Page 26 of Axel Martin

“She’s stable, Axel. Tessa got there fast. We’re at the clinic in Woodward. She’s unconscious, but breathing. You need to get here.”

I was already out the door before he finished.

24

Lark

Somewhere in Oklahoma

Everything hurt.

My skull pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own. My lips were dry. My hands were cold. And someone was whispering my name from very, very far away.

“Lark? Stay with me, sweetie.”

That voice… soft, steady. Female. Familiar but not quite.

My eyelids fluttered. The world was a blur of fluorescent lights and white noise. Beeping monitors. The sterile sting of antiseptic.

Where was I?

And then it hit me—the storm. The wind. The screaming metal. The sudden, sickening crack. Then nothing.

I shifted, pain slicing through the side of my head. I let out a low groan, and instantly, a gentle hand pressed to my arm.

“Don’t move. You’ve got a pretty nasty concussion and a few stitches,” the voice said. “You’re safe now.”

I blinked again. Her face swam into focus.

Brown eyes. Soft blonde hair pulled into a loose braid. A kind smile wrapped in quiet steel.

“Tessa?” I croaked, my throat raw.

She nodded. “Hey, firecracker. Looks like chasing storms still bites back.”

I let out a weak, raspy laugh.

She brushed hair from my face with gentle fingers. “I was already nearby visiting Max’s cousin. When they brought you in, they said your name and I about lost it. You’ve got angels looking out for you, Lark. But one in particular? He’s on his way.”

My heart stuttered. “Axel?”

She nodded again. “He’ll be here any minute. Max tracked him down the second they cleared his mission.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I didn’t care.

I was alive.

I was stupid, reckless, and broken… but alive.

And Axel was coming.

“Do I look awful?” I whispered.

Tessa smiled. “You look like hell. He’ll love you anyway.”

A moment passed.

And then I heard the door.

---