Page 104 of Phantom Flower

I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, then another to the corner of his mouth, careful not to wake him.

“When you wake up,” I murmured against his lips, “I am going to be right here. I am not leaving this room until you open your eyes and tell me you are okay. And then I am going to bring you so many flowers you will not know what to do with them. Red ones. Yellow ones. Blue ones. Every color you want.”

I stayed like that for a long time, forehead resting gently against his, holding his hand in both of mine.

“You are going to be okay, baby,” I whispered. “Your legs are going to heal. You are going to run through fields of flowers again. You are going to wear every color you want in your hair. And I am going to be right there beside you, bringing you new ones every single morning. I promise.”

Chapter 32

Rei Kurosaki

When I opened my eyes, I expected to meet a new world. Maybe heaven, or maybe the nothing I sometimes hoped for. Instead, I saw Dimitri’s face.

He was leaning over me. He looked like he had not blinked in hours. The first thing I felt was warmth. The second was the steady beep of machines and the faint smell of antiseptic.

It took me a long moment to register that I was in a hospital room.

My body felt heavy. My legs burned. A throbbing pain radiated from both thighs, but it was distant, like it belonged to someone else. I tried to move, and a soft cough escaped me.

“Lyubimyy.” I did not know why that word sounded like a prayer right then. He leaned closer, his free hand coming up to gently brush my hair back from my forehead. “You’re awake.”

I blinked slowly, trying to piece everything together. Daniel. The gun. The knife. The screaming. Blood. So much blood.

“You saved me,” I rasped. My voice sounded like it had been dragged over gravel.

Dimitri’s expression was conflicted, like he did not believe what I said. He reached for the cup of water on the side table and brought the straw to my lips with careful hands.

“Drink slowly,” he murmured. “You lost a lot of blood. Don’t push yourself.”

I took a small sip. The cool water felt like heaven on my dry throat. When I finished, he set the cup aside and sat on the edge of the bed, never letting go of my hand.

“I got there too late,” he said. His thumb stroked slow circles over my knuckles.

I shook my head, even though the movement made the room spin a little.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “You came. That’s what matters.”

Dimitri’s eyes filled with something I could not quite name, but it looked painful. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“I thought I lost you,” he murmured against my skin.

I had never heard his voice like this before. It sounded so human.

I lifted my free hand and touched his cheek.

“You didn’t lose me,” I said softly. “I’m still here. Thanks to you.”

He turned his head and kissed my palm, eyes closing for a moment like the touch hurt and healed him at the same time.

“Your brother and Marco are here too. They have been waiting outside. Should I call them in? I know Marco has been losing his mind worrying about you. And Kento…”

He trailed off, not finishing the thought.

I thought about it for a second. Marco being here made sense. He was my best friend, the one person who had always stayed. But Kento… my brother was probably here out of duty. Out of obligation.

I shook my head slowly.

“Later,” I whispered. “I want you here right now.”