“That may be hours.”
He sat down. “I don’t care.”
“Will…”
“Forget it, Morgan.” Mike shook his head. “You’re arguing to air.”
Morgan shrugged. “Fine.” She headed to the bathroom.
Mike rubbed the metal bed frame with one knuckle. “Yager, man…”
“Forget it, Mike.”
“Look, I’m sorry. About what I said earlier.”
Yager leaned forward. His elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together, and his eyes locked on the unconscious woman in his bed. “Don’t worry about it, Mike. The Crows will be here soon. You better go help, Tye. I don’t want ‘em all up here at one time.”
“You got it.”
Mike took another look at his friend, turned, and left him to face this one on his own.
Yager helped Morgan clean the blood off Neecy, stitch up a deep slash on her back, bandage up her wound, and tie her left arm against her chest to help the healing of her wing. They again laid her facedown on the bed and Morgan went to wash the blood off her hands.
Pushing the black hair out of her face, Yager stared at the woman who’d taken his heart.
He wouldn’t let her die. He’d waited too long for her. She was his. His wife, his mate, his future.
Leaning down, he kissed her ear. “Sleep for a little while, baby,” he whispered.
“Then get your ass up. We’ve got plans to make. I’m thinking some place warm for the honeymoon. You in a bikini in the Caribbean.”
He gave a little smile and kissed her cheek. Neecy Lawrence was going to be okay, because he wouldn’t accept anything less.
Didi landed at the same time as the other Crows. She didn’t even bother looking at Yager’s tidy and huge yard as she strode toward the house. Tye pushed open the French doors and Didi moved past him, the other Crows behind her.
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs. Second floor. Third door on the right. Just cut through the living room. And take the stairs in the hallway.”
They made it into the hallway, but Mike Molinski stopped them before they even reached the steps. She briefly wondered if she’d have to kick the living shit out of the kid.
“Morgan just finished with her. She’s still out cold. Yager doesn’t want a ton of people up there.”
Didi could hear the rustling of angry wings behind her, but Yager was right.
“Okay. I’ll go. And you.” She grabbed Arri’s arm and dragged her toward the stairs. “You’re coming with me.”
Marching up the stairs, she ordered to the rest of the Crows, “You guys get warm. I’ll be back soon.”
As they neared the room Tye directed them to, Didi let Arri know exactly why she wanted her there. “You tell me how bad she is. I wanna know. You understand?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t care if she was scaring the girl. She didn’t care about anything except Neecy.
Didi walked up to the doorway and stopped. Yager sat at Neecy’s bedside. His elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together, his head down. Arri stepped in behind her, gave a small gasp, and then backed out of the room.
Frowning, Didi followed her and watched as the girl slid down the wall, her eyes shut.
“Oh, my God…is it that bad,” she demanded in a whisper. “Is she dying?”
Arri shook her head. “I don’t know…Didi, there’s so much pain…I can’t see past it.”
“Neecy’s?”
She looked up at Didi, her eyes red-‐rimmed like she might start crying any second. “Yager’s.”
Finally, Didi saw Arri’s ability as something more than a neat parlor trick to entertain the Bama Crows. It was real and this girl could not only “see” what was inside other people, clearly she could feel as well.
Thoughts of retiring again assaulted Didi. She’d clearly hit that point when she needed to move on. Much more and she would become one of those leaders she always hated. Bitter, unreachable, and evil. No, it was time to go, but not until Neecy was better. Not until her second in command was running around protecting her “girls,” fighting her lust for Yager, and generally controlling the bullshit the crazy Crows could start at the drop of a hat. Until she had that Neecy back, nothing would be okay.
She crouched down next to Arri. “You stay here, hon. I’ll check on her.”
Arri simply nodded, her arms wrapped around her knees, her small body trembling.
Taking a deep breath, Didi stood up and went back into the room with Yager.
She walked around to the other side of the bed and looked down at her friend.
She lay facedown, one arm tucked up under her because they’d tied it close to her body. Her naked back covered in bandages, and her head turned to the side.
She wasn’t asleep because she didn’t move at all. Didi wasn’t really even sure she was breathing.
Didi leaned down and kissed the top of her friend’s head. “You get your ass better and up, Neecy Lawrence,” she whispered. “Or there will be hell to pay. I promise you that.”
Looking over at Yager, Didi straightened up. “Yager, I’d like to leave her here, if that’s okay with you. I know she’ll be safe here.”
Yager finally looked up at her. She didn’t need to read auras to see the man’s pain. “Absolutely. She can stay as long as it takes.”
But she knew he meant Neecy Lawrence could stay forever.
Yager didn’t even realize Didi had gone or that at least two hours had passed until Morgan came in to check on Neecy. After a few minutes, she walked around to his chair and lovingly ran her hands through his hair.
“Will, hon, ya gotta get some sleep.”
“I’m really not tired.” And he wasn’t leaving Neecy. He’d never leave her.
“Okay. But if you do, lay down next to her.” She kissed the top of his head. “Let her know you’re here.”
Then she left, quietly closing the door behind her.
Again Yager lost track of time. Sitting in the dimly lit room, staring at Neecy’s prone body and beautiful face. Eventually, though, his body got the better of him. So, taking Morgan’s advice, he stretched out on the bed beside her, stomach down. He caressed her face with one hand until sleep claimed him.
Chapter Sixteen
Even with her eyes closed, the light was killing her. Christ, why would somebody shine a fuckin’ strobe light in her face.
Neecy forced her eyes open and realized it wasn’t a strobe light but the early afternoon sun that had been irritating the shit out of her.
And, she realized, she was in bed with Will Yager. Not only that, but she got the feeling the cocksucker had tied her up again. She couldn’t move her left arm.
That searing pain, though…where did that come from?
She studied Yager’s face. He was frowning in his sleep, but still looked as sexy as ever.
Her right hand was free, so she reached out and slid her fingertips across Yager’s furrowed brow and down his nose. She smiled.
He really is a cutie.
That’s when his eyes slowly opened. They stared at each other for several long moments. Then Yager smiled. A big, wide, relieved grin that completely turned her insides to mush. Christ, she was turning into such a total wuss because of this guy.
“Hey, baby.” His voice was low, scratchy with sleep. Even with the pain in her back it completely made her nipples stand up and offer a big “howdy” to anyone in the room.
“Hey.”
“How long you been awake?”
“Not long.”
“How do you feel?”
“My back hurts.”
“Yeah. It will for a little while.”
“Why? I didn’t fall off something again, did I?”
His grin turned warm. “No, baby. You didn’t. You don’t remember?”