“We are going to need you to stay here—”
They wheeled her away from me so fast; I didn’t even get to kiss her goodbye. I wanted to roar in frustration. I couldn’t see mymalishka.
I passed a chair in the hallway down from where the waiting room was and saw a leather jacket thrown upon it. It seemed familiar. A shadow moved out the corner of my eye, but by the time I blinked it was gone. I ignored the churning in my gut and focused on making the calls I needed.
I got a hold of Dr. Amarillo. She was on her way.
“Are you the family of Sloane Williams?” He spoke a little too loud for my comfort, but Sloane was more important.
“Yes, I am. Can I see her?”
The doctor nodded. “We should be able to release her. We think a drop in blood pressure caused her to faint. It’s likely hormonal, but we are checking her levels to make sure it’s not something more serious.”
He motioned in front of him, and I started walking. My head was in a fog. In my life, I’d never cared about anyone. I didn’t think I knew how. But today made me realize that I’d gone soft. Maybe Viktor was right, and I didn’t deserve the throne that had been handed to me since birth.
We got to the room. “We’ve giving her an IV in case dehydration was a factor. We think the baby is fine, but I’m told you requested her personal doctor to come in and check on the little patient.”
“I did.”
He nodded. “Dr. Amarillo will be in here soon to do an exam.”
I thanked him absently and went inside.
Sloane was lying in the hospital bed. Her chest rose and fell, but other than that—and the machines indicating otherwise—one would think she was dead. I slid my hand in hers.
The tightness inside of my chest intensified. I knew it had everything to do with my mistreatment of her. I was the reason she was lying in this bed right now. I was too rough with her. Too demanding on her body. Too greedy and selfish to leave her alone.
I should feel bad, but I didn’t.
I should feel remorseful, but I couldn’t.
She was mine.
Simple.
No number of apologies or amount of groveling was going to change the fact that I owned her. Maybe not her heart, but everything else. She was mine to breed. Mine to break.
Sloane moaned in her sleep and rolled over, cuddling my arm against her chest. It was in this tender moment that I realized how dangerous she was to me. This sweet woman was going to be the death of me. And I didn’t know how to stop her.
“Alexie,” she sighed.
“I’m here,malishka.”
Her eyes popped open. “Where am I?
“The hospital.”
She gasped. “We have to get out of here.”
I blinked at her confused. Why would she want to leave?
She weakly shook my arm. “Alexie, the whole town is going to know that you have me.”
“What? You do not think I can protect you?”
“Of course, I think you can protect me, but why risk being out here in the open? Let’s just go home.”
Ah. That’s why she stopped running. That made more sense than any feelings of love or adoration. I’d built those up in my mind, thinking that she had softened herself to me, that she wanted this as much as I did. Just because she let me in between her thighs didn’t mean she actually wanted me there. I was just the lesser evil.