Page 19 of Guarded by the Hellhound (Accidental Monsters #3)
KATHERINE
G rogginess clouds my mind when I wake up. Panic immediately floods my system, but then I register Raider’s soft touch. His thumb is caressing the palm of my hand, and when I open my eyes, I see his handsome face.
“You’re awake,” he croaks out. “Thank God you are awake.” His head falls forward, and he kisses my knuckles. When he looks up at me again, tears are forming in his eyes.
“I have never been so scared in all my life; I can’t lose you, Katherine. I…” he pauses for a moment, visibly trying to control himself, before he hoarsely whispers: “I love you.”
I am speechless at the sight of this big, powerful man, looking almost broken. The vulnerability he’s giving me right now. It’s… everything I have ever wanted.
“Raider,” I whisper, stretching out my arms to him, needing to hold him.
He buries his face in my neck, and I pull him as close as he can get. “I love you too… A small part of me died when I thought I lost you in that fire. Don’t ever do that to me again. ”
He lets out a dry laugh as he straightens himself, grabbing hold of my hand again. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
I smile at him, feeling content at this moment. The moment is over all too soon because in walks the doctor, who takes a relieved sigh when she looks at me, then calls for interns to perform tests.
Raider does not leave my side during all the prodding and probing, and when the doctor comes back with the results, he listens intently to what she has to say.
I have to admit I am so exhausted I don’t pay a lot of attention, but it appears I don’t have any broken bones, infections, or long-term injuries. Guess I was very lucky, but I do have to stay off my feet for a few days.
When she tells me the police want to talk to me, Raider interferes and tells her I need to rest first. She agrees like a good doctor, and I’m fast asleep before she even leaves the room.
The next time I wake up, I feel a lot clearer. Unfortunately, I’m also in quite a bit of pain.
“Raider,” I call out. “Are you there?”
“Right here, Katherine,” he says before he sits down beside me. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” I croak, and he brings the water to my lips. After a few sips, my throat feels better, but it still hurts.
“You have to stay here for a while,” he says. “Which is good because you don’t have a house anymore…”
I sigh. I almost forgot with the whole fighting for my life thing.
“The police are outside. They really want to talk to you,” he grumbles.
“It’s okay,” I say. “Let’s get it over with, and uhm, do you think you can get me something to eat? I’m kind of hungry.”
Grinning, he jumps up, and when he returns, he brings snacks and two police officers with him .
The talk is quick. I tell them everything that happened in the glass house, which they had already searched because of Eli’s story, and the blood trails and broken glass matches my wounds perfectly.
They do pry me a bit on Joe’s whereabouts, but Eli confirming my testimony suddenly makes them a whole lot more inclined to believe me.
They promise to look for Joe and stay in touch, then it’s just me and Raider. I gorge on snacks until I’m tired again, and neither of us is talking. When my eyelids start to drop, Raider stands and clears out the mess we made.
“Scoot over,” he commands, and I carefully move to the side. He hops up, and relief washes over me when I’m back in his arms.
“Sleep, my love, I’ve got you…” and with those words, sleep washes over me.