Page 66

Felix watches me like a hawk as I limp to the bathroom, wincing with every step. But I refuse to let him see how much it hurts. I’ve got enough pain without his goddamn worrying.

“Alright, darling.” He sighs, finally giving me some space. “But if you need anything, I’m right here.”

I siton the edge of the bed, nursing my aching body and trying to hide my grimace. I know Felix can see it, though. He’s been hovering around me like a fucking vulture since I woke up from that coma. Sure, I love the man, but I need some space to breathe.

“Hey, Felix,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Why don’t you go back to work? You’ve been with me every minute.”

His dark eyes narrow, and he shakes his head. “Not happening, darling. I’m not leaving your side.”

“Come on,” I push, feeling the frustration boil inside me. “You’re driving me insane. Just get me a bodyguard or something.”

“Anyone but me?” he asks, clearly hurt, but I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“Fine,” he finally relents. “I’ll ask Spike to babysit you for a few hours.”

“Thank fuck,” I mutter, my heart pounding with relief as he leaves the room to call Spike.

The door swings open at two o’clock sharp, and Spike is standing in the doorway like a goddamn superhero. I can’t help but smirk at his entrance.

“Hey, Aurora,” he greets me, stepping inside as Felix pulls on his jacket.

“Be careful out there,” I warn Felix, trying to keep my voice nonchalant like I don’t give a shit about his safety. But I do. Dammit, I do.

“Always am, darling,” he replies with a cocky grin. He walks over to me, leans down, and kisses me hard and possessively like he’s marking me as his territory before he leaves. “I’ll see you soon.”

I roll my eyes, even though my heart clenches at his words. Felix turns to leave, and I call out, “Love you.”

He turns and looks at me. “I love you beyond measure, Aurora,” he says softly, and then he’s gone.

“Alright,” Spike says, plopping down on the couch across from me like he owns the place. “You’re stuck with me now.”

“Joy,” I mutter, but honestly, it’s a relief to have someoneother than Felix hovering over me. Maybe Spike will actually let me breathe.

Sitting on the couch, I look at Spike, a living embodiment of lethal grace. No wonder Eleanor named him Spike. The guy is tall and lean, his long, blond hair tied back in a ridiculous man bun, which somehow suits him. But it’s the knives, so many fucking knives strapped to his body that have me laughing.

“Damn, you’re really into your knives, huh?” I say, raising an eyebrow.

“Guess you could say that,” he replies with a grin

“Hey, tell me what happened when you guys came to get me. Felix won’t talk about it.”

Spike hesitates for a moment but then starts his story. “We tracked you down using one of the brothers. Found you at that farm. Cleared the place out before we found you and a little girl. She’s safe now, staying with Matteo and Eleanor till we figure out what to do with her.”

“Shit, there was a kid involved?” I mutter, shaking my head. Fucking monsters.

“Anyway…” Spike continues, “… we killed two of the brothers in the house, but one was waiting by the car when we were leaving. He shot me, but Angel and Matteo finished him off.”

“You got shot?” My eyes widen.

Laughing, Spike unbuttons his shirt, revealing a whole arsenal of butcher knives underneath. “Yeah, but Lucy here saved me.” He points to a knife with a massive dent in it.

“Of course, Felix leaves me with a knife-loving psycho.Just perfect.” I roll my eyes, but there’s a hint of amusement in my voice.

“Hey, I’m not that bad.” Spike smirks, buttoning his shirt back up and reclining against the couch.

“Let’s agree to disagree,” I say and shrug.

Chapter Forty-Eight