Lucius (Acquisition Series #4) - Celia Aaron Page 0,75
don’t wake Lucius.
There’s a beeping noise. It’s super annoying. He needs to change the batteries in his smoke alarm.
I open my eyes and try to roll out of bed.
My throat is so sore. Am I sick? My vision is all fuzz. Did I drink last night? I blink and blink until it starts to clear. Someone’s in the room with us. I stare straight ahead. Is it Charles? Has he found me?
The beep gets faster and faster. I can’t catch my breath. Something’s stealing it away from me. I try to scream, but only a strangled sound comes out.
“Evie!” My name comes from somewhere far away, like I’m playing telephone with soup cans and string.
Another person is here, but this time, I know who it is. Lucius. He leans in front of me, his brown hair falling onto his forehead as he looks down at me.
“Hi, darling.” He smiles, and I could swear I see tears in his eyes.
The beeping slows down.
“Hey.” My voice is more of a croak.
People are moving in the background. They’re talking, but I can’t hear them. I’m focused on Lucius as my mind starts to go in reverse, putting the whole thing together. I was at that horrible house with Charles. He was going to … I look at Lucius.
“Shh.” He strokes my hair. “You’re safe. I swear, Evie. You’re safe with me.”
I want to say ‘I know.’ But my throat hurts too much. Then I realize why. There’s a tube. It’s why my breathing feels strange.
“She’s fighting the tube.” Teddy comes into view along with another man in a white coat. He’s the one I saw when I woke up.
“Let’s go.” The man motions toward me, and two nurses come over.
Lucius moves out of their way, but he keeps his hold on my hand.
After a few uncomfortable minutes, the tube is out, and I can breathe freely again. The nurse brings a small toothbrush, and I reach for it, but my muscles are weak. Lucius takes it from her, despite her frown, and brushes my teeth for me. It feels wonderful, like scratching an itch.
I spit in a little plastic pan as best I can, and the nurse cleans up after me.
“Thank you.” I already feel tired. How is that possible? I just woke up. But when did I get here?
“You okay?” Lucius is right beside me again, one hand on my face, the other gripping my fingers. “Evie?”
“I’m … confused.”
“Totally normal.” Teddy sinks into a chair beside the bed. He looks rough. “We can go back through what happened to get it all straight for you.”
“Later.” Lucius hovers, and he can’t seem to look away.
“Wait.” I get a flash of memory. Of him, hurt badly. “Are you okay? Oh my god, you almost died! Did you die? Are we dead?”
“No, darling.” He kisses the back of my hand. “No. We’re alive.”
“What happened?”
Lucius glances at Teddy.
Teddy looks at me for a few moments. “Tell her, but if she starts getting upset, you should stop.”
“It’s going to be a lot.”
I realize Lucius looks worn out just as badly as Teddy. His face is almost gaunt.
Worry tries to fire up inside me. “Are you okay?”
He smiles, and it’s a beauty. So sincere it makes me warm all the way down to my toes.
He kisses me so softly, so tenderly. “Darling, as long as you’re here, I’m golden.”
Epilogue 1
Lucius
The redesign plans rustle as I creep past them and into our bedroom. Evie is snoring lightly, the covers thrown off, her body like an invitation in the moonlight.
I want to stop and appreciate it more, but I need to wash up. Once I’m in the shower, blood sluices down the drain, and I stand under the spray for several minutes until it runs clear.
The shower door opens. “I didn’t know you were going hunting tonight.” Her soft hands slide down my arms, though she pauses on my right to run her finger pad over my scar.
“Sin got a lead on one of the names from the iPad. We were just going to do recon, but shit went down.” I turn to her.
She looks up at me, and I know I’m home. Not when I drive onto my property or walk through the front door—only when I’m with her.
“Did you get them?”
“We only had to cull one, but he gave us a lot of trouble until it was done.” I turn my head to the side and show her where he landed a pretty good blow. “I think he