Queen of Death

Chapter 17

Dean

"Honey, I'm home," I wheeze before a coughing fit slams through my already bruised lungs. The side of my head burns where her knife scalped me. That's going to scar.

Solana is by my side in an instant, her hands roaming my body and assessing my injuries, particularly the one she just gave me.

"I don't think anything is broken but I'll need to get a better look later." In a surprising move, she throws herself on top of me, arms squeezing me in a hug.

Her warmth distracts me from the ache in my wings that refuse to fold in. It helps me relax enough for the first time in over 48 hours that I finally feel just how tired my body is. Every muscle and every joint is protesting against me, refusing to move anymore now that they've gotten a taste of respite.

But even that is short lived because in the next moment she throws a weak punch at my chest. "Where the fuck have you been? I've been worried sick!"

She throws herself on top of me again in another overly comforting hug. If I could move any part of my body at all I'd lift my hand and rub her back. It kills me that I can't comfort her the way she's comforting me, especially after she's admitted that she's been worrying about me all this time.

"You've been worrying about me, Sunshine?" I manage to hold enough air in my lungs to tease her a little.

She jumps off of me like she's been electrified and sniffles twice trying her best to not let me see. "We," she sits back on her heels, "we've been worried."

"You've been worried? How do you think I've felt?" I mean to tease her but by the way her face falls with obvious guilt I realize my tone may be harsher than I intended. So I smile to the best of my ability and breathe out a small laugh, "I mean, none of the guys can cook for shit. I was worried you'd all starve without me."

She hits me again in the chest before once again laying on me. I can't see her face but I can feel the way her body trembles against mine with relieved laughter.

She sits up abruptly and breathes in a shaky breath, "come on let's get you up and into a hot bath."

Slowly I manage to sit up, but it's like moving through wet concrete. Every muscle, joint, and bone in my body wants to stay spread out on this floor. Solana must see my struggle because she walks behind me, tucks her arms under mine, and like a human forklift she hoists me up to my feet.

She wraps one of my arms around her shoulders and snakes her other arm around my waist.

"Solana, I'm fine. I can manage getting up the stairs."

Her eyes pin me with laser point focus, her mouth pressed into a thin, angry slash of red, an expression that undoubtedly means she's not to be argued with right now.

I sigh deeply, looking down at the floor because I won't survive seeing pity in her eyes, "are you trying to completely emasculate me?"

Her response is gentle and filled with as much warmth as her body radiates, "I'm trying to take care of you."

I simply nod and allow her to walk with me up the stairs to my room, but she stops short and starts leading me into the master suite where Ace normally stays.

"My room is a little further down," I inform her but she is set on her path.

"I didn't know you had assigned rooms," she says softly. "We've all just been staying in here."

"All of you? Even Eli?" I can't keep the surprise out of my voice.

"Even Eli. He doesn't come to bed until after I'm asleep and he's gone before I wake up, but his scent is always in the room when I do so I know he slept there." She says it as a simple fact, not trying to make anything out of it or implicate meaning.