re well enough forthat.” But I love how eager he is. “Focus on healing, and then we’ll get to go back to the manor. Together.”
With a sigh, Rupert says goodnight, and I kiss him once more on the top of the head between his horns.
I feel terrible leaving him behind, knowing he’s only here because of me. He showed himself to the entire world to come and rescue me, and he took two bullets to save me.
If I ever doubted how he felt about me, those doubts are gone. He did the very thing he fears most. His existence is no longer a secret. I know it will carry a heavy price, but I’m glad that he’s still with me—and we have our whole lives ahead of us.
But the next morning, I’m surprised to find Rupert partially dressed in bed when I return to the hospital with some of his things. He sits up when we enter, and I gape at him.
“Your wound!” I rush over to his side. “You’re hurt, you shouldn’t be moving like that!”
“Peony, Peony.” He kisses each of my cheeks. “It’s all right.”
That’s when the nurse chooses to walk in, a clipboard in his hand.
“The doctor says that if you can do some basic movements, you’re free to go.” The nurse side-eyes me. “We’ve never seen anyone heal like this before. It’s like two months passed in two days.”
My brows furrow in confusion as Rupert lifts the hospital gown, showing off the huge wound in his side. Sure enough, it has healed remarkably well, but it still looks painful and red.
The nurse just shakes his head. “Crazy,” he mutters, and I’m not sure if it’s meant for us or himself.
“I guess that’s one advantage to this form,” Rupert says as he carefully dresses in the fresh clothes I brought him. “I didn’t know I could heal like that, but here we are.”
I shake my head in wondrous disbelief as Kellen holds open the door for Rupert to limp through.
“You’ve never even had a cold before,” he says. “I never thought twice about it until now.”
“Getting shot does change some things,” Rupert remarks.
People gasp as we pass down the hall, murmuring to each other and pointing. A toddler cries on our way through the big front doors.
And then, finally, we’re back at the manor again, and Rupert is over the moon to see his own bed. I cook him a good, warm meal—a beef pot pie with a chocolate custard for dessert—because I can’t help celebrating that he’s home, that we both escaped Andy.
Later in the night, Rupert insists I stay with him, and I’m more than happy to curl up at my monster’s side, knowing he’s with me once more, right where he belongs.
First thing the next morning, I wake up to something warm and wet prodding at my backside. I slept in my pajamas, but I can still feel Rupert’s cock through the fabric. When I move slightly, he snuffles but doesn’t otherwise appear to be awake.
