“How long do we have to stay like this?” I ask.
Luci doesn’t answer right away, but I feel his heart pound once in his chest at my question, and I can’t help but wonder how I’m supposed to interpret that when he answers.
“You don’t have to stay with me at all,” he finally says, surprising me. “I should be okay for around an hour before I start seizing again.”
“And if I stay?”
“That time will grow.”
“If I stay the whole night?”
“Then I should fine for at least the entire day.”
“Fine, then I’ll stay, but just until morning.”
Exhaustion kicks in as Luci pulls the blankets over us before wrapping both arms around me again.
“Can I ask something else of you?”
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell Dante or Seven about this.”
“About our current situation or about the seizures?”
Luci hesitates for a moment.
“The seizures. It’s been a long time since I had them, and I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
I can’t help but think there must be more to it than just not wanting them to worry, but I suppose I wouldn’t want others to know either. Not if I was part of the mafia and supposed to be invulnerable.
“Okay,” I agree, while secretly tucking this information away in case it might come in handy later.
Does it count as breaking a rule if one of them asks me to keep a secret from the others?
“Thank you, Evi.”
I don’t say anything as I nestle against him, but if I didn’t know any better … I could almost swear I hear the hint of a relief in his voice.