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“Reinhold.”
Lillith jerks at the sound of my voice, at the raw emotion stored there.
“W-What?” Her brows knit. “What did you say?”
“Reinhold,” I repeat, my chapped lips carving upward in a grin. “That’s my birth name. Reinhold Hellfyre. I never got the chance to tell you before. It didn’t sit right with me, you not knowing. Now you do.”
Lillith’s lips part, surprise written clear across her lovely face. “You… you choose now, of all times, to tell me that?”
A chuckle rises, slips out of my open mouth, and fills the room. It hurts, but the pain is somehow lessened by the look on Lillith’s face. The joy.
“It seemed as good a time as any.”
“Well, you’d be very wrong about that,” she murmurs, reaching a hand toward my mouth. Softly, so softly, she runs her fingertip over my lips, tracing the curve of my smile. “I was worried I’d never get to see this again. I thought he… took you from me.”
Pushing the pain to a far recess of my mind, I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me, thrumming at the feel of her under my palms again.
“Oh, no—don’t mind me. I can watch this all day.”
Lillith freezes at the reminder of Ghost’s presence, and her cheeks heat the most adorable shade of pink before she shoves them into the crook of my shoulder. A laugh shakes my chest as I run my hand over her back in soothing circles.
I lob a glare in Ghost’s direction. “You could always leave.”
The oval tilts. “This is my house. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Thank you,” I grit out, positive there’s an insipid little smirk behind that mask. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
I give him a stare that clearly says I’m not playing this game.
Ghost sighs. “I told you I was your friend, Reinhold. Far better than that pissant Wesley.”
A pang radiates from where my heart sits, and I have to force all my energy on keeping the box closed with the memory of my best friend’s last moments.
Lillith stirs in my arms, and my control snaps back into place. I can mourn later. Right now, right at this moment, there’s more important things. Things to be grateful for.
“The doctor?” I ask, turning the conversation away from Wes. “How did you pull that off?”
Ghost shrugs. “He owed me.”
Lillith lifts her head, staring right at Ghost. “I assume you’re not going to share what.”
Ghost looks right back, not moving a muscle. “Something vile.”
Lillith grits her teeth, shooting a hateful look at Ghost. Without a word, she places her head back on my shoulder, seemingly aloof.
If I could see his face, I’m sure Ghost would be pouting.
He hangs his head, kicking his toe against the floor. “Everyone’s so boring.”
“Stop whining,” I grumble, rolling my eye at Ghost’s middle-finger salute. “And would you kindly fuck off? I want a minute alone with Lillith.”
“Fine. I have to find out where Orion sulked off to, anyway. Lillith.” He mocks a bow in her direction, pivots, and leaves the same way Dr. Slater did.
As soon as he leaves, I go to sit up in bed, but the disapproving stare from Lillith has me lowering just as quickly.
“You almost died, Kain. You’re going to rest for a while. Doctor’s orders.”
