Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Daniel opened his eyes early the next morning. At least, he thought it was the next morning, from the look of the light coming in through the window to hit the pale yellow walls of the hospital room. He coughed. His throat felt like hell.

His body felt even worse.

"Commander McKellen, just stay still. I'll get you something to drink," a soft, almost angelic voice said next to him. He turned. "They put a tube in your throat, I believe. Before they operated."

It definitely wasn't an angel sitting next to his bed, with a ball of yarn and knitting needles in her slender hands. One of the demon women was more like it. A Coleson. "Sum—why in here?"

"I drew the short straw, actually. We voted, and decided that we are taking pity on you and are going to retrain you into a proper man-creature for some poor hapless woman, once you are out of here. Or so Cashlyn informed me." She smiled. That killer smile she shared with her aunt. "Actually, we're doing our civic duty and keeping an eye on you. How do you feel? Let me guess, like you've been shot?"

"Something like that." Like he'd been beaten to a pulp, ran over by a train, and dragged behind a thousand horses, was more like it.

"Well, I hope you are a better patient than Aunt Heather. She's being very difficult. Mac Barratt paid to have her upgraded to a private room, now she's just being cranky and doesn't want those Barratts feeling obliged—especially him. They were going to let her out earlier today, but there are signs of infection. She says Rafe and Mackie McBarratt are conspiring to hold her hostage as some sort of sick revenge or something. She is not a happy camper right now."

"She was hurt? How bad? Where's Gun?" It was all coming back to him—and he wasn't liking what he remembered. There had been a chopper and ambulances and—not just the ambulance he had been in. Others. "Exactly who was hurt?"

"Gunnar is right over there, actually. In the other bed. Powell went downstairs to see if someone could print Gunnar ultrasound photos of their Viking baby to keep on the tray there until he's released. Those two are so cute together. He took another bullet to the chest, and it did some damage, as well as he lost a lot of blood, I heard. Heather is across the hall. She was shot in the leg and it hit something important. She lost a lot more blood even than you or Gun did. She's getting out first thing in the morning, if these antibiotics work. We're all drawing straws; the loser has to drive her. When it comes to the technical blood and guts stuff, I'm the wrong Coleson to ask. But…the good guys are going to be okay. One of Powell's guards was killed instantly, though. The other one…Samia and Cashlyn were able to help him in time. And Heather found him out there first. She was able to cover his wound so he didn't bleed out. He'll make a full recovery, I heard. And go home to his wife and children."

"Grundenmans?"

She hesitated. There was pain on her beautiful face, in those soul-stealing eyes. "My father is out there somewhere, apparently with my eight-year-old little half sister. Miguel is still looking for him, for them. I believe he has made it a personal mission. And…Trey…"

"Your brother."

"I'm not ever calling him that again," she said bluntly. "He was shot twice. He'll pull through, but we don't know what the damage will be. Eden has been speaking with his surgeon. She pulled the short straw on being Trey's next of kin. None of us wanted him. The surgeon can give you updates."

Daniel blinked. "And Gunnar?"

"He's going to be okay," a soft voice said from the door. Daniel turned his head. A beautiful woman he had known almost her entire life stood there. "I'm going to make sure of it. He lost a lot of blood. And it knicked his lung. He'll be on medical leave for the next three months while he heals. But he's going to be okay, and we're going to live happily ever after."

Daniel just looked at her. Powell had that expression on her beautiful face that said she was determined to go after what she wanted. He'd seen that look countless times before. She was one of the most determined women he had ever known.

Powell and Gunnar—they would be okay. Happy. He closed his eyes, relief filling him. For just a little while. Movement next to him had him opening his eyes again. Watching the Heather-look-alike next to his bed as she just kept knitting something. "The good guys won this time?"

"Yes."

"It's a start."

But Daniel wasn't stupid. This wasn't finished yet.`

He was half afraid the hell was just getting started…