Arranged Marriage (MxMxM)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Was I...dead? I-I mean, I had been stabbed, right? So surely I had to be dead. Or was I? It sure felt like I was zoning in and out of consciousness, but perhaps it wasn't real. And I swear I sometimes hear William and Anthony's voices, but they were often distant and seemed to echo around in my head. Occasionally I would hear Marvin's voice, and while I couldn't exactly make out what he was saying, I still felt the sincerity in his voice.

So was this what it was like to be dead? Surrounded by an endless void of night, hearing the voices of those you cared about? Huh. Quite underwhelming if I do say so myself. I expected...I don't know, the golden doors of Heaven, or whatever. Not this dark void of just...nothingness.

Unless I really wasn't dead and was just unconscious and moping around in my head.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, there was a sharp pain to my abdomen, my eyes darting open as I was harshly tossed back into the world of consciousness. My eyes were watering and my heart was pounding painfully in my chest as my gaze darted back and forth, praying for a familiar face.

And once my gaze landed on the sleeping Anthony in the chair beside me, the man's head on the bed as I shakily reached over, my fingers gently brushing against his arm. Once I made contact, Anthony's brows furrowed before he opened his eyes, those teal depths foggy for a moment before they widened, the man jumping up as he placed his hands on my cheeks.

"Melani! Oh thank God you are alright." He sat down on the edge of the bed, his gaze watering as he stared down at me. "William and I were scared to death about you, and poor William hasn't slept since we found you."

I winced as more pain darted through me, Anthony's worry only worsening as he grabbed something off of the nightstand before he turned to me and pulled the blanket lower, revealing my bare torso and the bandage that was wrapped around my midsection.

"Someone...stabbed me," I muttered as Anthony carefully unwrapped the bandage, pausing in his actions as those teal eyes darted towards me. "I-I couldn't tell who they were, and goodness I was so stupid! I had heard a noise in the middle of the night and I debated whether or not I should wake you or William...yet I was convinced that I was merely imagining things."

Anthony's eyes grew soft as he gently wiped away my tears, his intense gaze on me as he pulled me forward, gingerly kissing my forehead before he rested his head against mine. "Please do not think that of yourself, Melani. You couldn't have known there was someone in the next room waiting to harm you. So please do not call yourself ill names for not knowing the future."

"B-But I should have listened to my gut and woke you and William-"

"You didn't know, Melani." I shut my mouth and leaned closer to his warmth, my heart clenching at the thought of him being so caring and understanding. "You did not know, and I refuse to let you blame yourself."

I looked up when he gently lifted my chin, my eyes closing when he placed a soft kiss against my lips. And when he pulled away, I couldn't help the questions that seemed to spill from my lips. "How's William doing?"

Anthony averted his gaze as a frown formed on his lips, the man dragging his hand through his hair before he sighed and looked back at me. "Like I said earlier, he hasn't slept since the morning we found you." He lowered his gaze again and I swore I saw tears forming within those teal depths. "Hell, I've barely even had any sleep. Not when images of you laying there in a pool of your own blood, pale and lifeless, keep playing in my dreams." My heart clenched tightly in my chest, my hand finding his as I threaded my fingers together.

And goodness my heart felt like it was breaking when Anthony began crying harder, his whole body trembling as he turned and hugged me. "We thought we lost you, Melani. We believed you had been stolen from us and we were panicking. If we had lost you...I don't know what we would have done, Melani, I really don't."

I leaned my head against his and began running my fingers through his soft hair, the man a mess as he trembled against me. "The important thing is that I'm still alive. I survived the assailant's attempt to take me from this world."

Anthony drew in a shaky breath before lifting that gorgeous gaze. "And while I am overjoyed you are alright, I cannot help but worry that your attacker will come after you again once they learn that you're still alive."

I went still after that, fear creeping up my spine when I realized he was right. Once whoever tried to kill me learns of my recovery...there's no doubt they will try to come back in order to finish the job, right? And since I didn't get a good look at them, it could literally be anyone in this entire castle.

I guess Anthony felt my fear, for he tightened his hold on me. "I assure you, Melani, we will not allow anyone to hurt you again. I promise you we will keep an eye on you, even if we have to do shifts. Whoever hurt you...we will find them and we will not go easy on them, I can tell you that much."

I felt some of that fear easing away as the other man stared at me with determination, my heart warming when he gently stroked my cheek with the tips of his fingers. "Thank you, Anthony. That means the world to me, knowing you and William are at my side in this." I nibbled at my bottom lip, suddenly wondering where my husband was. "Where's William?"

Anthony blinked and dropped his hand. "He and Captain Rosethorn have been questioning people in the castle, hoping they will find the assailant who hurt you. I tried to get them both to take a moment and rest, however, both men are as stubborn as a mule. If they keep on like this, they're bound to make mistakes, and if they make mistakes, they may miss an important detail that could lead them to the person who hurt you." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what? I'm going to send for him. I'm sure William would want to know that you're finally awake."

He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it and calling out to one of the servants walking by. He said his piece to the little one that heard him, and once they scurried off to do his bidding, he closed the door and made his way over to me, his eyes dropping to my half-bandaged midsection, his eyes filling with apologies as he sat down and finished unraveling it. "I apologize, Melani. I have something to help you with the pain if your wound is still bothering you. I meant to apply it earlier, but I'm afraid it slipped my mind after your questions. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. And luckily the pain isn't too bad at the moment, so that's a plus."

Anthony nibbled at his bottom lips and unscrewed the lid to a small jar before he dipped his fingers in, what appeared to be, some kind of clear gel. "I'll still apply some of this numbing cream just in case. I'd rather you not be in any pain."

I shivered and bit my bottom lip when he began applying the gel to m wound, the man trying to be as gentle as possible as he bit at his bottom lip, teal eyes narrowed in concentration.

And as I watched him, my heart began warming as butterflies began filling my stomach, causing him to glance curiously at me. But I merely smiled, a sudden realization filling me as the other man resumed what he was doing. And I knew. I knew I was in love with him.

A/N: Unfortunately, it's not five chapters like it usually is, but I wanted to post something since I haven't updated this story in so long. T-T But alas, here's an update, finally!