stomach. The Minotaur’s sharp teeth flashed in my mind. It was hazy, thankfully so, but I remembered it with more clarity than I intended. I remembered the pain.
Suddenly, I wanted to rip the gown off and examine the horror waiting for me underneath.
Grey leaned over me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ll be fine. Mom brought in the best plastic surgeon in the area. It just needs time to heal.”
Plastic surgeon? Since when did I need a surgeon when there were a bunch of wizards running around? I rubbed my forehead. Memories seemed hazy. I remembered the hallway and the monster. I remembered a strange, yet incredibly real dream of a meeting at the UN. I remembered Vane’s fist pounding my chest, fighting for me. Or was it the monster who fought? I didn’t know.
While the nurse busily checked my pulse, Grey went to a long tray table beside the bed and replaced some dead daisies inside a crystal-blue vase.
I stared at the wilted brown petals. “How long have I been here?”
“Almost four days,” the nurse answered cheerfully.
I started coughing. The nurse handed me the plastic tumbler of water and waited. I lifted the tumbler with shaky hands to my mouth and managed to take a small swallow. My body ached as if it had been run over by a semi-truck. Four days in the hospital. Two months lost. My mind struggled to process the numbers. I remembered hazy bits of the hospital. Waking up a few times in a darkened room—probably this room—then quickly passing out again.
The nurse continued to watch me with a critical eye. She waited until I finished drinking before saying briskly, “Excellent. You’ll be hungry soon. I’m going to order you some food. I need to alert your doctor and the… others.” She pointed to a cord hanging off the hospital bed. “If you need anything, push this button.” In a whirlwind of efficiency, she spun around to leave as quickly as she came. She paused at the door and oddly enough, glanced back at Grey. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, hon?”
I took Grey’s hand and squeezed it to show her. “I’ll be fine with my brother.”
The nurse nodded, but the worried look didn’t leave her eyes. This time, when the door opened, I noticed that two men in black suits stood just outside my room.
As soon as the door reclosed, I dropped Grey’s hand. “Why am I in a hospital? And why was the nurse looking at you like you’re a murderer or rapist? What’s going on?”
“Er, a lot has happened, Ry.” He paused, giving me a deer-in-headlights look that made me wish I had the strength to toss the tumbler of water at him. “Are you sure you’re ready to hear all of this?”
I ground out, “Start at the beginning.”
“I got to the Old North Bridge at the same time as the paramedics. You were really torn up and… God, the blood.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I don’t think I can ever go back to that park again.”
My heart skipped a beat. Alexa. We lost her at the bridge. I picked up his hand and squeezed it.
Grey shook off the memory. “Anyway, we made up a story of you being attacked. The police wanted to know how I knew you were there, so I planted a cell on you. Except for a few hours, you’ve been here since I found you with your stomach ripped open, bleeding to death at the park. Understandably, the nurses have been rather protective of you. They said they’d never seen such a horrific mauling. It almost looked like an animal attack, but some of the bruises they found came from human fingers.”
I touched my stomach, pressing in on the heavy bandages, and tears of pain sprung to my eyes. The Minotaur flashed in my head again. I shivered. Even though he tore me open to save me, I don’t think I’ll ever forget those teeth. “And Matt?”
“He was unconscious when the police came. They think he was attacked first. Which got him off the hook, unfortunately—”
I held up a hand. “What do you mean unfortunately? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine,” Matt answered for himself.
For the first time since I had known him, my heart didn’t immediately leap into my throat at the mere sight of him. It could have been because everything hurt too much. Messy, brown hair fell over his forehead as he crossed the room