"Rest," Blade told her, noticing her battle. "I'll be right here when you wake up. Promise."
"Don't want... to sleep yet," she protested weakly. "Just got... back to you."
A soft smile crossed his face, tender in a way few people ever got to see. "I'm not going anywhere, baby girl. Neither are you. We have time now."
The reassurance, coupled with the gentle stroke of his thumb across the back of her hand, was enough to let her surrender to the fatigue pulling at her. Her eyes drifted closed, the beeping of the monitor fading as sleep reclaimed her.
The next time Lily woke, the light in the hospital room had changed, suggesting several hours had passed. The pain was more pronounced now, the medication wearing thin, but her head felt clearer.
True to his word, Blade was still there, his large frame somehow folded into the uncomfortable hospital chair, his hand still holding hers. He appeared to be dozing, his head tilted at an angle that would surely leave him with a crick in his neck.
She watched him for a moment, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to study him unobserved. He was sleeping like a baby, snoring softly.
And he was beautiful. Strong features, the shadow of stubble now a full beard after days without shaving, dark hair falling across his forehead in a way he'd never allow when awake.
Her protector. Her warrior.
Her Daddy, though they'd barely begun to explore that aspect of their relationship before chaos had intervened yet again.
As if sensing her scrutiny, his eyes opened, immediately alert despite his fatigue. His gaze focused on her face, relief washing over his features as he found her awake and lucid.
"Hey," he said, his voice rough with sleep. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I got shot," she replied with a weak attempt at humor. "Twice."
A small smile quirked his lips. "Yeah, that tracks. Pain level?"
"Climbing," she admitted. "But tolerable for now."
He nodded, reaching for the call button. "Nurse should be coming to check your vitals soon anyway. They can adjust your meds."
"Have you slept at all?" she asked, noting the deepening shadows beneath his eyes. "I mean really slept, not just catnaps in that torture device they call a chair."
"I'm fine," he deflected, a non-answer that told her everything she needed to know.
"Blade," she pressed, using what little strength she had to squeeze his hand. "You need rest too. Real rest."
"I'll rest when Jose's dealt with," he replied, an edge of steel entering his voice. "When you're safe at the clubhouse. Not before."
She recognized the implacability in his tone. This wasn't a battle she would win, not in her current condition.
"Speaking of Jose," she said instead, changing tactics, "what's the latest?"
Blade hesitated, clearly debating how much to share with her in her weakened state.
"All of it," she insisted. "I'm not some fragile flower, Blade. I took two bullets and lived to tell the tale. I think I can handle information."
Pride flickered across his features at her words. "Fair enough," he conceded. "Savage tracked Jose to a private airfield in Wyoming. He was too late to intercept, but we know he was headed east. Probably to his compound in North Carolina."
"The one Lucky mentioned," she recalled.
"Exactly. Jay’s been working non-stop to pinpoint the location. We know it's somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, heavily fortified, off-grid. Jose's final fallback position."
"And once you find it?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
"We end this," Blade stated simply. "Permanently."
The cold finality in his voice should have disturbed her. Instead, she found herself nodding. "Good."
