Page 9 of Secret Guardian (Fated Mates Collection #4)

EIGHT

After a quick shower, I throw on my clothes and race to my car.

I’m leaving Addison and Renee in an awkward position, but I don’t have time to second-guess it.

The timing of my drive from home to the hospital sets a new record, and I’m thankful I didn’t get pulled over on the way.

I rush through the double doors to the elevator and repeatedly press the button for the fifth floor.

When I swipe my badge and burst into the ICU, I blow past the charge nurse, ignoring the calls of “Darian, where have you been?” and rush around the corner to Mrs. Miller’s room.

Jane. Her first name is Jane. It flashes across my vision from reading her chart.

Everyone looks up at my sudden arrival. Sam’s hand is on Jane’s head. Aarick is sitting by his sister, her head buried in his shoulder.

“The monitors are unhooked. The machines are all gone. The only thing Jane has now is regular oxygen, to keep her comfortable,” Aarick explains, clearing his throat to hide the emotion.

I make my way around the bed, wanting to comfort Sam—Old Man. He’s spent years watching over me. Time spent away from his mate, from his family, all to keep me safe for his son.

His eyes crinkle at me fondly. “Thank you for coming, Darian. It really means the world to me.”

“I can’t believe…all this time…”

“You should know that it wasn’t just me watching over you.

The whole pack did, of course. But Jane…

” He nods toward his wife, his voice cracking.

“We take the same form. And she loved you so much. She loved your protective heart, how you watched out for your aunt. I just thought you should know before she… Before she passes.”

“Thank you, Sam.” I squeeze his hand before moving over to look down at Jane, her curls framing her face. I’ve cared for her for a few days this week, and it turns out she’s been guarding me for who knows how long. The world really is completely different than I thought.

“I’ll leave you guys alone. I just wanted to stop in and pay my respects.” I bend closer to Jane. “Thank you for taking care of me,” I whisper before leaning over to press my lips to her forehead.

When I step out of the room, I take a deep breath and then exhale, controlling my emotions. For the first time, I fear I might shift accidentally, and my workplace would not be the best location to do so.

Aarick steps out of the room behind me, and we reach for the other’s hand immediately. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I’ll come by to see you…after.”

“I’d love that, really,” I say. “We don’t even know each other.”

“We don’t. But if it’s any comfort, my dad knows both of us and says we have a good chance.”

“Well, what does Jane say?” I tilt my head toward the room, and he laughs softly.

“She always said you’re too good for me.”

I can’t help but chuckle at that as well, but then stop. It seems wrong to laugh when someone is dying because of me. “I’ll see you when I see you, Aarick.”

“See you when I see you,” he repeats.

I turn away and head back down to my car. I’m in no mood to talk to anyone about my job tonight. Does it even matter if I still have one?

Instead, I get into my car and drive home. There’s no sign of Renee or Addison in my apartment. All I can do is hope they haven’t killed each other. I crawl into bed, too exhausted to even change into pajamas, and drift off to sleep.

Sometime in the night, a warm body slides into my bed, wrapping its large limbs around me.

Aarick’s scent envelops me, and it’s sad.

He smells like salty tears, and his heart is pounding against my back.

I turn in his embrace, cupping his face in my hands.

He brushes his nose against mine, and in reply, I scoot closer, pressing my lips to his.

He moves quickly, devouring my mouth as if he’s a man dying of starvation and I’m his food source.

Our kiss is a delicious mess of tongues and teeth, and when we part for air, we’re both gasping for breath.

“Are you sure?” He searches my face for confirmation, and I nod.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything. I don’t need to kiss you. I want to.”

He lowers his head to take my mouth with his again, and my heart soars as our kiss deepens.

Because he’s professed that I’m his destiny, he can make me come with barely a stroke of his finger, but this kiss, this is a promise.

It’s a sign of respect, because I didn’t just need it. I wanted it. And I want him forever.