Lion Fernando Castello.
My brother. My best friend.
My safe place.
I’msafe.
I remember everything.
I can no longer see through the tears building. “Lion,” I rasp before my knees buckle and I let out a sob.
Lion’s fast, he falls to the ground, scooping me into his arms before my legs collapse.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, tucking my head under his chin, then wrapping his large arms around me, rocking me back and forth as I break in his hold. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to you sooner.”
“You came for me,” I say, the words broken.
I’m sobbing uncontrollably and shivers wrack my body. I’m finally able to mourn the child I lost. I cried and screamed all my pain into Lion’s shirt as he held onto me.
“Always,” he says, placing a chaste kiss on my head. “I’ve got you. Always, Malia.”
Time passes. I’m not sure how long we sit on the floor, but my crying finally subsides, and I let myself just bask in the comfort of Lion’s arms. My head hurts from the memories of what I went through before the coma.
“Where’s Liam?” I croak, swiping at the tears on my cheeks.
It hurt like I knew it would, the memories stacking on top of each other like a deck of cards. The force of what I had gone through with Elio instantly decimated me. I’m home safe and all I needed was the one person who had my back through my whole life.
My best friend.
My brother.
Lion loosens his hold, and he helps me to my feet. My legs are shaky, the weight of a brain so full of life weighing me down. Liam’s face filters through my mind, along with everything we’ve been through together. I was gone for months and he fucking fought for me. He did everything within his power to bring me home to him.
Every touch.
Every kiss.
Every moment I lost of the man who loves me so ferociously, it’s all there.
I need to get to him.
“Where’s Liam?” I ask Lion again, my voice stronger this time.
Lion frowns at me, not looking like he’s convinced I’m not about to fall to my knees again.
“If he’s not in here, then he usually hangs out on the terrace,” Lion says with a shrug. “Unless he went back to your condo.”
I turn, willing my legs to keep me up as I break into a run and tear through the hallways. With a mansion this size we have two terraces, one almost wrapping around the entire back of the house. There’s only one place on either terrace we’ve been together.
The night of the ball, when he hung me over the ledge and fought between dropping me to my death or fucking me so deep there was no way I’d forget him.
But I almost did.
I reach the doors and burst out onto the patio, my lungs screaming from the exertion. I curse myself for letting my body get weak, even if I didn’t know why I needed to stay strong.
Liam’s silhouette moves slightly in the distance and I smile when he’s standing exactly where I thought he would be.
My heart stretches for him, but I keep my footsteps slow and deliberate. I take in his towering height, the straightness of his back that fans up to his broad shoulders. The power in his biceps, as each perfectly carved muscle strains against the fabric of his black shirt. The corded muscles of his exposed forearms flex when he shoves his hands in his pockets.