Page 93 of The Devil's Wrath

“Wren, please wake up. Please come back to me.”

His voice was raw with emotion, thick with unshed tears. I felt a tug, a pull from somewhere deep inside me, urging me toward the sound of his voice.

Tohim.

Tolife.

Light filtered through the darkness, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second. I squinted against it, my eyes struggling to adjust after so long in the void.

A sudden jolt, like an electric current, surged through my body. My eyes flew open, and I gasped, air rushing into my lungs in a painful burst. Bright lights assaulted my vision, blinding me. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Shapes began to take form, blurry and indistinct at first but gradually sharpening into focus.

Cream walls, a beeping machine, the pungent smell of antiseptic and blood. And then I saw him.

Theo.

His handsome face was etched with worry and exhaustion andhope. He held my hand, his fingers intertwined with mine as he stood at my side.

“Wren?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Can you hear me? Stay with me,” he pleaded, brushing back a strand of hair from my clammy forehead. “You have to keep fighting. Please . . .”

“Always . . . so stubborn . . .” I breathed. My eyelids drifted shut again. I was so tired.

He roughly shook my shoulder, panic seizing his voice. “No, don’t you dare close your eyes! Open them, dammit!”

Slowly, with what seemed a Herculean effort, I obeyed, blinking up at him. “Not . . . going anywhere,” I promised weakly.

His shoulders sagged in relief, a shuddering breath escaping his lips. “Thank god,” he murmured, kissing my lips. “I thought I’d lost you.”

I managed a faint smile, though it took all my strength. “Takes more than that to get rid of me.”

A choked laugh burst from his throat, tinged with a sob. “Don’t I know it?” He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine. I could feel his breath, warm and sweet, on my face. “I love you, Wren. I love you so damn much.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “I love you too, Devil.”

The strength was slowly returning to my body, but I still felt weak and drained, like I’d been wrung out and hung up to dry. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen, stealing my breath. I fell back against the pillows with a gasp.

Theo was instantly alert, his hands fluttering over me as if afraid to touch. “Easy, easy. Don’t try to move just yet.”

I gritted my teeth against the pain, forcing myself to take slow, even breaths until it subsided to a dull ache. “What happened?” I asked, my voice raspy and thin.

A shadow passed over his face. “You were shot. Do you remember?”

I frowned, trying to piece together my fractured memories. They came back to me in fragments—the flash from the muzzle of a gun, searing pain, blood blooming across my stomach . . . Connor with eyesfull of rage. His body on the ground, a bullet hole in his forehead, his eyes dead and hollow.

I shuddered. “I remember.”

Theo nodded tightly. “You lost a lot of blood. Your brother wasn’t sure . . . If I hadn’t found you when I did . . .” He trailed off, swallowing hard. “For a while there, we thought we might lose you.”

The anguish in his eyes made my heart constrict. I squeezed his hand, trying to convey reassurance. “But you didn’t. I’m still here. You found me. You saved my life.”

“I will always find you, little bird. No matter what.”

He leaned down and kissed me softly, achingly tender. I melted into him, my free hand curling into his hair, holding him to me. The heart monitor’s beeping sped up, but neither of us paid any mind. We were too lost in each other to care.

A pointed cough from the doorway made us break apart. I looked over to see my brother leaning against the frame with a knowing smirk. “Glad to see you awake, sis. Though maybe keep the celebratory make-out sessions to a minimum while you’re still recovering, yeah?”

I glared at him, but there was no real heat behind it. I was too relieved to see him whole and unharmed to be genuinely annoyed. “Nice to see you too, brother. Your bedside manner is impeccable, as always.”

He grinned, sauntering into the room to stand at the foot of my bed. “Just keeping things lively. You know me.” He winked, but beneath the lighthearted quip, I could see the worry lingering in his eyes. “But seriously, don’t ever do that again.”

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