Page 55 of Night Fury
Dani immediately grabbed a bowl and knife to collect Johanna’s blood.
“Johanna, where is Zachariah?” Greg asked.
“Dead.”
Dani whirled back around to her as Greg’s eyes widened.
“I killed him. Him and twenty of his men,” she said through the pain. She ran her hand through Luke’s hair. “He won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”
“Are you sure he’s dead?” Greg asked.
Johanna pulled out the dagger she’d used to stab Zachariah. “I stabbed his brain with this. You’ll find his body, as well as the others, underneath the rubble of our house.” She swayed again, almost falling to the side, but Greg caught her. “I won’t be able to stay conscious for much longer. Take care of him, please.”
“Of course,” he said.
As her consciousness faded, Johanna whispered, “Tell him … I love … him—”
Then she screamed as pain flooded her body and the world went black.
* * *
She was warm, so incredibly warm and comfortable. The arm around her waist tightened, and Johanna snuggled further into Luke’s chest.
Luke.
Her eyes snapped open. She lifted her head from his neck and stared down at him.
“Luke?”
Please don’t be a dream, please don’t be a dream.
“Good morning, sunflower,” he said with a small smile.
“Luke!” She threw her arms around him, laughing even as she cried.
Luke clung to her, kissing her head and every bit of skin he could find. She joined him, kissing his beard, his jaw, his chin, his lips. She laughed until she felt the wetness from his own eyes on his cheeks. Johanna had never seen him cry, and it broke her heart to do so.
“Baby,” she whispered, wiping away the moisture.
He shook his head. “I saw you. The whole time, I saw you standing there with Zachariah next to you and I couldn’t reach out to you. I couldn’t get to you. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
She shook her head as her tears fell and mixed with his own. “No, please no. I know what you went through and I know what it feels like. Please don’t blame yourself.”
“I have to. I let you down, I was supposed to protect you—”
“You did!” Johanna kissed his hands. “You did. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have known how to fight. I wouldn’t have found the courage.”
He smiled, brushing away her tears. “You were amazing, but you used so much power. You’ve been asleep for days, sunflower. I was so scared.”
“I’m sorry, but I had to make sure you were safe. I didn’t want him to ever hurt you, me, or anyone ever again.”
He kissed her head as he cradled her to his chest, his grip hard and sure on her body. “You made sure of that.”
She nodded, breathing in his scent, but then she pulled back in shock. “What happened when I passed out? Was anyone hurt? Were we able to clear Constance’s magic? Did it hurt you?”
“No,” he said, but his smile was pained. “Greg tied me down after you lost consciousness. Mixing your blood with Mya’s worked to clear the possession. I was back to normal within a few minutes.” Luke ran his fingers through her hair. “You saved me, sunflower, my little warrior.”
“I swore I would do anything for you, even—”
