I put my arm around her, touching her wherever I can without being in the way of Ash. “It’s okay. It’s over now.”
Zeno calls Ash over, and Gemma stays quiet, lost in thought.
The next time she stares at me, her eyes are still slightly glazed over. “I . . . I slashed like you told me to.”
Fuck me, this woman.
My beautiful wife slayed her dragon and bathed in his blood.
I cup her face and caress her cheek. “Good girl.”
Then I press my lips against hers.
We found her, and she’s safe.
Everything else can wait.
Gemma looks up at me, and then her eyes roll back. I catch her right before she goes limp in my arms.
“Shit.” Ash is back, immediately checking her breathing and pulse. “She seems okay. Hopefully it was just from the exhaustion. Let’s get her home so we can take care of her properly.”
After checking with Zeno to make sure he’ll take care of the cleanup, Ash helps me to get Gemma in the back of the SUV with me before he hops in the driver’s seat, and we get out of this shitty neighborhood.
Gemma stirs and blinks open her eyes, peeking up at me from beneath her long lashes.
I brush my thumb over her frown. “Hey, passerotta.”
“What happened?”
“You fainted. How are you feeling?”
She inhales deeply before she answers, “Okay, I guess. Just really tired and a bit dizzy.”
“We’ll be home soon.”
She nods and snuggles closer, her injured hand carefully tucked against her chest and her feet elevated on Ash’s bag. I watch her chest rise and fall and the vein in her throat pulse for the rest of the drive.
Ash helps me get out of the car with Gemma still in my arms.
She lifts her head. “You can let me down. I should be good to walk.”
“Not happening.” My voice comes out low and gravelly, but I soften it for my next words: “Just let me do this for you.”
She whispers, “Okay,” and we head to the apartment.
Ash tells me to get her cleaned up while he gets everything set up.
We don’t talk while I take Gemma into the bathroom, where I take off her clothes.
We don’t talk as I step into the shower with her and wash all the blood and grime off her body.
We don’t talk while I dry her off, get clean clothes for her, and help her put them on.
All I need right now is to be with her, to be able to see her and touch her, to know she’s alive and all right.
Everything else can come later.
I put my arm gently around her shoulder as we walk to the spare bedroom Ash has set up as his medical room.