Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder) novel Chapter 274

Chapter 274

Xena’s POV

Consciousness crept back slowly, like swimming up from the bottom of a dark ocean. The first thing I noticed was the sterile smell–antiseptic, clean sheeti that unmistakable hospital scent that seemed to cling to everything. My mind felt foggy, wrapped in cotton, but gradually the fog began to lift. I was alive Somehow, impossibly, I was alive.

I struggled to open my eyes, the bright light stabbing through my skull like needles, Sunlight streamed through a window, painting golden squares across the white hospital room. As my vision cleared, I became aware of a weight beside my bed. Someone was there, slumped forward with their head resting on their arms.

With tremendous effort, I lifted my head slightly to get a better look.

Ryder.

My heart stopped for a moment before hammering against my ribs. He was asleep, his blond hair falling across his forehead, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. The sight of him here, real and breathing. My world, which had been nothing but pain and darkness, suddenly burst back into color.

I had done it. I had survived. I was looking at the person I had missed more than my own heartbeat, the man I had fought so desperately to return to. Overwhelming happiness crashed over me like a tidal wave, so pure and intense it took my breath away.

Tears gathered in my eyes, hot and uncontrollable, spilling down my cheeks onto the hospital pillow. I tried to turn my head away, not wanting to wake him, but a gentle hand touched my face.

I turned back in surprise to find Ryder’s green eyes looking at me with such tenderness it nearly broke me all over again. That was it–the dam burst completely. I began sobbing, all the pain and relief I’d been holding back pouring out of me in great, gasping waves.

“Hey, hey,” Ryder said softly, panic flickering across his features as he scrambled for tissues on the bedside table. His hands shook as he gently wiped away my tears, his touch feather–light against my skin. “You did it. It’s over. It’s all over now.”

He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead, and I felt some of the terror finally leave my body.

“I love you so much,” I whispered through my tears.

He pulled me into his arms then, careful of the IV lines and monitors, holding me against his chest like he was afraid I might disappear. I melted into his embrace, feeling safe and whole for the first time since this nightmare began. His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear, real and reassuring.

“Wow, looks like I’m interrupting something,” Logan’s teasing voice came from the doorway.

Ryder slowly pulled back, his arms reluctant to release me. At the sound of my brother’s voice, the emotions I’d just managed to control came crashing back. Fresh tears pooled in my eyes as I looked at Logan standing there with that familiar crooked smile.

‘My sister’s turned into a crybaby,” Logan said, grinning at me.

Have not,” I protested through my tears, which only made Ryder and Logan chuckle softly.

Logan pulled a bouquet of yellow tulips from behind his back and placed them on the bedside table. He walked over and sat on the edge of my bed, but when he glanced at Ryder, his expression shifted to something more serious. I felt the atmosphere in the room change instantly, a chill of anxiety running down my spine.

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