Ten… Eleven… Twelve…
“That’s it, baby. Just breathe.”
He swept his palms down my back, lifting the hem of my sweatshirt just enough to press the pad of his fingers into the soft skin.
My own fingers dug into the space at the nape of his neck, fixating on the way his hair felt against my skin. Bit by bit, my limbs returned to me, and I couldn’t help but notice how lethargic they felt—how tired and overworked they were for doing absolutely nothing.
Oxygen tasted like luxury as I dragged it back into my lungs, exhaling large enough to shift against Daddy’s lap. Eyes filled with tears, the objects I saw still seemed blurry, but they’d stopped moving at a pace I couldn’t keep up with.
“I think you’re stuck, gorgeous. Half a breath between the hurting and the healing but I promise I’m going to get you to the other side.”
I draped myself over him, clutching the back of his shirt. My lips moved to tell him I loved him but when no sound came out, I drew the letters across his shoulder blades.
“I love you too, baby bird.”
We stayed like that for a while; him rocking me back and forth, whispering vows of love and pledges of protection. I felt his sweet nothings move through me as if my ear was connected to my heart, and each time I heard his voice, it was a bit easier to breathe.
Daddy didn’t mention the photos on the floor, but I knew he saw what they captured…the truth.
My father killed Foster Lake… and he was coming for me next.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
ROMAN
Humans were like the moon in that they had to go through phases of nothingness,emptiness,before they could feel whole again.
It was a process that was misunderstood by most, something that prioritized the hurt over the heal.
Witnessing my baby bird’s suffering—watchinghim wrestle with a voidness that left him barren and confused was like watching myself bleed out.
It was excruciating…
…never ending.
His wound leaked for hours, seeping a sense of security and a wave of emotional turbulence that left him grappling for pieces of reassurance.
I gave him every one I had.
I filled Sebastian’s wounds with my blood and bandaged his scars with what was left of mine.
It didn’t feel like enough…
… and I wondered if anything ever felt like enough when you loved someone as insanely and infinitely as I loved him.
“Daddy bird?”
I spun. Coffee sloshed over the rim of my mug, dribbling down my knuckles. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Sebastian grinned at me, and then yawned into his palm as he made his way into the kitchen. A blanket was draped over his shoulders, and he tugged it tighter around his upper body before lifting himself into a stool. “Do you know the best part about your bed?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s mine too.”
Fuck yes it was.
I smiled and placed my mug in front of him. Dropping a kiss to the tip of his nose, I tapped the ceramic edge of it. “Everything in this house is yours now, sweetheart. Forever.”