“Bold words for someone whose girlfriend is about to die.”
His words hit me like a truck. It doesn’t matter who he was sent by — or any of them, for that matter. But they know about my relationship with Blair, and all of my attempts to keep it under wraps have been futile. Now that they know, it’s only going to get harder.
Blair looks at me with so much love. It’s like she’s surrendered to death already, her eyes pleading with me. My throat tightens at the sight, and I take an involuntary step forward. My body aches to be with her; my soul begs to hold her in my arms just once more.
“Blair,” I say. “Are you alright?”
She nods.
“Aria?” I call out, silently asking the same question without taking my eyes off the knife that’s on Blair’s throat.
“I’m fine,” Aria responds, and the relief that fills my veins is instant.
Freya slowly rises to her feet, jaw gritted together. Blood’s still gushing from her eye, and she looks at all the men, switching between them. She’s in pain, her body trembling. It could be from all the anger, too.
Her hand reaches for the small button on her metal desk, and she presses it immediately. From the ceiling, droplets of something start to fall. It resembles rain, coating us all in thick layers.
“If I’m dying, all of you are dying with me.”
TWENTY-NINE
Blair’s chest rises and falls as she sleeps soundly in the bed. Her hair’s sprawled all over the pillow, yet, even in her unconscious state, she seems to be seeking me out. Her hand’s tightly wrapped around mine, and she won’t let go.
Slowly, with my free hand, I brush off a strand of her hair out of her face, staring at her face. She looks like the prettiest angel my eyes have ever been blessed to see. Her plump lips are inviting, and I can’t wait for her to wake up so I can kiss the shit out of her.
Thank God Freya was smart enough to press the button that only released sleeping gas. Because of the gear I had on, I was protected from it; hence, I was the only one not to be put asleep.All of the men had bullets in their skulls within a minute, and I personally took Aria, Blair, and Freya out of that hellhole.
Freya’s in the hospital, and it came as a shock that my theory was right. A bullet pierced straight through her eye, and it’s a miracle it didn’t hit her brain. From what the doctors have told me, she should make a full recovery and won’t have lasting neurological issues. However, her eye’s gone.
There’s no way she’ll ever repair eyesight in that one, because her entire eyeball was blown off by the bullet. I wince at the memory of the conversation with the doctor, because that has to be one of the most painful things I’ve ever heard.
Aria’s unharmed, thankfully, as is Blair. The two have a few cuts and scratches, but nothing major that won’t heal. However, now that I’m seeing Blair after weeks of being apart again, she looks healthier.
She’s put on some weight, her skin looks brighter, and the dark bags underneath her eyes are gone. She looks like the old version of herself, the one she was when we met. I know that the demons inside her mind still roam freely and that she’s concealing a lot for my sake, but that stops today.
I got too weak. I allowed myself a vice that nearly destroyed me, and I allowed myself to distance myself from the other half of me, and it won’t happen again. Blair needs a strong man by her side, and I’ll be damned if I’m weak ever again.
I lean in, kissing her forehead tenderly. My lips linger on her skin, the small act of affection sending a shock wave through my body. That one passionate night we had together lingers in the back of my head, and the fact that she was my first makes it more exciting.
She was my first, and I fully intend to make her be my one and only forever.
Blair stirs a little, her hand grasping me tighter. I pull back enough to watch as her eyes flutter open. Those beautiful browneyes stare back at me with a little confusion within. She uses her free hand to rub her eyes, yawning a little in the process.
I smile. “Morning, butterfly.”
The moment my voice reaches her ears, her eyes widen and she sits up. Before I can blink, Blair wraps her arms around me, hugging me as tightly as possible, head buried in my chest.
“Arlo,” she whispers. “Are you okay?”
I laugh softly, kissing the top of her head. “I have you back in my arms. I’m more than okay. Are you alright, though?”
Blair distances herself from me, looking at our hands intertwined together. A ghost of a smile is on her lips, and she brings my knuckles to her mouth, pressing a soft, lingering kiss. My eyes close as I suck in a deep breath, the tender moment making my heart swell in affection.
“I’m okay,” she murmurs. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, butterfly.”
“Wait,’’ Blair frowns. “What the hell happened?”
