And he had something to live for now. Something they both did.
Each other.
That realization should have terrified her. Should have sent her running in the opposite direction. Attachment was dangerous. Caring meant vulnerability. Love, if that's what this was becoming, meant opening yourself to devastating loss.
But as she watched Blade fighting to stay conscious, his eyes never leaving her face even as pain etched lines around them, she knew it was already too late for caution. Too late for fear.
Whatever this was between them, was growing, strengthening, becoming something neither of them had expected but both, perhaps, had needed more than they knew.
"Doc's on his way," she told Blade, returning to his side. "Savage too. They'll be here within the hour."
He nodded weakly. "Good. That's... good."
His eyelids were growing heavy, the blood loss taking its toll. Panic seized her.
"Stay with me," she urged, taking his face in her hands. "Blade, look at me. Stay awake."
"Trying," he murmured, his words slurring slightly. "Just... need to rest a minute."
"No rest," she commanded, her voice taking on the firm tone he often used with her. "That's an order, enforcer. You stay awake until Doc gets here."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Yes, ma'am."
"I mean it," she insisted. "Talk to me. Tell me... tell me about when you were a SEAL. Tell me anything."
He blinked slowly, fighting to focus. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything," she said softly. "I want to know everything about you."
And as the minutes ticked by, waiting for help to arrive, that's exactly what he gave her, pieces of himself, shared in a pain-roughened voice that sometimes drifted but never quite faded. Stories of missions and brotherhood. Of loss and triumph. Of a life lived on the edge of danger.
Lily listened, hanging on every word, offering sips of water, changing blood-soaked bandages, doing anything she could to keep him present, to keep him with her.
Because somehow, in the space of three chaotic days, this man had become her anchor. Her protector. Her…
Daddy.
The word surfaced in her mind, no longer frightening or embarrassing. Just right. Fitting. True.
And as Blade fought to stay conscious, his eyes never leaving hers even as pain clouded them, she made him a silent promise.
Whatever happens, wherever this leads, I'm all in. We'll figure it out together.
Because that's what you did when you found your person. You held on, through blood and pain and danger.
You held on, and you never let go.
CHAPTER 7
The steady beep of the heart monitor was both reassuring and nerve-wracking to Blade. Reassuring because it meant he was still alive. Nerve-wracking because it meant he was stuck in this makeshift hospital bed in the club's medical room, useless while others handled his responsibilities.
While others protected Lily.
He shifted, wincing as pain lanced through his chest. The bullet had missed anything vital, Doc had confirmed that, but he'd lost a lot of blood, and the wound itself was serious enough to keep him bedridden for at least a few days.
Days he didn't have. Days Lily didn't have.
"Stop moving," Savage ordered from his position by the door. "You'll tear your stitches. Again."
