Heartless (Steel Demons MC #6) - Crystal Ash Page 0,53

you two first. Tash has wanted Reaper’s head on a stick since the Sandia outpost.” Reaper’s mom shuddered and Gunner immediately froze. “Shit I’m sorry, Mrs. Daley. I’ll watch what I say.”

“It’s no secret that I’m wanted.” Reaper shrugged. “But Governor Vance was the most important person in that room. I think he was just trying to get Dad and I out of the way to get to him.” He looked to his father for confirmation.

Finn nodded. “If your biker gang is as notorious as you say it is, I think he would have made sure to finish you off you if you were the main target.”

Poor Alisa was looking more and more distraught the more her husband and son discussed.

“Alright, guys.” I clapped my hands and rose to my feet. “We’ll see about discharging you in the morning, and you can discuss the next move then. But right now it’s time for the patients to rest.” I forced a grin. “By orders of the SDMC medic and president’s old lady.”

“Are you coming home with us?” Shadow asked hopefully. “Or staying?”

I leaned over to push his hair back and kiss the scar on his eyebrow, and then his lips. “I’m staying here to oversee all the patients’ care. I’ll be home tomorrow though.”

“Good.” His mouth lingered on mine, hands brushing my waist as he stood up. “You make sure to get some rest too.”

I reached on tiptoes, arms stretching up to wind around his shoulders. “I will.”

“I’ll take you home, Lis.” Jandro helped Reaper’s mom out of Finn’s hospital bed. “And bring you straight back here in the morning, okay?”

“Thank you, son,” she said wearily before turning around to kiss her husband goodbye.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” I assured her. “I’ll be here and I’ll have these guys checked on round the clock.”

She surprised me by pulling me into a hug. “Thank you, Mari. We’re so lucky to have you watching them over them. I leave my boys in your capable hands.”

I returned her affectionate squeeze before saying my goodbyes to Jandro and Gunner. The room quickly emptied and Finn fell asleep almost immediately. His injuries weren’t as bad, but he was older, and would likely need more time to recover than his son.

Reaper, on the other hand, was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. He barely took notice of me crawling into the hospital bed with him, much like his mother did with his father.

“What’s on your mind, president?” I whispered with a small kiss to his shoulder.

“Hades told me to kill him,” he replied flatly. “He told me to, and I hesitated. Everyone in that room got hurt because I was slow to act.”

“Oh Reaper,” I sighed. “Please don’t turn this into another situation where you’re blaming yourself.”

“The moment the kid walked into the room, Hades just knew,” he went on, staring blankly in front of him. “He knew it was going to happen and gave me the order.”

“Do you think this is what Daren was talking about?” I asked.

Reaper’s eyelids closed, his head shaking slowly from side to side on the hospital pillow. “I don’t think so, but…maybe. I don’t know anymore. He mentioned a she and it was only men in the room. I’m still going nuts trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Stop thinking about it.” I brushed kisses from his temple to his forehead. “Just for tonight, and rest for me.”

“I can’t. Not if you’re still in danger.”

“Yes, love. You’re my hero, but…” I kissed his eyelids, encouraging them to stay heavy and closed. “You saved three people’s lives today. Take a night off and protect me after you’ve recovered.”

“Damn you, woman…” His growl had little bite as exhaustion and pain medication finally took him under, his breaths growing deep and steady with sleep.

“I love you, too,” I chuckled, planting a final kiss on his cheek before sliding out of the bed and smoothing the blanket over his lap.

Freyja reclined at the end of the bed near his feet, her paws tucked into her body, eyes large and seeing all that I could not. I needed to check on Josh and Vance, but paused on my way out of the room.

“Thank you,” I said. “For healing them.”

She answered me with a deep purr that echoed throughout the room.

Fifteen

JANDRO

"Where are you going?" Reaper grimaced as Mari changed his bandage. She cleared everyone in the stabbing to go home yesterday, but not even Reaper missed an opportunity to be babied by her. She laid him