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My eyes opened to a cloth wiping my forehead and I focused on the owner of the hand. Valerie smiled down at me.
“Michael wasn’t able to heal you completely. He stopped the bleeding, but you’re going to have a scar.”
“Damian?” I asked, pushing the cloth away. Sitting up wasn’t as easy as I assumed and when the dizziness gripped me, Valerie offered a hand to steady me.
“He’s in your bedroom,” she whispered.
“Where is Michael?”
Valerie bit her lip and shrugged. “He said he needed to recharge and left me to watch over both of you.”
I could tell from her tone, she wasn’t very happy with our winged grandfather. I could only guess where an archangel went to recharge and I looked up at the ceiling. Michael must have gone back home to heaven and I sighed.
“Did he say anything about Lucifer?”
Valerie sent a rueful smile in my direction. “He said to tell you that Eve did as much damage as you had before she died, so you’ve got some time.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath before meeting her gaze. “How long have we...” I couldn’t formulate the words and she just offered a smile.
“You’ve been in and out for a few days, but this is the first time you’ve been lucid.” Valerie picked up the cup from the coffee table and offered it to me. I took it and was rewarded with the cool tartness of an orange-pineapple blend.
After a few sips, I handed it back to her.
“Can you take me to see him?”
Valerie hesitated and met my gaze. “He doesn’t look that great,” she said.
After what I witnessed at the house, I’d say he probably looked about as appealing as one of the victims of a nuclear holocaust, but I needed to see him, to touch him, to make sure he still drew a breath. I gave a curt nod and pushed to my feet.
Valerie took hold of my elbow and steadied me as she led me to my bedroom. The images playing in my head of what might be beyond the door made my feet as heavy as brick slabs and I forced myself forward. Valerie pushed the door open and stayed in the entry. I met her gaze, then took a deep breath and stepped into the room.
I wasn’t prepared for the sight in front of me. My gaze landed on Damian painted in sunlight; his torso visible and devoid of any evidence of Lucifer’s torture. Scar-free and beautiful under a thick sheen of sweat and my hand drew over my mouth, covering the gasp of surprise.
Bags of ice rested along his body and an I.V. drip hung from a metal rod next to the bed. I followed the line of clear liquid and my gaze landed on his wrist.
His bound wrist. Both arms were bound in soft restraints that reminded me of those in a mental institution and I glanced over my shoulder at Valerie, cocking an eyebrow in a silent question.
“We strapped him down so he wouldn’t hurt himself,” she said, answering my question before I could voice it.
“Oh,” I whispered and shuffled across the floor with the last of my energy. The exertion took what little strength I had, sapping it from my bones and I collapsed in the soft cushioned chair next to the bed.
I have no idea how long I stared at his perfect form, still trying to piece together all that had happened since Lilith shot me with the antidote. Slowly, I reached for his hand, but the heat radiating from him sent my blood racing. My heart tripped in my chest and fear dried my mouth. No human could radiate that much heat and I shot my gaze to Valerie.
“Fever?” I asked, knowing it was an asinine question, but looking for confirmation anyway.
Valerie just nodded.
“How high?”
“Last I checked, he was at one hundred and five, which is much better than when Michael first brought him in.” She stepped into the room. “I’ve got enough intravenous drips to last a month and if he hasn’t woken by then, I’ll have to figure out how to get more.”
I dropped my gaze to my fingertips for a moment, wondering if my touch would spawn angry blisters like before. Dread encompassed me and I reached for his hand again, hesitating before I touched his hot skin. Holding my breath, I dropped my hand on top of his and glanced at his slack face for a reaction, any reaction, and received nothing.
When I pulled my hand away, my gaze locked at his unblemished skin and my heart started a drum beat in my chest that I felt through my entire form. He wasn’t allergic to my touch anymore. I’m not sure if it was the sob that broke from my chest or the look on my face that set Valerie in motion, but I launched myself on top of Damian, planting kisses from his forehead all the way down his face, leaving a trail of tears along my frantic path.
“Naomi, he’s burning up and your body heat isn’t going to help,” Valerie whispered after a few minutes of my emotional display.
I turned toward her. Of all the people in the world, she had to understand what the ability to touch him without harm meant to me. She had to understand my need to be near him right now, but all I saw was her soft concern along with the underlying warning.
“I’ll make you a deal, if he starts the chills again, you can warm him, okay?”
Begrudgingly, I pulled myself off his prone form and slid back into the chair. Valerie picked up his wrist and checked his pulse. “This isn’t covered in medical school,” she said with a hint of a smile and met my gaze. “I’m not sure what to do with him beyond keeping him hydrated and keeping his fever in check.”
I sighed. “How much school have you missed?”
“I’m on break until Monday, so your timing worked out. Once you get your bearings, I’ll need to go over what you need to do when I go back to class.”
“Did Michael say when he should wake up?”
Valerie met my gaze but she didn’t speak. Not at first, and then she sighed.
“Michael didn’t know if he’d ever wake up.”