Page 116 of Barinov

“L’ombre,” she says, gently leaning back on the ropes. “You can shout at me til you’re blue in the face if it’ll bring you peace.”

ME: Just waiting for Sabine to haul off and slap him again.

KNOX: That bad?

ME: You have no idea.

KNOX: Well, at least Sabine won’t try to sue us.

I look up from my phone just in time to see Lex roll his eyes at her.

“You can do that too,” she chuckles. “But it won’t heal the lightning flaring through that shoulder of yours any faster, chéri.”

Lex groans.

ME: It’s still early.

KNOX: Keep me posted. If it gets good, be sure to get that shit on video.

Since we got back from Miami, Lex has burned through three different physical therapists in a record amount of time. The first one left in tears. The second threatened to sue. And the third swore she was going to stab him in his good shoulder to make it match the other one if he didn’t get the hell out of her office.

Luckily, Sabine stepped in. She took over and hasn’t backed down once. She’s the only one who seems to be able to handle the snarling storm that is Lex Barinov.

But even she looks like she might throw a dumbbell at his skull today.

Lex is allowed to be out of the sling for a few hours a day now. Just enough to tease him with an ounce of freedom and drive him half mad at the same time. He’s got some mobility back, but not nearly as much as he wants. Not nearly as much as he’ll need for his next trial.

He tests Sabine’s patience like it’s his full-time job. Pushes too far and too fast. Groans when the pain spikes and then glares down at her like she caused it. Yesterday, she caught him and Rez squaring up in here without her. She was so pissed that I thought she was going to throw Celeste at both of them.

Today, she’s got him on light movements. A few controlled stretches and some core work. Limiting his range of motion so he doesn’t injure himself more. He hates every second of it and makes sure to let the entire Pit know about it.

“This is stupid,” he mutters under his breath, dragging a resistance band across his body with all the grace of a seriously pissed off lion. “How the hell is this going to help?”

Sabine clicks her tongue. “Your trial is not for a few more weeks. I’ll get you ready by then. Promise.”

“With what? Yoga and stretchy bands? How the fuck is this—”

“Lex!” she snaps, her dark brown eyes burning like embers. “Look around you, child! Your options have withered like moss in a drought. That fire of yours burned so hot, it’s left only me and Cade to sift through the ash.”

She inches closer, a small shadow against the seething beast, but she doesn’t shy away. “So, you’re gonna listen to the words I say. You’re going to find your strength and find your way. And for all our sakes, you better tame that darkness curling through your soul before it swallows us whole. You hear me, chéri?”

Lex flinches at her words. Probably because deep down, he knows she’s right.

His recovery wasn’t only a nightmare for the poor physical therapists assigned to him. It’s been hell for the rest of us as well. Between the mental toll of what he had to do to the Vasilev brothers and the constant throb in his shoulder, Lex’s rage has become something sentient. Add in the fact that Bella’s location is still a black hole and Knox hit a gigantic wall with those updated collars, it’s been miserable.

For all of us.

Lex has spent the last few days systematically tearing a new one into anyone within earshot. I can barely reach him anymore. Half the time, he stands paralyzed in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection with his good hand balled into a white-knuckled fist while the other hangs uselessly in that damn sling.

The girls have stopped coming by after he yelled at Haley for nothing more than breathing in his direction. Even Knox goes MIA now, not wanting to touch Lex’s anger with a ten foot pole.

The check-in texts are getting shorter and the hours between them wider. Everyone’s retreating.

Daniel and Irina are worried about him. She called yesterday in tears asking if maybe Dr. Monroe could get through to him. I told her the harsh truth. He won’t even look at me right now and barely talks to Rez, there isn’t a chance in hell he’s letting a shrink inside his head.

“I said,” Sabine continues, her voice drawn tight as a wire. “Do you hear me, Aleksandr?”

I force a smile when his gaze snaps to mine. The darkness in his eyes flicker, softening just enough to let me in.