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“It’s all right. You’re okay, Lachie. I’m here.”
Lachie.
He wasn’t Lachie anymore. Or rarely, anyway.
Only Isa used his real name on occasion. More and more he was falling into Loki.
“Loki,” he muttered.
He had to be Loki now. Because Lachie had lost his friends, his sanity, and any chance at a future with his girl.
Shit. He just realized that he’d had a nightmare and Isa had come in to wake him.
Rolling to his side, he cupped her face with his hand as he frowned at her. “What the fuck, Tinkerbelle?”
Her lower lip slid out on a pout. “You were yelling and crying out. I couldn’t just ignore you.”
“You should have fucking ignored me and you know it. I was stuck in a nightmare. What if I thought you were a threat? What if I thought you were an insurgent and I tried to fucking kill you?”
Just the idea of hurting his Tinkerbelle was enough to make him panic. To have him fighting for air.
He sat up, pulling his legs to his chest as he leaned his forehead on his knees.
“Lachie. Breathe. Please, breathe.” Her small hand rubbed his back.
She was tiny in comparison to him. So damn breakable. Physically, anyway. Mentally, she was strong, far tougher than him.
There were times he felt like he was breaking apart . . . shattering into a million pieces.
And he had no idea how to put himself back together.
She moved in behind him, trying to wrap her arms and legs around him.
“You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine. You have to trust yourself more. You’ve never hurt me.”
That was the thing, though, wasn’t it?
He didn’t trust himself. And he’d never risk her safety.
Sometimes, Loki didn’t think he should even be living with her.
Except he needed her with him. He had to watch over her.
Yeah, great fucking job you’re doing.
His breath came in short gasps, and the room spun around him.
Can’t breathe.
“Focus on the things around you. What can you hear?” she asked.
It was a trick his therapist had taught him, one he’d taught her.
“Loki, listen to me. What are three things you can hear?” she asked.
Isa shouldn’t have to do this for him. She’d worked late tonight and was tired. Hmm, was she working late a lot lately? Fuck, he should notice things like that.
Tink needed someone who could take care of her. Someone who was strong enough to lay down some boundaries and enforce them. But who had empathy and could be kind.
