the hospital, Rasha, and Hiro all came back to me, and I realized I was still lying on Hiro’s chest, having fallen asleep at some point. I tilted my head up to find Hiro smirking down at me. “Sorry.”
“You’re fine. I fell asleep, too.” He kissed my forehead. “I need to go sign some papers and talk to the doctors before they’ll let me take Rasha home. Do you mind waiting in here with her in case she wakes up?”
“Sure.” I pushed off his chest and rubbed my eyes with a big yawn.
Hiro stretched as he stood up.
“What time is it?”
“About seven in the morning. I’ll be right back. It’ll take a few hours before she’s actually discharged, but I wanna get the ball rollin’ so we can get home. She hates being stuck in a hospital bed.” Before I could really respond to that, he squeezed my shoulder and walked out of the room.
I stretched, but didn’t get up. Instead, I watched the sleeping girl in the hospital bed with a pang in my heart. How could someone be so cruel? How could they harm an innocent baby? How the hell was I going to fix this? If Ailin couldn’t fix her with his healing magic, there was no way in hell I’d be able to. How was I going to save her?
Hiro came back with a bunch of papers, so he sat beside me, filling things out and handing me the sheets he was supposed to take home with him.
Eventually, Rasha woke up, ate some gross hospital food, saw a bunch of doctors that ran a few more tests, and then finally she was discharged since they knew there was nothing else they could do for her hex. I walked with them down the hall to the parking lot with a hospital staff member wheeling Rasha out in a wheelchair. Hiro went to get his car, so I stood with the little girl. She looked happy to be going home.
After Hiro got her settled in the back seat and the guy wheeled the wheelchair back inside, I stood there awkwardly. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Should I invite myself back to his house? Should I tell him to call me if he needed me, even if I didn’t want to leave him? Should I tell him I’d meet him at his house? I hadn’t driven here—I’d ridden Blaze—but I could get my Bonded to fly me over if I needed to.
Hiro hesitated in front of me for a few seconds, then he sighed and asked, “Want to come back with us?”
I grinned. “I’d love to.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re only allowed in my car if you stop smiling like that.”
I laughed. “Like what?”
“Like you won the lotto or some shit. You seriously look insane right now. You’re gonna scare Rasha half to death.”
“I can’t help it.” I laughed out.
He chuckled and opened the passenger side door. “Get in, you git.”
I grinned at that even more, making him roll his eyes and chuckle as I got in the front seat. Then I watched the view as he walked around to the other side. It was a good fucking view, too. It was nice seeing his entire body without that damn cloak on. His jeans were hugging his ass in all the right places. My mouth was suddenly dry, and my pants felt a little too tight.
When he got into the driver’s seat and saw me staring, he asked, “What?”
I shook my head because nothing that came out of my mouth would be appropriate with his kid in the car.
He tilted his head for a second, then lifted a shoulder and started the car. “You buckled up back there, peanut?”
“Yep.”
The drive to his house was pretty quiet, surprisingly. Rasha seemed like a quiet kid—or maybe it was just because I was in the car with them—compared to my brothers and sisters. Or maybe I just came from a family of loudmouths. That was probably it.
He parked in front of his house and opened the back door for Rasha. She started to bolt for the door, but he caught her, picked her up with a laugh, and said, “I don’t think so. You know the rule when we come home from the hospital.”
She sighed. “I haveta walk slow and sit on the couch.”
“You got it.” He swung her up into his arms, then glanced over at me. “Would you mind grabbin’ the bag?”
“Sure.” I smiled even though I