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“Compound.”
“What?”
“Compound. Griff called it a compound.”
“Okay, compound. I didn’t know until they found you at the compound. And when they brought you back, I felt so guilty. I had a feeling he was at fault for what happened to you, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”
Before she turns into herself, I grasp her gently by the chin and force her to look at me.
“Darling girl. This is not your fault. It’s a chaos-of-the-universe thing, and I would do anything to take it away from you. You don’t deserve this. But I’m right here if you need me.”
Our foreheads rest together, and I deeply breathe in her honeysuckle scent.
“It doesn’t matter if the trauma makes you stronger. You weren’t supposed to be strong. You were supposed to be safe,” I say.
I need her to understand she’s safe with me. I would never hurt her. I would protect her as much as my own son.
I place a delicate kiss on her lips. A light brush between us. It’s sweet and gentle, but there’s heat there nonetheless.
She seems startled by the kiss, but with relief, I feel her body relax into me.
Lost in thought, I can see the gears in her head processing the patchwork of information I’ve given her.
“And Griffin?
“I don’t know, but we can find out more when he gets here.”
“But he’s good, right?” There’s a desperation in her voice. She needs to hear this from me.
“I hope so, honey. I really hope he’s one of the good ones.”
“Okay, thank you. I think I need to process.” Her dismissal is clear, but I think she got what she needs. I hope she did.
“Kieran and I are here to stay, by the way. Ember set us up down the hall. I’m here for you if you need me.”
I place another kiss on her forehead and move to leave.
“Sage?”
“Yes, darling?”
“No more secrets. Please, I can’t handle anymore.”
“Of course, honey.”
My instinct is to go into the bathroom and wet a cloth to clean up her face. I want to bring her something to eat, make sure she drinks water, rub circles into her back until she falls asleep.
But she’s asking to be alone. I hope she knows it’s temporary.
She’s not meant to be alone.
And she won’t be anymore.
