stared directly into my soul with love—were closed. And I was terrified they would never open again, never watch me tell him I loved him. Because I did.
I loved Alec. It was time to let go of the last scrap of a barrier between us. I was barely holding it up as it was, exhausted by the vain attempt to protect myself from further emotional pain.
He loved me. He was committed. Everything he’d done since he’d said those words had only put them into action.
I propped my elbows on the edge of the bed and pressed his limp hand to my forehead, willing him to wake up, to come back to me.
The big hand in my grip twitched. I whipped my head up. Alec lay still, his face blank, his breathing even. I focused on his hand, inches away from my face.
This time, I saw his fingers move, his hand just barely closing around mine. I gasped and sat forward in the chair, my heart hammering in my chest.
The movement caught everyone’s attention. Ethan and Josh were by my side in a heartbeat. Lucian wheeled himself forward, his questioning eyes hopeful.
Kyo appeared in the doorway the same moment I said, “His hand twitched,” as if it was the greatest thing to have ever happened.
“I’ll get someone.” Kyo rushed away without waiting for a response, but his loud voice finally woke Tyler. He sprang to his feet and pulled his gun out, his eyes searching for the threat before they were even fully open.
“Chill, bro.” Ethan tried to keep his booming voice low. “There’s no one to shoot. We think he might be waking up.”
Tyler took another second to survey the room, then put the gun away. Yawning, he leaned one hand on the foot of the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the other.
Kyo came back with a nurse and doctor in tow, but fitting everyone inside the room was impossible. The medical professionals needed to be there, I refused to leave Alec’s side, and the guys refused to leave mine, so Kyo and Lucian were promptly kicked out. The nurse started fiddling with the machines attached to Alec, intermittently jotting things down on a clipboard, while the doctor checked his vital signs.
She turned to me and looked over the rim of her bright orange glasses. “You said he twitched?”
I nodded. “His hand. Twice.”
“OK. According to his vitals, he’s not showing any signs of coming out of it just yet. Which is fine, it’ll happen any moment now. The twitching is perfectly normal. Sometimes—”
Whatever she was about to say was cut off by a grimace of pain. Her mouth opened on a silent scream, and she doubled over, clutching her head. Behind her, the nurse did the same—moaning as she collapsed against the wall and started to slide to the ground.
The smile that pulled at my lips as I took in the all-too-familiar pain was almost manic. A surprised, delighted laugh burst out of me as my wide eyes darted between the people writhing in pain and Alec’s face.
Tyler and Josh rushed to the women and tried to keep them upright.
“I’ll get Uncle Luce. Maybe he can shield them.” Ethan rushed toward the door, but halfway there, the pained groans stopped.
Alec squeezed my hand.
Everyone paused. Tyler and Josh helped the panting, shaking women into chairs while I kept my full focus on my Master of Pain. His fingers were still wrapped loosely around mine, and his brows furrowed, making that scar pucker.
“How is he scowling while passed out?” Josh shook his head. He came to stand next to me and Tyler, and Ethan took up the other side of the bed.
“Not out, dickhead,” Alec croaked, slowly opening his eyes. It looked as if it took quite a bit of effort.
We all breathed a massive sigh of relief. Ethan’s eyes were definitely misty as he took his cousin’s other hand. Tyler leaned on the bed, his head drooping.
I just kept staring into Alec’s beautiful, drawn face as he worked to open his eyes fully. As soon as he managed it, he looked directly at me.
A barely there smirk pulled at his lips. “Did I just hear you laughing at someone’s pain?”
I shook my head, trying to hold back more tears. I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat.
He squeezed my hand again, and his smirk grew. “My little fucking sadist.”
I laughed, throwing my head back as the lump in my throat began to ease. My hand stayed