Page 19 of Reverence

I sighed. “You’re not going to accept no for an answer, are you?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

I covered my eyes with my hand.

“Hiding away isn’t going to help.” She laughed softly. “The doctor said they’re keeping you here for six hours just to make sure you’re one hundred percent okay.”

My eyebrows knitted together and when I lowered my hand, she reached over and tapped my forehead with her index finger.

“It’s for your own safety. Kayden and I will be back then to pick you up, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Kay. I truly appreciate you.” Guilt settled heavily in my chest. “I’m sorry for ruining your anniversary weekend.”

She pulled me into another hug.

“This should’ve been a memorable occasion for you. You shouldn’t have to associate it with something like this.”

Instead, Kehlani found herself standing beside my hospital bed in another city, worrying about me instead of enjoying her anniversary.

Before I could spiral too deeply into my thoughts, the door opened and Ares stepped into the room.

“Nonsense. I’m just glad you’re safe and in good condition. I’ll see you later.”

Kehlani kissed my forehead before turning around and waving goodbye to Ares.

Then she left, the door closing behind her with a soft click. Silence settled over the room.

Ares stood against the wall, both hands buried in the pockets of his sweatpants.

“You’ve never mentioned your allergy before.”

I slowly pushed myself into a more upright position.

“I mentioned it to my chain of command. I didn’t need to disclose that information to you.”

“Given that you went into anaphylactic shock an hour ago, I’d beg to differ.”

He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer. “You tell me I’m selfish, but you’re reckless. What if I hadn’t reacted quickly enough?”

His jaw clenched.

“You could’ve died.”

The harshness in his voice nearly made me flinch, but I quickly dismissed it.

“Either I’m high on morphine, or it seems to me like you care about my health.” I gave him a mocking smile.

“I’m aware of how dire the situation was, so your explanation isn’t required.”

“I think it is, because you clearly don’t understand the severity of what happened.”

He scoffed.

“I don’t care about your health, Rivera. I just wouldn’t want you dying on my watch. That would be a hassle.”

“Of course.” I retorted.

“Quite an annoying one, actually.”