Page 26 of Taschen (Chosen Few #4)

CHAPTER 26

L ight beamed into Sephie’s eyes. She winced and squeezed her eyelids shut, wishing she could find the dark corner where she’d been tucked away. A heavy blanket of sleepiness pressed against her temples, preventing her from speaking. Pain split her head, matching the fiery agony in her side.

Pain was good, right? She was still alive if she hurt.

“She’s coming to.” Taschen’s eager words punched through the fog in her brain.

Her heart warmed at the sound of his voice. Memories came rushing back. The bright stage lights, the masked faces, then... Taschen. Running. And—

Gunshots.

“Baby, can you hear me?” He continued to talk, and the gentle drawl soothed her frazzled nerves.

She moved her hand to where she sensed the most warmth, and her fingers connected with the hard wall of his chest. His hand clapped over hers, cocooning her fingers in heat. This wasn’t a dream. He was here. She was alive.

“Open your eyes, Sephie. I need to see you.”

At his command, she lifted her eyelids. Pain shot down to her toes and she moaned. But her gaze landed on the chiseled line of his jaw. Her palm ached to touch his stubbled cheek, but she didn’t have the strength.

“Good girl,” he crooned. He brought her knuckles to his lips. Moisture clung to his eyes, and his gentle murmur told her how scared he was.

“What happened?” She hissed as the question left her mouth.

He grimaced. “Don’t talk. Just hang on. We’re getting you to the hospital.”

Her stomach flipped over. She remembered the rip of a bullet through her skin and her head smacking against stone. The sensation of endless falling had welcomed her with open arms. She’d been sure she’d land in heaven.

A cold, wet cloth touched the side of her head. She flicked her gaze to the man leaning over her. “Hey, there. I’m August. I don’t think we’ve officially met.”

“Hi,” she mumbled.

“How about you answer some questions so Taschen can quit sweating?”

She blinked in response .

“What’s your name?”

She would’ve quirked her eyebrow if doing so wouldn’t have taken so much energy. “Seraphina Burgess.”

“Nice.” He lifted his gaze to Taschen. “Even got a last name.” He turned his attention to her again. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Awesome. Look, we’re about fifteen minutes from the hospital, but I think you’re gonna be okay. You were shot in the side, but looks like a graze to me. No doubt it hurts like shit. You hit your head and probably have a concussion, but rest should take care of that.”

The diagnosis calmed her. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. I can’t do anything about the scar on your head, but I guess you’ll match your boyfriend.”

“Shut up, man,” Taschen huffed.

August snickered then passed the cloth to Taschen.

Taschen pulled her closer and gently stroked the material over her cheek, his eyes sad. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Tears stung her sinuses. “I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You came back to me, and that’s all I fucking care about.”

Her heart warmed. Fatigue pulled at her eyes, and she blinked heavily .

Someone passed a blanket over, and Taschen wrapped it tightly around her. “Rest. I’ve got you.”

With that promise in her heart, she closed her eyes.

***

Taschen held Sephie tightly as he climbed the steps of his front porch. The sun was rising, and the cool summer air was fresh. Birds chirped, promising to keep them from sleeping peacefully if they ever got to bed.

After spending almost three hours in the emergency room—where she’d received six stitches in her side and a bandage on her head—Sephie had finally been discharged. She’d slept on and off on the flight home, and he could hardly believe they were back at his house.

While dropping him off, the guys promised to deliver a new company vehicle later that morning. Thank goodness Zelda wasn’t up yet because he really couldn’t deal with chitchat right now.

His home security system beeped, and he continued holding Sephie while he flicked on the light and punched in the code.

“Taschen, you can put me down,” she protested.

He kicked off his shoes and made his way toward the bedroom. “Not a chance. Last thing I want is for you to pull a stitch. ”

Every muscle in his body ached, but he’d be damned if he let her walk. Ever since yesterday afternoon, this was all he’d prayed for. To have her safely in his arms. If it came at the cost of strained muscles and exhaustion, that didn’t faze him one damn bit.

She’d been desperate to get out of the flashy bra and panties, so the hospital had gotten her scrub pants and he’d given her one of the spare T-shirts in his go bag.

“Where’s Kevin?” she asked.

“Dana got him earlier.” He’d texted his sister from the private plane the previous afternoon, and she’d picked him up and taken him to her place.

Sephie relaxed. “Good.”

After settling her on the mattress, he helped her slide beneath the sheets.

“I wish I could shower, but I’m just too tired.” She yawned, and her head dropped to the pillow. She’d refused painkillers, and although he didn’t want her uncomfortable, he felt at ease knowing she wasn’t going to fall out of bed or get confused.

He sat on the edge of the mattress and stroked her hair. “What can I get you?”

She caught his hand. “You in bed with me would be amazing, but a glass of water first would be even better.”

He kissed her forehead. “Done.”

He made his way to the kitchen. His brain buzzed with overtiredness, and his ribs ached from the bullet to his vest.

Toth, Rami, and Brick had promised to deal with the authorities, but odds were Taschen and Sephie would need to talk to the police tomorrow. He didn’t like that idea one bit, but Toth had assured him they were covered as part of their rescue operation.

Still. Killing a shit ton of people with assault rifles could pose a problem. But self-defense and all that.

He filled two glasses of water, downed his, then filled it again before returning to the bedroom with both. Sephie’s gentle breathing greeted him. He placed her glass on the nightstand. Poor thing hadn’t even gotten a sip of water before she passed out.

He turned off the lights, stripped down to his briefs, and got into bed beside her. Sephie let out a loose, satisfied moan as his front connected with her back.

Finally, he was home.

***

Snuggled on the couch with Taschen, Sephie took another sip of water, hoping the ibuprofen would touch her headache soon. Eight hours of sleep, homecooked food, and a shower hadn’t done a whole helluva lot for recovery.

Speaking with the FBI hadn’t helped either. She’d practically felt as if she were on trial, but at least they’d come to Taschen’s house to speak to them. She was extremely grateful she hadn’t had to leave the comfort of his home yet. The FBI had taken the disgusting, glitzy outfit for evidence. Thank god because she would’ve ended up burning it and probably getting a fine.

She was still reeling from the limited information the agent had shared with her. One of the biggest and most comforting things she’d learned was that the FBI had been able to confirm that Arnold Webb was the man who’d attacked her in her apartment. After taking her to Raymond’s place in California, he’d gone home. So Arnold hadn’t been present when Backcountry rescued her. Which meant he was alive. The police had obtained Arnold’s address, though, and he was now sitting in a jail cell, where he’d hopefully spend eternity.

“You okay?” Taschen’s expression was grim.

“Yeah. That was a lot.”

He pulled her closer to his side. “Wild, isn’t it? Wish we would’ve known they had an operation at work.”

The FBI had disclosed that Laura was an undercover agent. She’d recently started working for Raymond. The fact that authorities were already onto the Covenant gave Sephie some reassurance. As it turned out, after Pippa died, James Libby, the investigative journalist she’d been working with, had turned in all the evidence to the FBI. Even from the spirit world, Pippa had seen this thing through and gotten retribution.

Backcountry had obliterated the operation, not only killing several of the perpetrators but also mucking up the scene. “I’m sure Toth and Rami are freaking out,” she said, worry mounting. The team had done so much for her. They’d taken risk after risk both personally and professionally.

She owed them her life. She didn’t want her rescue to be the reason any of them faced hardship.

Taschen’s fingers skimmed her shoulder. “Those guys don’t get ruffled. Besides, I think we’re good. Backcountry has a great team of lawyers. Once they fully uncover what was done to Clay and the others, I don’t think Backcountry will have anything to worry about. We did the FBI a favor.”

They’d handed over the key Jack had given them. At least the information was in the right hands now. The FBI mentioned they’d managed to stop Jack before he’d left the country. Surely he wasn’t happy about that, but considering he’d worked with James Libby and had tried to expose the Covenant would work in his favor.

She smiled and rested her cheek against his chest. “I hope so.”

Pippa’s death was now being carefully investigated. She prayed Annie and Clay would get closure sooner rather than later. When she was functioning better, she’d call Clay and update him on everything.

She shifted in Taschen’s embrace. He grunted and winced.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, unease rushing through her. Maybe it was the still-so-fresh trauma that had her on edge, or the fact that they’d almost been permanently separated.

He rubbed his abdomen. “It’s fine. Just sore.”

She caught the hem of his shirt and drew up the material. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

“It’s nothing. I probably cracked a rib.” He smiled with amusement, as if a bruise the size of Texas was something to joke about.

“Oh, Taschen.”

He tucked her fingers away and pushed down his T-shirt. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

She frowned with worry. “It hurts. You’re not fine.”

He brought his hand to her cheek and gently flattened his palm against her skin. “ I am fine.” His voice dropped an octave. “Better than fine.” His warm hazel gaze scrutinized her face, as if committing every freckle to memory.

“You being taken,” he said. “Waking up on that fucking sidewalk to find you gone. Jesus. I never want to go through anything like that again. But it also made me realize what I feel for you.”

Her lips parted a fraction, and her belly stirred. She gripped his wrist as tears rushed to her eyes. “All I could think about was you lying there after the bomb went off. I thought you were gone.”

He smirked. “Nothing could have killed me. Not when you needed me.”

She smiled and pressed her lips to his palm. “I hope this doesn’t sound desperate, but... I’ll always need you. You’re one of the few people in my life who sees me for me.”

A lone tear leaked from the corner of her eye, and he caught it with his thumb. “Sephie, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. You’ve gone through hell and are still down to earth. I love how you make me want to be a better man.”

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t want to sob like a baby, so she buried her face against his shoulder and breathed in the musky scent that she hoped to spend forever bathed in.

But it was too soon to talk about forever.

She stayed like that for several minutes, his arms locked around her back. When the emotion that’d consumed her abated, she leaned back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. For getting to know me, for having my back, and most importantly, for getting me out of the hands of that disgusting cult.”

His eyes darkened at the mention of the Covenant, and for a second, she wished she hadn’t brought it up. But she’d said what she needed to.

“Don’t thank me.”

“You risked your life to get me out of there.” She dragged her fingers over his stubble. “I’ll never let you forget how amazing you are.” The promise fell between them like butter on a hot skillet.

His eyes heated with an emotion she couldn’t place.

Knock , knock , knock

She jumped, but Taschen’s calm fingers on her wrist steadied her as he stood. “We’ve got an important visitor.”

Her side screamed, but with his support, she stood as well. He led her to the front door just as another knock sounded.

After unlocking the deadbolt, he yanked open the wood. Dana stood on the front porch, Kevin wriggling frantically in her arms. Zain stood behind her with Kevin’s belongings.

Happiness exploded in Sephie’s chest. “Kevin,” she crooned, reaching for him. He launched himself from Dana’s hold right into Sephie’s embrace.

She bent her head and nuzzled his satiny ears. “I missed you, buddy boy.”

He snuffled her face, his rough tongue licking her cheek. Taschen reached over and scratched his head then rubbed his body.

“Thanks for bringing him,” Taschen said, as he backed up to allow Dana and Zain inside.

“No problem,” Zain said. “We’re going to miss the little shit.” He reached out to pat Kevin’s back. “You should bring Kev around the office to meet Micha. She’d love a friend to play with during the day.”

Sephie set the dog on the floor, and he scampered around, his nails clattering. “I’m sure they’d have a blast.”

Dana drew Taschen into a hug. “I’m so glad you two are okay.” Her blue eyes filled with tears. “We were so worried.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be there,” Zain said. “I had to work another job.”

Taschen waved him off. “Don’t be. We managed.”

Zain rocked back on his heels, his expression formidable. “I would’ve lost my shit. I can’t believe that’s been going on—” He jerked his gaze to Sephie and stopped. “Anyway. Just glad you’re safe.” He looked at Taschen again. “Heard your head took another beating. You’re not gonna have much hair left if you keep scarring the shit out of it.”

Dana elbowed Zain, but Taschen chuckled. “Whatever. I’m still better looking than you.”

Sephie grinned and leaned against his side. “Thanks again, you guys. Kevin has the best aunt and uncle.”

Dana’s finely shaped eyebrows rose, and she beamed. “I’m definitely auntie material.”

Taschen groaned. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

She stuck out her tongue.

The four of them talked for a few more minutes, and then Dana and Zain left. After closing the door, Taschen pulled her to him. “How’s your head?”

She shrugged. “Pounding.”

He chuckled. “I hope that goes away soon.” His voice grew husky.

She rose onto her tiptoes to capture his lips with hers. “There’s one remedy I can think of,” she whispered.

A rumble sounded from his chest, and his hands snaked around her hips to grasp her ass. “I should refuse until you’re better.”

She laughed. “Should?”

“What can I say? Never claimed to be a gentleman.” He deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue gently over hers. He pulled away for a beat and pressed his forehead to hers. “Did I tell you I love you yet?”

She gasped and wet her lips.

“Because I do,” he clarified, his voice husky.

Hearing those words was more than just a promise. More than him speaking his feelings. It was like a deep hole in her heart had been filled in. Something she hadn’t just needed to hear, but had needed to feel. And god, did she ever.

Tears blotted out her vision. “I love you, too.”

His lips pressed gently to hers and she yanked him closer. His warm, masculine taste invaded her mouth. She curled her toes as desire filled her.

Taschen’s touch was exactly what she needed .

Even if it didn’t last forever, she had everything she could ever want right here and now. And if one day he asked for more, she’d happily surrender herself to him.

A thousand times over.