Page 253 of Ignite

My stomach lurches when I see the blood splattered across his chest.

Conan’s blood.

His red-rimmed eyes scan the room and land on mine.

Something in them flickers—something so raw it makes my heart ache.

“Finn.” My voice comes out hoarse. “Say something, goddamn it.”

I shoot to my feet, swaying where I stand.

If he doesn’t speak, I think I might collapse.

He scrubs a hand down his tired face.

“We’ve stabilized him,” he says finally, voice low. “We got the bullet out and repaired the internal damage. His heart is functioning as expected.”

I grip the back of the chair so hard my knuckles burn.

Every word feels like it’s being pulled from him, like he doesn’t trust that saying it out loud won’t make it disappear.

“We’re monitoring him in intensive care,” he goes on, his eyes pinned to mine. “He’s still out of it, and he will be for a while. We’ll keep running tests, and once we’re satisfied, we’ll bring him back here.”

Declan moves in beside me.

Without a word, he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

It’s the only thing keeping me standing.

“He’s in the clear?” Declan asks, his voice breaking. “He’s going to pull through?”

Finn’s jaw ticks.

“So long as there are no complications, yes. I don’t anticipate any. The team did an outstanding job.”

A strangled sound leaves me.

It takes me a second to realize it’s a sob.

I turn and bury my face against Declan’s chest.

His arms close around me, and I let myself shake.

Relief. Grief. Hope. All crashing over me in a wave I can’t outrun.

I pull back, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

It doesn’t matter if I look like hell.

I don’t care about anything except that he’s alive.

I step toward Finn.

He straightens, like he’s bracing himself for impact.

I can see it now—the exhaustion he’s hiding, the brittle edge of fear he refuses to let slip.

“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Thank you for saving him.”

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