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That thick wall of ice starts to melt.
“I love her, too, brother. So, no. You don’t get to be a bastard to us. Because I love her, too!” Tears drizzle down his cheeks. And I have to break the burning eye contact. I can’t stand to see him cry. It was only a few times in my life that it happened.
“You’re right.” I take a deep breath, reeling in my temper. “I’m sorry.”
He grinds his teeth. “And?”
My gaze meets Ruth, who is rubbing her hands over the backs of her arms.
I sigh. “I’m sorry, Ruth. You were just trying to help.”
Ruth flashes me a sad smile, gulping down her discomfort from the weight of my stare. She doesn’t deserve my outbursts, I know. But I’m teetering on the edge of a full-on outrage, a disastrous breakdown. And with this amount of stress, there might be another alter who splits.
“I’m so thirsty,” Skylenna finally says, trying to peek up at Warrose through swollen eyelids.
My heart beat picks up, kicking a hole through my breastbone at the sound of her voice.
“We’re getting water for you just as soon as”
“Dessin?” she utters, that sweet voice sounding like she tried to gargle glass.
“Yes, baby?” I practically collapse.
“Your cage…” She tries to open her eyes wider, looking past me. “The bars…”
At this, the entire group shifts awkwardly, looking at my confinement with the same question they’ve all been dying to ask.
“It’s sturdier than I thought,” I answer.
She pauses. “Show me your hands.”
I release a low grumble in the base of my throat, flexing my fingers as I hold my palms out to her.
The group sucks in a sharp breath. I’d love it if they had the decency to pretend to be busy. But here we are, way too involved in each other’s private moments.
Skylenna frowns at the plum purple bruising on the inside of my hands. But I don’t care. I would have broken my bones to break through that metal.
“I love you,” she mouths to me.
The cage doors swing open.
“Go now!” I urge Niles and Marilynn. “Beat the crowd.”
They nod eagerly, racing down the hallway without another word. And I bolt right after them, turning on my heels to join Skylenna in Warrose’s cage. I get down on my knees in front of them, holding my arms out.
“I’ve got her,” I tell Warrose. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
He gives me a tight nod, passing her over to me as if she only weighs the same as a puppy. My chest collapses on itself as I smell the coppery, dried blood covering her body. Feel the iciness of her skin. She’s so fucking fragile it kills me.
And to twist the knife in my heart, she smiles despite the swelling in her jaw. She coos at the sight of me. I could cry like a newborn baby at that smile.
Warrose stands up, naked, and in my face. Thankfully, Ruth hands him his pants.
“Why?” I ask Skylenna.
“Hmm?”
“Why did you do it?” I kiss the bruises on her collarbone. Kiss the wounds on her cheekbones. “Why did you freak out, baby? Why did you kill that sentinel? I had it handled.”
