His thumb stroked over her hand, gentle where his words were harsh.
“I need you,” she said simply, and this time, it was easy to say. Light amidst the pain. Relief.
“And I need you,” he said hoarsely. “Where does this leave us, sugar?”
She pushed the pain and her blurry vision aside so she could focus. Sleep was calling to her, but this was important. Maybe the most important thing she’d ever do. Besides, laying your heart out wasn’t supposed to be easy.
“I don’t know what you want…what you expect from me, Eli. But I can’t change. I’m a part of Falcon. My job is dangerous. Falcon is my family, though.”
The corner of his mouth lifted into a crooked smile. “Jonah has already laid down the law in that regard. I think he was afraid I’d haul you away over my shoulder.”
“I still have to find a way to help D. That priority hasn’t changed. I’m just going to try to be smarter about how I do it.”
“That’s good, sugar, because between you and me, I don’t want you chasing some other guy down and seducing him.”
She smiled and groaned.
“We can do this later,” he said as he tenderly smoothed a hand over her brow. “You’re hurting. I can see it in those gorgeous eyes of yours. You need rest.”
“No. Not yet.” She shook off his interruption and went back to the heart of the matter. “Can you accept that, Eli? Do we have any sort of future together?”
He leaned over and took her free hand in both of his. He brought it to his lips and kissed each finger. “Jonah and I had a little talk. Seems he isn’t opposed to me joining Falcon, and he’s made it clear that’s the only way you and I will be together.” He laughed. “Protective, that one is. I imagine we’ll butt heads because we’re both used to being the boss, but I can deal with it.” His expression grew serious again. “What I can’t deal with is being without you.”
She sighed, part in contentment and part in bone-deep weariness. “That would be perfect. Then I can look out for your ass.”
He shook his head. “Life with you is going to be interesting to say the least, sugar.”
“Eli? What about your team?”
He sobered. “They’ve got some long days ahead. Marcus has examined them and has them on the same regimen he started Damiano on before he grew immune to it. We’ve got some loose ends to tie up with Gabe. A sister we didn’t know he had. I think your team just grew by three men. Think you can handle that?”
She touched his mouth with her hand as his grip around her fingers loosened. “I think you and I will make a great team, Eli. I won’t lie to you and say it doesn’t scare me to death. I’ve never relied on anyone but myself and Falcon. I don’t know how good I’ll be at this, but I want to try.”
“We’ll work it out, sugar. I’m not going anywhere. Now I want you to get some rest, okay? You’ve got a long recovery ahead of you.”
She made a face, but her eyes were already closing. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep them open.
She felt Eli’s lips on hers, light, loving. “I’ll get the nurse to give you something for pain, sugar. Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Tyana’s room resembled an army training camp. Six men, well, seven, if you counted the mild-mannered Marcus, stood in various poses, from slouching against the wall to being draped across too-small chairs. And Eli was parked on the bed next to her, his body pressed against her side.
Black shirts, camo pants and combat boots. They looked like they were ready to go to war. While they’d refrained from carrying their rifles into the hospital, Tyana knew that Mad Dog would be sporting his knives.
This was verified when he laid a sheathed knife on the bed next to her. It was identical to the one he’d given her before. The one she’d lost in Buenos Aires.
She trailed her fingers over the polished hilt and smiled up at him. “Thanks, Mad Dog.”
“Don’t lose this one, okay?”
“She’s grown way too fond of those damn things,” Jonah grumbled.
“I taught her well,” Mad Dog said.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked pointedly. “Doc says I can get out of here tomorrow, and after three weeks in here, I’m ready to crawl out if I have to.”
Beside her, Eli stiffened. “Just cool your jets, sugar. You’re in no shape to do anything but what we tell you.”
“Uh oh,” Mad Dog mumbled.
Damiano cracked a grin while Ian and Braden glanced warily at Tyana.
“When I get out of this cast, I’m going to kick your ass for that,” she said darkly, and elbowed him in the ribs with her good arm.
“Well until then, I’d say you’re as helpless as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest,” Eli said smugly.
She sighed. “I ask again. What’s the plan?”
Jonah’s lips worked as he suppressed a smile. What was the world coming to when the brooding bastard was actually lightening up?
“We go back to the island,” Jonah said. “We’re flying you home.”
She glanced up at Eli a little anxiously.
“Don’t worry, sugar, I’m coming too. Jonah even promised me a place at the dinner table if I mind my manners.”
She laughed then looked over at Ian and Braden. Jonah also looked questioningly at them.
“Braden and I are flying back to the States. We dug out the information on Gabe’s sister. If Gabe was telling the truth, then she’s probably in a lot of danger. I don’t know how much contact Gabe had with her so I don’t know how much, if anything, she knows, but we aim to find out.”
“Need back-up?” Jonah asked.
“No, it’s better if we do this alone. We want to attract as little attention as possible, and the last we heard, Falcon wasn’t exactly welcome in the U.S.,” Ian added with a grin.
“That’s what happens when you blow shit up in Uncle Sam’s backyard,” Mad Dog murmured.
“Will you be okay?” Jonah asked, and to Tyana’s surprise, he actually sounded concerned. Maybe her weeks in the hospital had resulted in a little male bonding.
Braden nodded. “Marcus has been monitoring our progress. We’ve only had one uncontrolled shift in the last three weeks. The injections seem to be working well, and we have the inhibitor as back-up, and in a worst case scenario, we have tranquilizers that would knock an elephant on its ass.”
“All right. If you need help, you know how to reach us.”
Tyana’s gaze found Damiano, who had been quiet throughout the entire conversation. “How are you doing?” she asked softly.
Marcus slid his hand over Damiano’s shoulder and squeezed in a gesture of support.
“Better,” D replied. “I won’t say great, but I’m working on it.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to work on it while you babysit me on the island,” she consoled.
“I thought that was my job,” Eli said as he slid his arm around her neck. He landed a kiss on her temple, and she scowled.
“Cut that shit out,” she grumbled. It was embarrassing in front of all the guys.
He chuckled softly in her ear then leaned in closer. “If that makes you uncomfortable, I probably shouldn’t tell you that Jonah has moved you and me to our own wing. I’ll leave you to figure that one out.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she fought the blush as it crept up her neck.
The entire room burst out laughing. She watched them in awe, her heart lighting up as the people she loved most in the world smiled and joked.
This…this was family. Her family. And that felt pretty damn good.
About the Author
Maya Banks is the pen name for Sharon Long, who writes for Samhain under both names. She lives in Texas with her husband, three children and assortment of cats. When she’s not writing, she can be found hunting, fishing or playing poker. A southern girl born and bred, Maya loves life below the Mason Dixon, and more importantly, loves bringing southern characters and settings to life in her stories.