's

ad was heavy, my mouth dry, and then-pain. A sharp, burning ache radiated from my shoulder and spread like wildfire through the rest of my body. I winced

he harsh white lights. The ceiling was too white. Too still. And then it hit me-hospital. That smell, the silence,

for what felt like hours, terrified and invisible. That fear never quite left me. Now here I was, back in one, injured, groggy, and surrounded by strangers. Why was I here? Wha

se gorgeous, watery blue eyes-were fixed on me with such intensity, it made my breath catch. He looked... ethereal. Light-skinned with a perfectly sha

y voice raspy and soft. What a name. Regal and gentle all at once. It suited him. What a gorgeou

didn't stop him. His small arms wrapped tightly around my waist, careful not to press against my wound. He clung to me like I was something precious-something

o my lap. My heart cracked in half. Confusion flooded me, but instinct took over. I stroked his soft curls, rubbing his back slowly, gently. "It's okay... It's okay, sweetheart..." I murmured, though

memory in the seconds before I screamed and threw the stone. My eyes swept over him now, worried. I needed to kno

was hurt. "Oh my God," I whispered in a rush. My good hand reached for the nurse call button near the bed, and I jabbed it like my life depended on it. Within moments, two n

g weakly. "But why hasn't anyone checked on this child? He was with me when the incident happened-he could be

courageous boy-now he was refusing care just because he was so worried about me? I turned to him again, my voice gentle but firm. "Saint, Aunt

let out a soft laugh through the ache in my chest. We were still bickering about it when the door to the room swung open. A

everything I'd never known I needed. His wheat-gold skin looked like it had been kissed by the sun. His hair-jet-black and silky-was pushed back neatly. He had the sharpest, most glass-cut j

e help you back down." Before she could reach me, Saint jumped between us. The entire room froze. The little b

ing my vitals, tapping a few notes into his tablet. He began a series of light neurologica

ong as the wound heals without infection, she'll be fine." I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Relief

exited the room, leaving just me, Saint... and him. The suited man

derstand how dangerous-" "Excuse me?" I cut in sharply, glaring at him. My voice cra