by Casey Lane
She’d been so still for a moment, he thought she’d passed away and his heart had died right there with her. The pain was immeasurable, more acute than anything he’d ever experienced. His capability to function had been stripped from him, and he knew Raven or Leith would have to take him down, to kill him, because without Sunny, Sloan would go rogue in a matter of days. The destruction he would have caused on his rampage would have been catastrophic.
Then she’d moved, trying to pull herself up. And he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. Instead of confessing his love for her like he should have, he’d let his rage at himself, at his inability to protect her when she’d needed it most, come leeching out, and the words had been out of his mouth before he could stop them.
The look on her face had confirmed it wasn’t his brightest move ever, but he hadn’t known how to fix it. Before he could even attempt to apologize, the paramedics had come back and loaded her into the back of an ambulance. Raven had shot him a deadly look and climbed in the back with her, leaving him to follow with Anna.
Raven had met them in the waiting room, and other than confirming he hadn’t been hurt, hadn’t spoken a word to Sloan since.
The door swung open, and all three of them looked up hopefully. Leith staggered in, looking like he’d been through a war. His long hair was loose around his shoulders and there were lines of stress around his eyes that hadn’t been there a few hours ago. No one had been able to pry him from Matthew’s side.
Raven shot to his feet and rushed to Leith. “Matthew?”
Leith covered his face with his hands for a few seconds. “His leg is broken badly,” he answered with a thick brogue. “He’s goin’ into surgery now. But the doctors assure me he’ll be fine.”
Raven slumped suddenly and Leith caught him. “Raven,” Leith gasped as he bore Raven’s weight.
Sloan rushed over and supported his leader from behind. “Rave, are you hurt?”
The leader slowly straightened. “Sorry, I’m just relieved. Matthew means a lot to me.”
A low growl ripped through the room, but everyone ignored it. Leith bowed slightly. “I’m sorry for the outburst, Raven. I know ye’r quite fond of Matthew.”
Leith strode away to the window and stared outside. Raven sat back down, and Anna moved closer, patting his hand. Sloan resumed his pacing.
Another half an hour passed and there was still no news about Sunny. Sloan was starting to think he was going to go mad. No one had said a word since Leith had come in and the silence was starting to get to him. “Raven, we need to put a push on Sunny’s training,” he said to break the silence.
Leith didn’t say a word, not that Sloan had expected him too. Anna nodded and started pulling on her shirt’s loose string. It was Raven’s silence that surprised him. “Raven?”
The leader didn’t even look at him. “Now’s not the time,” he answered.
Sloan stopped his pacing and stared at Raven. “I thought we might want to make use of our time.”
Again, Raven didn’t answer.
“What, are you not talking to me or something?” he spat, trying desperately to figure out what his leader was thinking.
Raven finally looked up at him and there was murder in his eyes. “I’m too angry with you to say anything right now.”
Apparently, Raven had been paying attention when Sloan had gone off on Sunny.
The awkward silence settled over the room again and this time, it was Raven who started pacing.
Finally, a nurse entered the room. “Are you all here for Sunny Kerrigan and Matthew Samuels?”
“Yes,” Raven said, coming to a stop in front of her.
Sloan’s mouth dried and his heart attempted to beat its way out of his chest. He stood up and hurried to stand next to Raven. Even Leith joined them, his mouth drawn in a tight line.
The nurse flipped through her notes. “Right. Mr. Samuels is leaving the recovery room now. He came through the surgery just fine. You’ll have to wait until he’s sufficiently awake, and then the doctor can give you more details on exactly what was done.”
Leith’s quick exhale was audible through the entire room, and Sloan glanced at the man he’d known all his life. It was clear the man was relieved, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Leith didn’t return Matthew’s feelings, even a little.
His attention was dragged back to the nurse when she started talking about Sunny. “Ms. Kerrigan is just finishing up with her MRI.”
Eventually, they were allowed to go to the rooms. Leith and Anna went to Matthew’s room while Sloan went with Raven to Sunny’s.
Sunny looked so small and fragile lying in the hospital bed, and all Sloan wanted to do was carry her home, drape her in bubble wrap so she couldn’t get hurt again, and never let her out of his sight.
Raven approached the bed. “Sunny? Love? How are you feeling?”
A small, pale hand reached for Raven’s and Sloan was struck by how tiny she actually was. Her personality and strength always made her seem so much bigger. He edged a little closer to hear her answer. “My head really hurts and I’m pretty nauseous, but I’m alive, so that’s all that matters, right?”
Raven leaned over her and stroked her hair. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You’ve gotten under my skin, love, and I would be sad if something happened to you.”
For a moment, Sloan wondered if it was possible to actually turn green from envy, because jealousy buffeted him so hard, he wanted to smack the other man around.
And then, his heart broke with her next words. “Can someone else train me?”
For the first time since his wife’s death, Sloan wanted to cry, but he understood her request.
Sighing, Raven stroked her hair again. “Sorry, Sunny, but Sloan is still the best person to help you train.” Raven’s silent “even if he’s a prick” rang in the quite room.
“Okay,” she said softly. “How’s Matthew?”
If Raven was surprised by her easy agreement, he didn’t show it. “He’s got a broken leg, but he’ll be fine.”
She nodded and then winced, grabbing her head as if it was about to roll off her shoulders. Sloan flinched himself. He wished he could take the pain for her, but that was impossible. So was crawling into bed with her, if the looks Raven was shooting him were to be trusted.
“I’m glad,” she whispered. “Tell him I’m sorry about his car. It was a really nice one.”
Raven’s laugh was a little watery. “I’ll buy him a new one, don’t worry. Just get better. I’m going to check in on Matthew now. Will you be okay by yourself?”
What the hell was Raven talking about? She wouldn’t be by herself. Sloan was going to stick to her like glue from now on. “I’ll stay,” he clarified.
Of course, both of them ignored his statement. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Okay, love,” Raven said. He stroked her hair one last time before turning away and glaring at Sloan. Raven pointed at Sloan’s chest and growled. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Sloan simply hung his head. Nobody liked to treated like a child, but he deserved it.
Raven bumped into him hard on his way out and Sloan did his best not to react. Instead, he crept over to Sunny’s bed and pulled a chair closer. “I’m sorry, Sunny,” he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth surprisingly easy considering he didn’t make a habit of apologizing very often. “What I said was uncalled for, and I didn’t mean it.”
She blinked up at him and a single tear eased from her eye and down her temple. “It’s fine,” she said.
He could tell from her voice that it was anything but fine, but there was nothing else he could do. Not right now, at least.
He watched over her as she fell asleep, and collapsed into the chair next to the bed. He felt utterly hopeless and worse, he had no idea how to fix what he’d so callously broken.
The door eased open and Anna slipped in, closing the door behind her with a soft click. She threw Sloan a look full of
disgust as she settled on the side of Sunny’s bed. Anna reached out and tucked a strand of Sunny’s hair behind her ear in a motherly fashion.
She didn’t say a word to Sloan, but she didn’t have to. Sloan could feel her disdain from across the room.
Finally, he couldn’t take the silence anymore. “I know,” he whispered. “I know I screwed up. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do.”
The sweet, agreeable Anna he’d always known seemed to have disappeared. “So you decided to take it out on her, when she was hurt and vulnerable?” she asked, scorn positively dripping from her voice.
Sloan couldn’t help the flinch. “I really don’t know what came over me.” Except he did know. He knew exactly why he’d reacted the way he had. When he’d seen Sunny trying, and almost failing, to hold off a Takahashi handler on her own, he felt a deep sense of urgency. He’d known at that moment he was utterly in love with her. And he was about to lose her.
A darkness had nearly overwhelmed him, and it had been all he could do to make sure he didn’t harm any of his clan mates while he controlled his magic, forcing it to rain instead of flood the whole damn street.
When it was over, he looked over at Sunny, only to find her sprawled on the ground with her head in Raven’s lap, as still as death itself.
His sanity completely shattered and for a brief second, he’d been about to drown the whole lot of them, including himself. Then he’d seen her chest moving, seen her mouth move as she spoke to Raven, and he’d lost it.
Anna shook her head and went back to petting Sunny’s hair softly, exactly like a mother would. He supposed she was almost old enough to be Sunny’s mother and he knew Anna had certainly developed some fond feelings for the fire handler. “You need to get a hold of yourself,” she advised, but her voice wasn’t as harsh as it had been a few minutes ago. “Look. Why don’t you go and visit with Matthew? I know he’d like to see you and, somehow, I don’t think Sunny will be very happy if you are still here when she wakes up.”
That probably wasn’t a bad idea. “You’ll stay with Sunny?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied, not even sparing him a glance.
He sighed. He supposed he deserved the slightly cold shoulder she was giving him. “What room is he in?”
Anna gave him directions on how to get to Matthew’s room and he left with one last reluctant glance at Sunny’s sleeping form.
Matthew’s room was fairly quiet when he finally found it. He could hear Raven and Leith talking softly, not loud enough for him to hear the actual words, but by the serious tone, he guessed they were probably talking about increasing the speed with which they recalled the clan. He stepped inside as Matthew was blinking up at them all, looking adorably confused. Sloan doubted the man would appreciate being called adorable though, even in this state, so he decided to keep the thought to himself.
“Wha…” Matthew mumbled.
Before either Raven or Sloan could do anything, Leith was at Matthew’s side. Sloan watched as Leith bent over Matthew. “Are ye finally awake, lad?”
Matthew nodded and tried to say something, but his voice only came out as a croak.
Leith shook his head and pressed his finger to Matthew’s lips. “Hush, lad. Let’s get ye some water.”
Sloan glanced around the room and found a plastic pitcher perched on a small table. A quick look told him it was, indeed, filled with water. Grabbing a paper cup from the dispenser on the wall, he poured the water, added a bendy straw that lay next to the pitcher and handed it to Leith.
Leith held the cup for Matthew and directed the straw into the man’s mouth. He waited patiently for Matthew to drink his fill, murmuring occasionally about how he should slow down so he didn’t choke.
Finally, Matthew cleared his throat and rested his head against the pillow again. “Is Sunny okay?”
“She has a concussion, but she’ll be okay,” Sloan answered.
Matthew fixed him with a misty stare. “Why aren’t you with her?”
“Anna’s with her, don’t worry,” he answered, not wanting to admit he’d messed up so badly.
Matthew nodded but stopped quickly. “What’s the matter?” Leith asked. “Where does it hurt? Lad? Should I get a nurse? Sloan, make yerself useful and get the doctor.” Leith’s tone bordered on panic.
“I’m just dizzy,” Matthew said softly. “So, apparently that guy was a Takahashi handler after all.”
“He was,” Raven answered. “Something was off though. I know him from before. He was always the most reasonable Takahashi. I don’t know why he would have launched an all-out attack. I’m not sure what happened.”
“He did seem a little crazy,” Matthew said. “Can someone raise the bed for me so I can talk to you properly?”
Leith obliged him and Matthew groaned as the back of the bed was raised. “Why am I so dizzy? I didn’t hit my head, did I?”
“That would be the anesthesia still working its way out of your system,” a nurse said from the doorway. She smiled at them all as she hustled over to the bed and stuck a thermometer in Matthew’s mouth. He held it obligingly under his tongue and straightened his arm as the nurse took his blood pressure. She removed the thermometer and stuck it back in the machine.
Leith closed in on the bed again, looking slightly panicked. “Why are ye takin’ his blood pressure and his temperature? Is there something else wrong with him?”
The nurse shook her head. “No. It’s just procedure.”
“Is it all right if I come in?”
The voice was familiar, and Sloan spun around to see Prince Gareth standing in the doorway.
“Oh, Your Highness. Of course you can come in. If the patient says it’s okay, that is,” the nurse said with a smile.
“Come on in,” Matthew invited.
There was something so regal about Gareth, Sloan couldn’t help but give a little half bow.
The prince spared him a smile, but only had eyes for the man on the bed. “Your nurse is one of my dragons. She called me as soon as she figured out who you were,” Gareth said.
Sloan swiveled his head so he could watch Matthew. The young man blushed and looked as if he didn’t quite know what to say or do. Leith, meanwhile, had risen from his place by Matthewʼs bed and stalked across the room, like he was about to kill something. Sloan had the nasty idea that Leith was currently plotting how to murder a certain dragon.
Matthew started speaking again. “Unfortunately, Your Highness, I’ll need a few more days than I originally thought to get our agreement written down.”
The prince strode across the room and sat down on the edge of Matthew’s bed. “I’m not here because of our alliance. I’m here to make sure you’re all right.”
“He’s fine,” Leith said.
“No offence, Leith MacAlister, but I would rather hear that from Matthew,” Prince Gareth said, not even bothering to look in Leith’s direction. In fact, he never removed his gaze from Matthew’s face.
Sloan wondered briefly if anyone in the world had ever blushed as hard as Matthew was blushing right then. He was about to make the joke, to try and lighten the atmosphere a little, when Matthew groaned. “Shit, my leg hurts.”
The nurse, who had been scribbling on her clipboard in the corner, hurried over and handed Matthew something. “This is so you can self-administer your pain medication,” she explained. “Just press the button and it will release a dose of morphine into your I.V.”
Raven approached and gently removed the wand from Matthew’s hand, pressing the button for him. “It will work soon, right?” the leader asked.
The nurse nodded. “Yes. There are no limits on it right now. Use it. When you’re discharged, it will be back to over-the-counter stuff for you.”
“Don’t worry,” Raven said. “I’ll make sure he uses it.”
Matthew nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not a masochist. I’ll take the pain meds while I can get them.”
“Good,” Prince Gareth said. “I don’t l
ike to see you in pain, Matthew.”
Matthew cocked his head a little. “Can I ask you something?”
The prince nodded and shuffled around until he sat next to Matthew, leaning back against the mattress with him, their shoulders brushing.
“Why do you call me Matthew but you call everyone else by their full names?”
Sloan exchanged a panicked look with Raven. One did not question a dragon about their traditions, especially not one of the royal family. If anything happened to Matthew because of the breach of protocol, it would be on their heads, because not one of them had thought to instruct the young man in dragon etiquette. Raven rushed forward and tried to capture the prince’s attention. “You Highness,” he said, “please forgive him. He didn’t mean any offense.”
“He’s fine,” the prince said dismissively. “Matthew, dragon protocol dictates that we are very formal with people we respect.”
Sloan could see Matthew trying to work through what Gareth’s words meant. “Does that mean you don’t respect me?”
The young man’s words were slightly slurred, indicating that the painkillers were finally starting to set in.
“On the contrary,” the prince answered. “I respect you very much. I’m only using your first name as a sign I want to get to know you better. Hopefully, a lot better.”
A low growl ripped through the room moments before Leith slammed his fist into the wall. He followed up the action by striding out of the room, muttering about Lothario dragons under his breath.
Sloan looked back at Matthew, who blinked around at the room. “What happened?” he asked thickly.
Gareth sighed and patted Matthew’s arm. “Sleep now.”
“‘Kay,” Matthew agreed as his eyes fluttered shut. “But someone needs to check on Leith. Something’s off with him.”
Sloan stepped forward and bent down a little so Matthew could see him clearly. “I’ll go check on him now. Feel better, champ.”