Page 29 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love (Paranormal Romance #2)
Bleach Blonde and Bulletproof, Baby
ANDROMEDA
Andromeda burst through the hospital doors, startling an elderly couple in the waiting area.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, and the antiseptic smell that assaulted her nostrils only heightened her panic.
She hadn’t stopped shaking since witnessing the feeds go dark, since hearing those terrible screams cut off into silence.
She nearly collided with the reception desk as she demanded to know where they were keeping Detectives Malatesta and Callidora.
“They’re being treated in the same room,” the nurse told her. “ER ward three. But only family is allowed—”
Andromeda was already sprinting down the hallway before the woman could finish her sentence. Family? She was basically Sarah Michelle’s sister. And Donatello… well, that was complicated, still unnamed, but she’d be damned if anyone was going to stop her from seeing him.
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead as she raced past gurneys and medical staff, her boots squeaking on the polished floor. When she reached Room 3, she paused to catch her breath, willing herself to seem vaguely sane before going in.
Sarah Michelle lay on the bed closest to the window, her skin pale as the stark white sheets.
But it was her hair that made Andromeda do a double-take.
The black-blue locks that framed her friend’s face were gone, replaced by a shocking platinum blonde that glowed under the harsh hospital lighting.
The transformation was so jarring that for a moment Andromeda thought she’d entered the wrong room.
Shelly’s boyfriend, Lorcan, sat by her bed, looking as ashen as the patient herself.
His usually immaculate blonde hair was disheveled as if he’d been running his fingers through it for hours, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.
He clung to Sarah Michelle’s hand like both their lives depended on the contact.
On the other side of the room, Donatello occupied the second bed.
Unlike Sarah Michelle, who was tucked under hospital blankets in a standard-issue gown, he was still dressed in his tactical gear—pants and boots intact, but bare-chested except for the gauze wrapped around his torso.
The white bandages contrasted with his olive skin.
Andromeda stood frozen in the doorway, her gaze bouncing between the two people she cared about most in the world. Both alive. Both hurt. Both needing her.
She wavered, torn by indecision over which bed to approach first until she registered how close Lorcan hovered to Sarah Michelle. He looked like he’d bite the head off anyone who got too close to his injured girlfriend. Shelly was taken care of.
Decision made, Andromeda crossed to Donatello’s bedside, cataloging his bruises and bandages. His face was drawn, tired beyond physical exhaustion, but his eyes brightened when he saw her.
“Took you long enough,” he said, his voice rougher than usual. “I was starting to think you’d written me off.” The attempt at light-heartedness couldn’t mask the relief in his expression.
“Are you okay?” She touched his arm, needing the physical confirmation that he was warm and alive.
He caught her hand, his thumb tracing circles on her palm.
“Magical lightning bolt to the side. Not my favorite experience.” He managed a crooked smile.
“Doc says I’ll have a heroic scar. Might need some extra special care for the next few days.
” The way his eyebrow quirked up at “special care” made it clear he wasn’t talking about medical attention.
On the day she would’ve sworn she’d never smile again, Andromeda grinned at him. If he could still joke about sex, he’d probably survive. “You’re making bedroom eyes at me while lying in an ER, you’ll be fine.”
She gave his hand a squeeze before turning toward the other bed. “What about you, blondie? This a permanent look, or a fashion statement?”
Sarah Michelle’s tired eyes crinkled at the corners.
“It seems that when a soul-sucking lich drains your life force, it does a number on your hair pigmentation.” She lifted a strand of the platinum locks, examining them with a mix of fascination and resignation.
“The good news is I’ve been revived and my soul is intact.
But the new hair color is gonna stick around. ”
“The magimedics said there’s nothing to be done about it,” Lorcan added.
Sarah Michelle flashed him a goofy grin. “Look at the bright side, babe. You’re dating a blonde now. I’m a femme fatale.”
Her boyfriend didn’t smile back. Instead, his jaw clenched, and his grip on her hand tightened. “This isn’t funny, Shelly. You nearly died.”
“Just pointing out the silver linings.” She reached up to touch his cheek. “I expect the full bombshell treatment from now on, okay? Fancy dinners, expensive champagne. The works.”
“Sarah Michelle,” Lorcan’s voice dropped to something low and dangerous, “the next time you wait until I’m away at a conference to go on a death-defying mission without telling me, there will be consequences.”
Instead of being intimidated, Sarah Michelle’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Ooh, I like you when you turn all broody and threatening.” She traced a finger along his jawline. “Very sexy.”
Lorcan shook his head, but the hard line of his shoulders softened. “You don’t understand. When I got that call…” He ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Instead, you got the upgrade.” Sarah Michelle sidestepped admitting what she’d risked in a way that didn’t fool Andromeda. “Did you know blondes do it better?”
“Are you going to recite every stupid saying about blondes now?” Lorcan’s exasperation didn’t mask the fondness behind it.
Sarah Michelle gave him that goofy grin again and deadpanned, “Bleach blonde and bulletproof, baby.”
“Except you’re not bulletproof.” His voice caught. “Today has been the worst day of my life. I thought you weren’t going to make it. And I love you so much, even when you’re being obnoxious.”
Sarah Michelle’s eyes went wide. “Why do you have to ruin all the fun by turning so disgustingly romantic?” She reached up, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him down for a kiss that was more passionate than hospital protocol probably allowed.
Seeing her roommate was fine and taken care of, Andromeda turned back to Donatello. “Are they keeping you overnight, or are you free to go?”
“I’ve been cleared for release,” he said, wincing as he shifted on the bed. “They patched me up and gave me magical painkillers. Should be good as new in a few days.”
But he moved too carefully, the corners of his eyes tightening with each shift. Detective Hero was downplaying how much pain he was in.
“You need a shirt,” she said, noting the goosebumps on his arms. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a soft gray zip-up hoodie. “Here, let me help you.”
She held the fleece open as he eased forward, guiding his hands into the sleeves one at a time. He couldn’t suppress a groan when he had to twist to get his second arm in, and the sound twisted something in Andromeda’s chest.
“Thanks,” he murmured, his face close enough that his breath brushed her cheek.
“We should let these two have some privacy,” Andromeda said, glancing back at her best friend and Lorcan, who were now whispering to each other, their foreheads pressed together.
“Shelly, we’re heading out,” she called over her shoulder. “Don’t break any hospital rules.”
Sarah Michelle waved. “They’re keeping me overnight for observation. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Andromeda nodded and got Donatello on his feet, supporting him with an arm around his waist as they left. In the fluorescent-lit hallway, they paused, and Donatello turned to face her.
“I thought I was going to die in that alley,” he breathed. “And all I could think about was that I wouldn’t get to see you again.”
Before she could respond, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her with an intensity that stole her breath away.
It wasn’t gentle or cautious—it was desperate and hungry and full of everything they’d almost lost. Andromeda kissed him back just as fiercely, her fingers curling into the front of his hoodie, heedless of the hospital staff passing by.
When they broke apart, she kept her hands on his chest, his heartbeat strong and steady beneath her palms. “I thought I’d lost you,” she whispered, her voice catching. “When the feeds went dark, and the screams tore through the air… I’ve never been so scared.”
Donatello pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, Andromeda Swan.”
Such simple words and yet so enormous. She hadn’t expected them—not so soon—but they didn’t scare her.
“I love you too, you impossible man,” she replied, surprised by how easily the confession came, as inevitable as the sunrise.
His smile was tired but radiant as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Let’s go home.”