Page 143 of Bleed with Me

Wifey: You know Malin is too scary for heaven or hell. They will kick him back to us.

Her efforts to lift my mood were adorable, but I decided not to continue the topic. Instead, I typed.

Me: Can you stop stalking me? It’s creepy.

The response lit up my phone half a minute later.

Wifey: No. I’m allowed to know where my husband is and with whom. Mine, remember? ❤️

Me: It’s still creepy, ma vilaine.

The three dots appeared almost instantly. I waited for her reply with a stupid grin, biting my lower lip.

“You’re so fucked,” the raspy voice said as the message came.

“Yes, I am,” I confirmed, the words settling a heartbeat later. My eyes grew wide in a millisecond. I whipped my head toward Malin, my gaze colliding with his bored one.

“You’re awake,” I exhaled in shock. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor.

“Great observation, Sherlock,” he groaned, trying to move.

I jumped to my feet and checked the monitors before shining my penlight into his eyes. His pupils reacted perfectly, but I still struggled to comprehend that he’d just woken up. Just like that, as if it were another fucking Thursday!

“What took you so long?” I asked, but quickly remembered I was a doctor first. “Forget that,” I said. “How many fingers do you see?”

“Three,” Malin frowned, answering correctly. “And your… fucked-up face in the background.”

“Focus. Can you squeeze my hand?” I placed mine in his, and his fingers enclosed my palm. It wasn’t firm, but the reaction was there.

“Great, do you know where you are?”

“In hell,” he groaned. “Who kicked… your ass?”

“Zyon.” I chuckled, wiping my nose. Relief washed over me like a wave. The chain, squeezing my chest for days, finally loosened its crushing hold on me.

“I took a nap for a… moment.” He rolled his eyes, and my grin grew wider.

“You’re back.” Tears of pure happiness fell down my cheeks. “Fuck, I was scared.”

“And sentimental.” Malin raised a brow but grimaced. Half of his face was bruised and swollen. “The first kidnapping?” He paused to take a breath. “You don’t remember half of it.”

“I remember enough,” I replied, my heart skipping beats with joy. “Stay still, I’ll call neuro to check up on you.” I straightened to my full height, grinning like an idiot. “And our mom. She’s been freaking out.” I squeezed his hand. “We all were.”

“Obviously,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

Indescribable peace settled in my chest.

“Rest, I’ll be right back.”

I picked up my phone from the floor and noticed more texts from Nina. I was about to read them when Malin’s weak voice stopped me.

“Wait a second,” he muttered, trying to sit, but he could barely open his eyes. “The other…”

My brows furrowed.

“The other biker?” I asked, and he slowly nodded.

“Dead?”