Less than an hour later, Cora slips through the doorway. “Would you like to see him?”
I’m on my feet immediately. Nell joins her mate and Qinnu out in the hall. Their faces, grim an hour ago, now convey a sense of relief.
“Axe is expected to make a full recovery in the next few days,” the medic addresses all of us. “Silver, as you know, is known to be fatal if heavily absorbed into our bloodstream. I removed the bullet that shattered his clavicle, but tiny fragments of it remain. Axe is tough, but this will irritate him over the next seventy-two hours. He’ll need to stay in bed. I’ll be monitoring him closely to make sure he doesn’t develop a fever.”
Jabir grimaces. “Seventy-two hours? Good luck with that.”
Qinnu elbows him in the side. “If his mate’s there with him, I doubt he’ll need much convincing.”
The Betas snicker at that remark. Cora, however, doesn’t find it remotely amusing.
“You don’t understand the gravity of the situation. That first bullet was just centimeters below his carotid artery. The risk of vascular damage—” Crestfallen, tears prick her eyes. “It was close. Too close.”
Something in my heart cries out then. The rest of the world blurs into irrelevance. I bolt into the office.
In the far-right corner, Axe is dozing on a leather sofa. The mere sight of his exhaustion has me finally coming to grips with my own, dropping to my knees. My fingers slide over his and those breathtaking sapphire eyes open.
“Hey.” I grin.
He winces, noting the flannel that cuts off right above my kneecaps. “I ruined your dress.”
His skin is far too pale, eyes slightly sunken in. The corners of my mouth droop. “How are you feeling?”
“Like my entire body is boiling on the inside. Damn silver burn.”
On the floor sits a bucket Cora has filled with cool water. I pull out one of the floating rags and ring out the excess. Then, careful to avoid touching the bandages on his neck and shoulder, I adjust the pillow under his head and drape the rag on his forehead.
“There. Hopefully that helps.”
It’s impossible to ignore his wide chest gleaming with sweat. Or the little water droplets from the rag that roll down his throat column. My hands yearn to feel the smooth, muscled plane, but I don’t want to risk inflicting another ounce of pain on the man.
Axe breaks the weighted silence. “Fiancé, huh?”
Shit. He overheard that?
I brush it off with a chuckle. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It just tumbled out of me. Had to give the enforcers something of use.”
“That’s alright. Though I would’ve settled for being your friend.”
My gaze trails upwards to his lips. “You sure that ship hasn't already sailed?”
“I heard what you said. Just before I blacked out.”
A sharp inhale has me recalling the image of his blood pooling like spilled paint, consciousness dwindling. The sheer panic in my heart. “I promise I’ll stay with you. I’m yours. I’mall yours?—”
His voice dips. “Did you mean it?”
“Yes,” I breathe. And gods be damned, it’s true.
A pause dangles between us as Axe processes what I’ve just admitted.
“What happened tonight—it doesn’t need to change anything. You’re in shock.”
I flinch like claws have just swiped my chest. “Of course it changes things.”
My throat burns. “You were bleeding out in my hands, Axe. I thought I was losing you . . . You may think that your strength is boundless and that you aren’t so easy to kill, but stubborn as you are, that bullet was centimeters shy of taking your life.”
Axe sits up on his elbows with a grunt.
