Page 24

24

ELLA

Hairy legs traveled over my body, and I stilled. If I moved, the spiders would bite, and I would be left alone to die a slow death. Xavier would never give up his location to save me. He’d probably encourage my quick death in order to stuff me and place me next to his family at the table.

“Ella?” A panicked voice broke through my terror.

Too terrified to move, I uttered a tiny cry of help. Fear paralyzed me as the creatures covered nearly every inch of me.

“Ella? Can you hear me? You’re safe.”

The sounds of beeping and hushed voices penetrated my foggy brain. Where was I? How could I be safe locked in a cage with spiders covering every inch of me? A sharp pain traveled from the back of my skull and through my entire being. Unwillingly, I jerked, followed by a scream as the creatures swarmed me.

“Ella, I’m Dr. Neely. You just came out of surgery. We thought we lost you, so please try to be still and breathe.”

Doctor?

“Doctor, her heart is beating again. I don’t understand,” a female voice said.

“Thank god. Let’s get her stable and then I’ll call her husband. He was escorted out of the emergency room due to his violent response to her condition.”

My brows furrowed. “Sebastian?” I winced. My throat was so sore it felt like fingernails were dragging their way down my esophagus.

“Hang on, hon. Don’t try to talk yet. I’ve got an ice chip I’ll place on your lips to help.”

A cold sensation rested against my mouth, and I parted my lips, allowing the droplet of water to hit my tongue. The fog in my brain began to clear as I focused on the sounds and smells around me. Beeps, hushed conversations, cleaners. Something beneath me felt much softer than the cement floor I’d been sleeping on. With a rush of memories, I suddenly recalled that I had drugged Xavier, and he’d passed out. I’d gotten out of the cage and had run for my life. It had grown dark and cold, and I remembered tripping over a log or rock, then falling and falling. My eyes slowly opened, the bright light blinding me. I closed them, then tried again.

A dark-haired woman stood over me with a concerned expression.

“Hi, Ella. Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” I whispered.

“Good. You gave us all a big scare, but it’s nice to see you with us again.”

“What happened? Sebastian?”

“We’re trying to reach him. He made quite a scene when we told him you … well, you died.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Died? A surge of panic and confusion washed over me as the doctor's words echoed in my mind. I tried to wrap my head around the idea of being dead, but it just didn't make sense. And Sebastian … he must be devastated. My heart ached at the thought of him finding out I was gone.

As the reality of the situation started to sink in, a whirlwind of emotions engulfed me. Fear, disbelief, sadness—all jumbled together in a mess of conflicting feelings. But amidst the chaos, a tiny flicker of hope ignited within me. Sebastian. I needed to see him, to reassure him that I was here, alive and well. The thought of him mourning my death tore at my soul, and I had to tell him I was all right.

Fear ripped through me as my skin crawled, and I attempted to kick off the blankets. I dug my fingers into the blankets, feeling the texture between my fingertips. “Spiders.”

“No spiders, honey. I think your mind was playing tricks on you. It’s okay though,” one of the nurses said as she slipped a white device on my finger.

“Sometimes the drugs from surgery can do a number on you. But I assure you that not only am I terrified of spiders, I would also not be in here with you if there were any.” She attempted a sweet smile.

I turned my head slowly, the nausea from the pain in my neck and skull nearly paralyzing.

“Let me see her. She’s my sister,” a voice said from down the hall.

“Ryan?” I tried to sit up, but the doctor firmly pinned my shoulders to the bed. “You can see him, but you have to promise me that you won’t try to sit or get up. We need to make sure you’re stable. You’ve been in and out for the last hour, and we can’t have you dying on us again.” She squeezed my fingers.

“I promise.” At that point, I would tell her anything to see a friend.

“Let him in,” Dr. Neely said. She stepped away from my bed and patted my foot.

“Ella? Jesus, Ella?” Ryan’s eyes were rimmed with red as he rushed over to me. He grabbed my hand and knelt next to the bed. “We thought we’d lost you. How are you here?”

“It’s good to see you too.” I gave him an exhausted smile. “Sebastian? The kids?” I choked on my words, overwhelmed with the idea that I would be able to see them again — touch and kiss them.

“Bass and … he’s a mess. I need to call him and let him know. Hell, Kip and Dope are on the way too. Cami is with the kids.”

Ryan stood and placed a sweet kiss to my forehead. “He’s going to want answers, but we’ll get to that in a bit.” He leaned down and whispered, “Death made a huge scene in the emergency room when the doctor told us you’d died. He was almost arrested, and now he can’t come see you.”

The news jolted me upright. “Keep him safe, Ryan. Please.”

“Ella, lay back down or Ryan will have to leave,” the resident said.

“He’s okay. I just had to handcuff them to the bed in the motel room,” he said so quietly I strained to hear.

“Them?” My hand flew to my mouth. “Are they aware of each other?”

Ryan nodded. “More later, though.” He removed his cell from his back pocket and gave it to me. “I don’t think anyone else but you should make the call.”

My heart lodged in my throat as I held out my shaky hand. “Can you dial for me?”

“Yeah.” Ryan tapped a few buttons, then gave me the phone.

“Tell me you know why she died.” Sebastian’s voice cracked, and my stomach sank like a stone with the pain in his voice.

The line crackled with static, drowning out my cries as I desperately tried to hold on to the connection. “I-I didn't die, baby,” I gasped into the phone, tears streaming down my face. “I'm here.” The sound of rustling filled the line, and I glanced up at Ryan, my pulse pounding in my chest.

“I think he dropped the phone.”

“Ella? Oh my god, is it really you?” His voice was tortured, desperate. “Or have I finally lost my fucking mind and I'm hallucinating.”

“It's me, baby,” I choked out, trying to control my trembling voice. “I've missed you so much.”

“I need to see you,” he pleaded, his words laced with panic. “I have to make sure that he isn't playing a sick joke on me.”

Sebastian didn’t need to explain to me who he was talking about, I knew what he was saying.

“I understand, but he would never do that. He loves me as much as you do.” I bit my lip, reminding myself to be careful what I was saying. I wasn’t alone. “Ryan told me you had to leave the hospital, so you’ll have to wait to see me in person, but hang up, and I’ll have Ryan Facetime you as soon as we have the room cleared out.”

“Yeah, that would help, baby. I’m terrified to think this isn’t real, that I’m asleep and dreaming.”

“I’ll call you back in a few minutes. They want to monitor me some more, and I need to know what happened.”

“Can you ask them now and put me on speaker? My mind needs to make sense of it all,” he pleaded.

“Hang on.” I held the phone to Ryan and glanced at the doctor. “We’re going to put my husband on speaker. He’s much calmer now, but it will be best if you explain what happened and how I’m here now.”

Dr. Neely walked toward me. “Sure, then I can help with any questions too.”

Ryan tapped the screen and held the phone to where Sebastian would be able to hear everyone.

“Go ahead, doctor.” I closed my eyes, overcome with exhaustion.

“It’s rare, but it’s called advanced shock state where extreme shock triggers a protective response in the body. The metabolic process slows, and the cardiovascular system enters a near-complete shutdown. Cellular preservation mechanisms activate as a last-resort survival tactic. Your vital signs were undetectable, and your blood pressure approached zero. We announced the time of death after we tried to bring you back without any success. But by the time I talked with your brother and husband, you were with us again.” Dr. Neely motioned the resident forward. “Dr. Thompson is the one responsible for taking a chance and administering a high dose of epinephrine to you through your IV. It worked. If I’d been in the room, I would have never allowed it, but I wasn’t. Lucky you, huh?”

“What made you try it?” Ryan asked Dr.Thompson. “To you she was dead.”

“We’re required to have continuing education, and just last week we talked about Advanced Shock State. I didn’t have the right equipment to help me determine if that was in fact what was happening, and I didn’t have time to locate what I needed. I just took action. At that point, it wouldn’t have mattered if it hadn’t worked, she was already gone.”

“Bass, did you hear all of that?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah, mate. Thank you, doctor … I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“Dr. Thompson, and you’re welcome. We’re just glad that Ella is still with us.”

I chewed on my lip as I watched Dr. Neely’s expression shift from relieved to quizzical.

“I don’t remember you having an Australian accent when we spoke,” the doctor said.

“When he’s really upset it kind of disappears,” Ryan chimed in quickly. “Clearly he’s calmer now.”

Sebastian cleared his throat but remained quiet otherwise.

“When can I go home?” The only thing I wanted was to have my husband’s arms wrapped around me.

“In a few days, but we need to know what you remember so we know what to keep an eye on.”

I closed my eyes as if struggling for the right words. I couldn’t admit that I’d been kidnapped and held captive by a lunatic. “We were out camping, and I took off by myself. I got lost, then when it got cold and dark, I tripped and fell. That’s the last thing I remember.”

“With a knife in your hand?” Dr. Neely gave me a skeptical look.

“I always have a knife on me when we’re camping. You never know when you’ll need it. I ran into a hungry wolf one time, and the knife saved my life.” I hoped my lie was believable.

“The fall would make sense. You must have rolled over the knife because we had to remove it from your thigh and repair your leg. You’re lucky it didn’t hit a main artery.” She patted my shin. “You should make a full recovery. Other than that, you have a concussion. The rest we’ve already explained.”

“Thank you all for taking care of my wife,” Sebastian said.

“You’re welcome. Ella, we will check on you in a few minutes. Press the call button if you need anything before then.”

“I will.”

“I’ll Facetime you in a minute,” I said to my husband and then I hung up.

When the door closed and the staff had given me a moment of privacy, I pushed the button on the bed and raised the head up enough for me to be able to hold the phone better. Seconds later, Sebastian’s face filled the screen.

I choked on my tears as we stared at each other in silence. His once vibrant blue eyes were now haunted by dark circles, and his pale skin showcased the physical strain of the past few days. Yet, even in his exhausted state, he was more handsome to me than ever before.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Ella. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you so much, and I’m glad you’re safe.”

I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. I should have been more careful.” My hand shook as relief flooded my system.

“Are you okay? Is … is Death okay?”

Sebastian gave me a sweet smile. “He’s the devil, baby. He’s ready to deal with matters his way, but we will talk about it later.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I love you. I love you both, don’t forget that.”

Sebastian frowned. “I don’t understand how. He even said what happened is his fault, but he’s been beside himself. Not sure if he’s just blaming himself like I am or if he really is responsible. If so, what am I supposed to do with that?” He looked away, shame flickering through his expression.

Everything inside of me wanted to reach out and touch my husband, comfort him. “We will get through this. All of us will, but I think Death will want to set the world right again. You’ll need to let him.”

“What does that even mean?” From the look in his eyes, he already knew.

Ryan cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but is there anything that you can tell us about where you were? Who took you? It’s important in case we can track them down.”

I looked at Ryan. “His name is Xavier, but he wasn’t the one that took me off our front porch. He was my gatekeeper, so to speak. Apparently, his boss wants Death, and I was bait … and promised to Xavier as a reward.” My skin crawled with the words. “I never learned who his boss was or what he wanted with you.” I hesitated with my slip up, but Sebastian didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Maybe he and Death had finally met and come to terms with sharing a space. It was too soon to tell.

“Did he?” Fear twisted Sebastian’s features. “Did he hurt you?”