Page 93 of The Librarian and Her Alphas

Sharp, sterile smells assault my nostrils. The lights on the ceiling nearly blind me, and the rapid beep of a heart monitor rings in my ears. The smell of disinfectant stings my nose, clean and clinical, and I realize I’m in a hospital room.

Gunnar is beside me, and I hear him exhale sharply when he sees I’m awake.

“He’s awake,” he announces urgently. “Thank god.”

I’m groggy, my body heavy as I try to turn my head. I see Max and Lena standing behind Gunnar.

Max has his arm around Lena’s shoulders, her face tear-stained and pinched with worry.

“Lena,” I rasp. “Are you okay?”

She steps forward and cups my face in her hands. Her touch is warm and angelic, and I thank all my lucky stars that I’m awake for just one more moment to experience it.

“I’m fine, Damon,” she says, but her voice trembles with fear, and her eyes are glossy with tears. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’ll live, sweetheart,” I chuckle, then hiss in pain as the movement aggravates the wound on my side.

I glance down at my body and swallow hard when I see the blood-soaked sheet covering me. The stain is dark red and seems to spread further out the longer I look. My lower half is numb, and I’m glad about that since I see the dagger sticking out from the sheet.

“I know you will,” she whispers, sniffling as she wipes away a lone tear that has leaked onto her cheek.

“Excuse me,” a doctor says, approaching us with urgency. “I’m going to have to ask you all to leave now. We need to wheel Damon into surgery to remove the dagger. If we don’t act now, he’ll bleed out.”

Max and Gunnar nod and step back from the bed.

“We’ll be outside waiting for you, man,” Max says, giving me a reassuring smile. “You got this.”

“You’re one tough son of a bitch,” Gunnar adds with a wry smile as my head starts to spin from the medication in my IV line. “You’ll be just fine.”

Lena stares at me, looking like she’s about to cry.

She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. I look back at her beautiful face, warmth settling in my chest. Even though I’m weak and can’t comfort her the way I want to, I’m happy she’s here.

She is everything to me.

Gathering the last bit of my strength, I grab Lena’s hand and squeeze weakly.

“I love you,” I say softly. I can feel my strength fading with the effort of speaking, but I need to reassure her. “No matter what happens, I will always love you. If I don’t make it, Gunnar and Max will take care of you. I promise.”

“Youwillmake it,” she sobs, cupping my face in her hands again. “You can’t talk like that, Damon. You have to come back to me.”

“I will.”

She kisses my face, her salty tears splashing onto my skin as she plants soft kisses.

“And I love you, too,” she whispers. “Nothing will happen to you, my love. You’re going to be all right.”

My heart soars at hearing her finally say the words.

It’s taken her some time, but I’ve known she loves me through everything she does. It means so much more to hear it. I give her a weak smile, the love in her eyes imprinting onto my memory.

The doctor finally ushers Lena aside, and she steps back into Max’s embrace. I watch them as I’m wheeled out of the room, my eyes never leaving hers until the swing of the operating room doors blocks her from view.

CHAPTER31

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Lena

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