Page 172 of Graves

“Luke,” I answer, voice choked.

“Bring me that piece of shit!” Olena growls. “I’ll shoot his balls off!”

Nahla turns to her, stunned. Olena just shrugs. “Nobody does that to my little brother.”

“Big brother,” I correct her.

“And how are you holding up?” Nahla asks.

God, I’m so glad they’re here. Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how badly I needed someone to lean on. Their presence makes it harder to hold myself together. My shield is cracking, and I’m fighting back tears.

“Come here,” Nahla says, pulling me into another hug. “It’s okay.”

I don’t completely fall apart—probably because a doctor approaches us right then. He pushes up his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose, then addresses our group.

“Are any of you family of Aran Graves?”

“We’re his family,” Liam says, pulling me to his side. “How is he?”

“The surgery went well,” the doctor says. “We ligated the major vessels and closed the wounds. The blood loss was significant, so we had to stabilize Mr. Graves with fluids and a transfusion. His circulation has recovered. He’s no longer in immediate danger.”

I let out a shaky breath and drag a hand over my forehead. Nahla grabs my arm. Olena steadies me. Liam drops to his knees and is caught by Fox just in time.

“He’s in the ICU for monitoring now,” the doctor continues. “The next few hours are critical, but things are looking good at the moment. We’re keeping him stable with medication. He’ll need time to recover.”

“Can I see him?” I ask, voice trembling.

“Once he wakes from anesthesia and his vitals stay stable, yes. I’ll inform the staff so they can let you know. But I suggest you get some rest. Mr. Graves lost a lot of blood. He probably won’t wake before sunrise.”

That’s fine with me. I already know exactly how I’ll use the time.

“One more thing,” the doctor adds. “Injuries like this are automatically reported to the police. Standard procedure, whether self-inflicted or not. They may want to ask questions once Mr. Graves is conscious. If you have any relevant information, please be available. Also, the psych team will be assigned to him. That’s also standard. Any questions?”

The manager steps forward to speak with the doctor, but I’m no longer listening. The good news is ringing in my head like chimes, and all I feel is relief that Aran is going to be okay.

“Olena,” I say, turning to her. “You need to drive me to the warehouse.”

37

—

Koh

I step into the warehouse with rage burning through me, yet every instinct tells me I’m the prey being hunted.

What if seeing Luke alone is enough for his curse to catch up with me again and make me lose control? Didn’t he prove in the subway how much power he still had over me?

My memories are hazy, but my body remembers everything. I hear the roar of the train, feel the rush of wind whipping through my hair, and Aran’s hand yanking me back from the tracks.

Behind a shipping container, Levi and Damian are waiting. My brother leans casually against a large wooden table, discussing something with Damian, who’s holding a zip tie. A few feet away, Luke sits tied to a chair—feet bound to the legs, hands secured behind his back.

“Blue!” Luke calls out the second he sees me. “Please! Help me! These guys are insane!”

His voice slices into me like a knife. The audacity of him calling me Blue flips a switch inside me.

“Don’t call me that!” I storm toward him, driving my fist straight into his face.

I was wrong.