Revolt (Legends and Love)

A steady beep invades my unconscious brain, pulling me out of the darkness and into a numb, unresponsive body. It’s harder than it should be to force my eyes open, and when I do, I have to blink to bring the room into focus. It’s done in whites and cream, with some brown curtains pulled shut over a window.

Everything is soft and luxurious, but not even that can hide the hospital machines and charts.

Why am I in a hospital?

My mind is blank. I turn my head slowly with a wince, spying the closed brown door and the window with the blinds drawn. I try to call out, but my voice doesn’t come. I cough, attempting to clear my throat. “Hello?” I croak.

I twitch my fingers, and with great effort, I manage to slide my hand over the bed. I find a buzzer and hit it. I wait, allowing myself to come to, and with each passing second, my body starts to come back online. I don’t feel any pain or anything though.

Did I fall?

Did I hit my head?

The door opens, and a nurse and doctor rush in. “Miss Harrow.” The doctor smiles. “You’re awake.”

“What happened?” I whisper.

The nurse hurries to my bedside and slowly adjusts the bed to sit me up. I’m still mostly lying down, but she lifts a glass with a straw and I sip, swallowing the water. She takes it away after a few. “Not too much, you’ll make yourself sick.”

“How are you feeling? I’m Dr. Ramos, your attending physician. If you need anything at all—”

“What happened?” I frown, glancing between them. “I don’t understand why I’m here.”

They share a look, and Dr. Ramos’s smile turns sad. “Miss Harrow, you were shot.”

What?

“Not to worry, though, because we removed the bullet, and you were lucky. It missed anything vital. It was just a bleeder . . .”

I watch his mouth move as my ears buzz. I was shot?

Everything comes back and I gasp.

The guards.

The masked man.

I try to sit up.

“Please, Miss Harrow.” The nurse gently presses against my shoulder. “You need to rest; your body needs to heal. You are on some strong pain medication at the moment and you’re safe, so just lie down.”

“I’m not safe. Did the police catch him? The man?” I demand.

“Why don’t you sleep, and we can talk after?” Dr. Ramos suggests.

“I can’t sleep while he’s out there.” I frown as something hot runs through my arm. “Nurse?”

She’s pressing something. “Sorry, sweetie, you’re going to hurt yourself. You’re safe, I promise. Now sleep, and when you wake up, we’ll let the police in to talk to you.”

“No, wait,” I slur. “Please, I’m not safe—”

It doesn’t matter.

The meds kick in, swallowing me again.

“Shh, you’re going to wake her up, you idiot,” comes a familiar, stern voice. “Damn it, Astro, turn off the TV.”

“But it’s the finale,” he whines. “It’s not like she’s watching it.”

“He’s not wrong,” I mumble, opening my eyes. There’s chaotic movement, and I flinch when I realize there are four identical worried faces peering down at me. “Jesus, that’s terrifying.”

“She’s talking to you.” Cil nudges Raff, who smiles brightly, but there are shadows in his eyes.

“You’re awake,” he whispers.

“Yeah.” I grab the bed rail and sit up. They instantly swarm me, fluffing my pillows and straightening my blankets before sitting on the chairs surrounding the bed. It’s clear they have been here a while. I wonder how they got in, but nothing will stop them. “Don’t let anyone lie to you, being shot sucks,” I joke.

“It does.” Dal nods. “Even more than stabbing.”

I blink at that, unsure what to say. “Did they get the guy at least?” I scan their faces. “They didn’t, did they?”

“No, he got away in the madness, but don’t worry. We would have been there, Reign. You have to know that, but he tricked us. We thought you were at the house, and we were ambushed by ten very well paid mercs. It was a distraction, and by the time we got rid of them and tracked you, you were en route to the hospital. I dropped Raff Jr. at Emma’s for the meantime. He’s upset but okay,” Raff explains.

They didn’t abandon me. I should have known better, but not even they could have predicted what would happen.

“How can I not worry?” I grumble. “The guards . . . Are they . . .”

“They didn’t make it, any of them, but they did their job,” Raff replies.

“I need to make an announcement. I need to reach out to their families with my condolences and pay for the funerals—”

“Shh.” Astro takes my hand. “That can wait. You need to rest. You’ve been through a lot, and healing is all about good energy.”

“Not this shit again.” Cillian groans, even as he grins at me.

Swallowing, I look at them, some of the pain coming back. When I was shot, I wanted them, and although my heart softens knowing they have been at my side protecting me, I’m still hurt. “Why are you here?”

They all flinch. “Why wouldn’t we be here?” Dal retorts.

“I told you I didn’t want to see you again.”

“You were shot,” Astro says sadly.

“That doesn’t change—” I don’t know why I’m arguing. I feel safer with them here, but my own damn pride won’t let me admit it.

“We could have lost you,” Raffiel snaps, and my mouth closes. “We needed to see that you were okay, Miss Harrow. We had to. Please don’t make us leave just yet. I know you’re mad—”

“Don’t. I’m too tired to deal with this right now.” I tug my hand from Astro’s, worried I’m too comfortable. It’s almost impossible to remember why I’m hurt, the drugs making me sleepy. “Just, please leave for now, okay? I just want to sleep.”

“Reign,” Cillian begins.

“Please,” I demand, meeting each of their eyes. “I need some space. I’m tired.” I close my eyes, sliding deeper into the bed. Looking at them hurts, but what scares me the most is how right it feels to have them here despite everything.

There’s silence, and then Raff speaks. “Okay, Miss Harrow, we’ll leave for now. We’ll be close if you need us, just tell them to call.” When I don’t react, I feel him move closer before lips press to my head, making me jerk. “Sleep well, Reign, and trust us.”

My eyes open as I watch them file out and the door shut.

What did he mean by that?

Turning my head away, I focus on the window where it’s dark outside, running his words through my head. My first thought upon seeing them was joy. I felt safe. For a moment in that garage, I didn’t think I would ever see them again. No matter what happened, I still love them, and the idea of never saying goodbye hurt.

I know they left, and I let time pass as I stare out of the window, running over everything, from the feeling of the gunshot to watching those guards die to my heartbreak.

Can I truly not let them in? Even after everything?

I hear a creak and sigh. “Please, Raff, I just want to be left alone.” There’s nothing but silence until something tugs on my arm. My head jerks to the side and I freeze.

A man in a doctor’s coat stands next to me, his smiling brown eyes hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses. He looks smart and kind with a soft smile, but something makes me uneasy. “Who are you? Where is Dr. Ramos?” I demand. “Hey, what are you doing?” I try to move away as he pulls out a needle and sticks it in my arm.

“Don’t worry, Reign, everything will be okay now. I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?”

“What?” I slur as the room starts to spin. “What did you give me?”

“Just a sedative to keep you calm so you don’t injure yourself further while I get you into the car. It’s okay. I’ve got you now. I’ll save you from them, then it will just be you and me.”

“Wait, stop.” I reach for the buzzer, but he pulls it away, tugging the bedding back and sliding me to the edge. My body is limp. I can’t even seem to muster up the energy to scream as he tugs my gown down. Tears slip from my eyes but luckily, he carefully pulls on a sweater dress and tugs it down before kneeling and putting some shoes on me. I slump forward, and he catches me.

“Shh, I’ve got you. I know you were calling for help, calling for me, and I’ve got you now. You’re safe. They’ll never have you again. It will be us forever.”

“You’re crazy,” I mumble.

“Don’t be rude, Reign, not after everything I went through to get you here and for my plan to work. The idiots are out chasing my dummy leads right now, so it’s just you and me. I’ll keep you safe forever now. No more cameras or being forced to sing, no more Tucker or your backstabbing friends, no more bodyguards taking advantage of you.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask. I don’t know how he understands my words, but he does.

“Because I love you.” He frowns at me. “Just like I know you love me too. Don’t you remember when we first met?”

I slump farther, and he catches me. “I’ll remind you later, but for now, let’s go.” Lifting me into his arms, he carries me to the door and into the hallway, my head lolling as I call for help, but it’s empty at this hour and the floor is private. Whimpering, I feel tears streaming down my face as he carefully positions me in a wheelchair.

“Don’t cry, Reign. Everything will be okay now.” Wiping away my tears, he starts to whistle as he wheels me down the corridor to the elevator. He strokes my hair as my head slumps to the side, the sedative taking full effect even as I try to fight it.

This is it.

I’ll disappear forever.

I’ll never see Beck again. I’ll never get to watch movies with Astro, cuddle with Cillian, fight with Raff, or sing with Dal. I’ll be trapped with this crazy bastard until he kills me.

They’ll think I ran again.

The doors open and I blink, sure I’m seeing things. “Hi there.” Astro grins, aiming a gun at the man behind me. “It took you long enough. I was starting to get bored.”

There is a click, and when my head lolls farther back, I see Dal behind the man, holding a gun to his head. “It really did take you too long to take the bait,” Raff remarks as he and Cillian circle us. He has the nerve to wink at me.

Wink!

“You really aren’t as smart as you think,” Cillian comments.

“She’s mine,” the man hisses. “Mine! Fine, arrest me, but I’ll still come for her—”

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We aren’t cops, so we don’t care about laws, only her. You won’t get the chance to hurt her again.” Raff raises his gun, and I jerk as the shot rings out. The wheelchair slides forward and spins so I can see the man fall.

There’s a bullet hole in his head.

Dal steps up to him and fires two more into his chest before grinning at me. “We have to be sure.”

“Don’t worry, you were always safe,” Cillian promises. “Now let’s get you back to bed. I’m guessing the drug is kicking in. Fucking moron couldn’t even get her without sedatives.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Raff crouches at my side, covering me with his suit jacket. “Sleep, Reign. We’ve got you.”