Page 5 of Die for You (Diamond Devils #4)

Aurora

The Devils. Finn Ashby, Knox Rockefeller, and Damien Vanderbilt. Right winger, center, and captain for the Diamond University hockey team. Five minutes in the hospital and I’ve gleaned everything I need to know about the Devils from the nurses, who are apparently obsessed with their team.

Of course the three giant men I rescued from a car accident are hockey players.

I can’t get away from these motherfuckers.

I bet they’re all just as obsessed with my ex as every other fan of their team.

Who cares if he was asked to leave the league for inappropriate, violent behavior? He’s still a star in their eyes.

“So you weren’t in the car?” Under the fluorescent lights, a nurse examines me for injuries, despite my protests to the paramedics and every hospital staff member I’ve encountered that I wasn’t in the accident.

“For the tenth time, no, I saw the accident from the sidewalk.”

She glares at me and drops her hands. “How are you feeling? Mentally? Witnessing an accident can be traumatizing.”

“I’ve been through worse. Tonight doesn’t even break the top one hundred.”

From the sidewalk, I heard the squeal of their tires first. The car spun twice before the rear end collided with the guardrail.

The cacophony of the accident echoed in the silence—the screech of the tires slipping over ice and failing to gain traction as they skidded across the pavement, followed by the clang of metal against metal.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Then my legs moved of their own accord as I raced toward them, no thoughts in my head. The first door I reached was the rear driver’s side, and the man back there was passed out.

I shook his shoulder, terrified of hurting him more, as I tried to get him to wake up.

After a few heart-stopping seconds, his eyes finally opened. He searched the interior, slowly remembering where he was, before his gaze landed on me.

The most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. His midnight-black hair a startling contrast to his sapphire-blue eyes. Blood trickled from where he’d hit his temple, but he didn’t even seem to notice.

When he saw me, he froze. For a moment, I forgot where I was. The accident that I had just witnessed.

Finally, I managed to shake myself out of my stupor. “Are you okay?”

All he did was nod. The words were enough to break him out of his trance, and he slipped past me, his heavenly pine scent wrapping around me like a blanket. He yanked the driver’s side door open to reveal two men unconscious in the front seats.

He pulled the biggest one out from behind the wheel. Despite the lack of visible injuries, it was obvious by his reaction to me that the driver suffered some kind of head injury. He clearly thought I was someone else.

First responders at the scene informed us that the engine fire was caused by fuel that may have already been leaking before the accident. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, but if I hadn’t been there to wake the Devils up,they might not have made it.

So even though this night was beyond shitty, something good came out of it. If I hadn’t gone to that party, if I hadn’t left when I did, no one would’ve been there to witness the accident.

“How are they?” I ask the nurse.

“You can go see them.” She steps away from my bed in dismissal. Fucking finally.

“I’m good.” I jump down from the bed. “I’m leaving now.”

She blinks at me, lips flattened. I’m clearly the worst part of her night. She doesn’t say another word as she leaves the room, and I wait a few seconds before slipping out.

The hospital is eerily silent at this time of night.

Hushed voices to avoid waking sleeping patients, steady beeps from the machines in each room.

The sterile scent of bleach envelops me, the fluorescent lights blinding as I pass each room.

I’m fucking exhausted, and now I have to hope some night owl out there is operating a ride share service to drive me home.

A hand grabs mine and yanks.

I let out a yelp before my arms lash out reflexively. The man who dragged me into his hospital room steps back, palms up in surrender.

The man from the backseat.

His sapphire eyes pierce through me. The dark jeans and hoodie emblazoned with his team’s logo are rumpled and too casual for the intensity in his gaze. His black hair is messy, and I’m hit with a strange compulsion to run my hand through it.

We stare at each other for a few silent seconds until my annoyance reaches a breaking point. “Is this your weird way of thanking me?”

He still doesn’t say a word. Maybe that trickle of blood on his temple was more severe than I thought.

“Is this a medical issue? Do I need to get a doctor?”

He shakes his head.

I stop myself from rolling my eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Finn.” His voice is ocean-deep. So deep, I’d guess it wasn’t human if I hadn’t seen his lips move.

No wonder he doesn’t speak. A voice like that must draw constant unwanted attention and annoying questions. Is that your real voice? Why is your voice like that? Are you sick? God, imagining it alone makes me want to stab knives into my ears.

“I’m Aurora.”

“Aurora,” he murmurs. A chill runs down my spine at the sound of my name leaving his lips.

Before I can react, Finn takes my hand again and lifts it to his mouth, lips brushing delicately against my fingers.

Every muscle in my body freezes, each nerve cell collecting where he touches me. Where he’s kissing me.

When his eyes flick up to mine again, his lips still pressed against my skin, I want to melt.

Until I come to my senses and yank my hand free. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re fucking weird?”

One side of his mouth lifts in an amused smirk. Blue eyes soft, lips plump and curved, jaw sharp enough to cut glass.

I fold my arms, examining him for any casts or bandages. Other than the bandage on his temple, he doesn’t have any obvious injuries. “So are you okay or what?”

Finn shakes his arms and legs. His way of showing me he’s okay.

I hold back a snort of amusement. “Good. I’m leaving now?—”

“Look who found a vending machine!” One of the other Devils strides into the room, beaming as he clutches an array of small plastic bags and granola bars in his arms. He comes to an abrupt halt when he spots me, grin blooming impossibly wider. “Hey, beautiful!”

The Devil who emerged from the passenger seat with a limp.

He’s the most boyish one—messy brown hair, bright green eyes, dark gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, and a smile that somehow reaches every corner of his face.

He drops the snacks on the closest bed, and his smile grows with every step he takes toward me.

Even though he’s just met me, even though he doesn’t know my name, he smiles at me like I’m his favorite person in the world. Considering I saved his ass tonight, I guess that explains it.

He pulls me in for a hug, his arms huge and muscles flexing, his minty scent wrapping around me. Fuck, he smells good.

But I can’t enjoy the hug for long before I stiffen, claustrophobic. He could crush me, and my pulse races with the knowledge.

I step out of his grasp. A normal person would graciously accept their physical affection as expressions of gratitude. Too bad they got saved by the wrong girl tonight.

“Thank you for saving my friends.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What’s your name, beautiful?”

I try not to let the compliment distract me. “Aurora.”

“I’m Knox.” He drops onto the bed and rips open a bag of chips, holding it out to me. I shake my head. “Was that you we saw at the Sigma Chi party earlier?”

I shrug. “I was there.”

“Did you say that you liked our masks because they covered our faces?”

I snort. “That was you three? Yeah, that was me.” I glance between them. “I stand by what I said.”

Knox bursts out laughing, and even Silent Finn lets out a low chuckle. “Don’t worry. We can accommodate a mask kink.”

Heat pools low in my belly despite every logical brain cell in my head. “I don’t need you accommodating any of my kinks, thank you.”

“We’ve seen you around before. On campus. Couldn’t take our eyes off you.” He crunches on a handful of chips as Finn tears into a granola bar wrapper. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Finally. We found you.

So Damien really did know who I was when he came to.

How long have they been looking for me? Not sure why I’d stick in their memories.

I’ve spent the past few years like a turtle in her shell—hiding from the world, staying under the radar to avoid detection.

To avoid drawing unwanted attention that Jeremiah would notice and punish me for.

A sane person would be creeped out that three strangers saw me once and have been hunting for me since. But I’m not.

I clear my throat. “That’s really creepy, Knox.”

He beams. “I like hearing you say my name.”

I roll my eyes, even as my cheeks warm. “I’m guessing you’re fine if they’re letting you leave your hospital room for snacks?”

Knox follows my gaze to his leg and bounces it. “Fine. My knee was already hurting after the game. Just gotta ice it. Could’ve been a hell of a lot worse.”

“Good.” I glance between the two of them and jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “Well, I better?—”

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” Knox tilts his head to the side, easy smile never leaving his face. He’s like a puppy who’s just happy to have your attention.

They’re both watching me like my answer to a completely random, ridiculous question matters to them in the slightest. “No. Lust is different than love.”

“No?” Knox would almost look disappointed if it wasn’t for that unwavering smile.

He has the most perfect teeth I’ve ever seen.

His smile reaches all the way to his eyes, the corners crinkling, brows lifting, like every inch of him radiates happiness.

“What about...the potential of love? You ever see someone for the first time and think, I could fall in love with him ?”